KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 — Malaysia needs a new historical narrative that can unite its people of diverse races, Tun Musa Hitam said today at the launch of the 60th national History Summit here.

The former deputy prime minister noted that racial fragmentation within the country, like elsewhere around the world, has been worsening because the different ethnic groups dispute each other’s interpretations of the nation’s history.

“There is a historical combat in many countries, which is spreading disunity coming from various exclusive narratives from different perspectives, and the rejection of a disputed national narrative. 

“Our country also faces this phenomenon,” Musa said.

A new version of the country’s history must be created that can appeal to the people, he said.

He added that it must be disseminated widely until it becomes the common account.

However, he admitted that for the new version to take root and have any real meaning, the authorities must source them from high quality historical texts that are inclusive, honest, trustworthy, accurate and just.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had voiced a similar view in June, saying there is a need to rewrite Malaysia’s history textbooks.

The rewrite, Dr Mahathir said, should include problems faced in the past and steps taken by the government to solve such issues, so as to offer a better understanding of the country’s history to the younger generation.

Such a move would also help Malaysia to establish a more educated society, help unite the people, the 88-year-old Dr Mahathir said.

Archaeological digs around the country have uncovered a rich civilisational past, but even such heritage has been tainted by racial debates.

Last month, Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) argued the country’s dominant Malay race faced a “Western Christian conspiracy” that has lasted over four centuries.

It launched a bid to rewrite the history of the Malay archipelago to reflect what it believes to be the true representation of Malay civilisation.

Isma president Ustaz Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman said Malaysian history and, by extension, the history of the Southeast Asian region, has long been skewed towards the “contributions of the colonists” and non-Malays, which downplayed the greater role played by the Malays in developing the region.

However, Prof Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin in his keynote speech at the History Summit today refuted the need for a hegemonic narrative of history, as he suggested the teaching of social history in schools instead of the “history of winners and losers”.

The academician pointed out that the country was built upon the diversity of its people, and the public must recognise and respect this differences rather than trying to impose a uniform identity under the pretext of unity.