Helen Ting, a fellow of Huayan Policy Institute, said critical historical thinking should be part of civic education to help students become capable of evaluating different perspectives and understanding how national identity is shaped.

“Students need to understand that historical knowledge is constructed. Sometimes there are different perspectives in writing history, and we need to make decisions based on evidence,” she said at a panel discussion on a book on Malaya’s journey to independence.

A fellow panellist, economist Jomo Kwame Sundaram, also urged caution in relying on official or biased sources, such as Special Branch documents, as they could distort public understanding of historical figures and movements if accepted uncritically.

The panel discussion was held at the launch of the second edition of “Merdeka! British Rule and the Struggle for Independence in Malaya 1945-1957” by HELP University pro-chancellor Khong Kim Hoong.

Ting said earlier textbooks were too focused on the Malay narrative, and said government-funded textbooks have historically played down the contributions of early Malay leftist movements.

She acknowledged that newer textbooks written before Pakatan Harapan came into power had made efforts to include more diverse contributions, such as those of Malay leftist groups and non-Malay actors, without glorifying communism.

“If they had been more radical, I don’t think they would have been accepted,” she said, noting that the books still highlighted the violence of the communist insurgency while acknowledging their resistance to British rule.

Ting also called for a more inclusive national history that reflected the roles of all communities.

She said political leaders, including “Bapa Merdeka” Tunku Abdul Rahman, shifted their messaging depending on the context, such as adopting a more inclusive stance towards non-Malays during negotiations for independence.