From Shakila Yacob

The recent formation of the National Council of Historians — spearheaded by the national unity ministry, with the National Archives of Malaysia serving as secretariat and chaired by the prime minister — is a welcome and timely development.

Not because Malaysia needs another bureaucratic body, but because it finally acknowledges what has long been overlooked: historical narratives must not be twisted to serve personal, political or corporate agendas. They must reflect the rich, diverse and complex truth of who we are.

For this council to truly matter, it cannot operate solely from conference rooms. It must reach every layer of society — educators, civil society, media, public and the private sector — embedding history in living conversations, active policies and the nation’s collective consciousness. Not confined to museums or textbooks, but present in classrooms, policy halls and boardrooms.

History must be empowered across Malaysian society, or we risk repeating the very mistakes we claim to have learned from.

This is the work of public history: history that lives outside academia — in communities, media, policy debates, corporate boardrooms and everyday conversation. It’s history made accessible, relevant and actionable.

If the council is serious about national healing and unity, it must champion public history, not as an add-on, but as its core mission.

Education: where critical thinking takes root

We must begin young. Embed history in primary-level social studies, not as rote dates and dynasties, but as lived experiences, as cause and consequence.

Adopt multidisciplinary models: blend history with geography, civics, literature and ethics. Teach students not just what happened, but why it happened and who shaped the narrative.

At the secondary and tertiary levels, deepen inquiry. Equip students to interrogate sources, detect bias and reconstruct narratives. Encourage debate. Reward scepticism.

This critical mindset must be rooted not just in abstract theory but in the stories we tell about ourselves.

Malaysia is no exception. Our identity? Forged in the confluence of five great civilisational pillars: Malay, Islamic, Chinese, Indian and Western. Each brought tools. Each left legacies.

Together, they built something no single pillar could hold alone. And beneath them all — the Orang Asal. The land remembers them first. So must we. This is Malaysia. Not in spite of its layers — but because of them. And that is what we must not just celebrate — but protect, teach and build upon.

But identity alone will not govern wisely, heal divisions or build trust. For that, we need something more: a public sector that understands the weight of that identity — and carries it with wisdom.

Bureaucrats who know history

“Historical literacy” is missing from the civil service — and with it, something deeper: institutional dignity, rooted in “hikmah” (wisdom) and “adab” (ethical conduct).

We must restore a culture where bureaucrats, grounded in history, are not just implementers, but respected advisers. Where ministers listen, as they once did in the early post-independence era — not out of protocol, but because civil servants spoke with depth, context and moral authority.

History is not optional background reading — it is the foundation of authority.

A bureaucrat who understands the 1969 racial tensions does not just “manage” ethnic relations — they help prevent their recurrence. A civil servant who understands the evolution of Malay land rights does not just process titles — they protect memory, identity, trust and ancestral promise. “Amanah”.

The Madani framework — built on hikmah and adab — cannot be implemented faithfully if those executing it remain blind to the historical wounds it seeks to heal. That understanding comes only through “iqtibar”: the discipline of learning from precedent, of seeing today’s fractures through yesterday’s lessons.

Bring back the historically grounded civil servant — and you restore more than policy coherence. You restore respect. Influence. The quiet, indispensable role of nation-building.

Private sector: profit with purpose

For business, history is due diligence. Businesses operating in Malaysia’s multicultural marketplace succeed not by ignoring cultural nuance, but by mastering it.

Understanding the historical roots of community sensitivities — why certain symbols resonate, why certain dates matter, why trust must be earned across ethnic lines — is smart business. This builds trust, loyalty and long-term value. Ignoring history? That’s not neutrality but risk.

And in today’s world — where algorithms push lies faster than facts, and emotion drowns out evidence — knowing how to question, verify and contextualise is not academic. It’s survival.

History gives us those skills: to spot bias, trace origins, weigh sources. It’s not nostalgia, it’s navigation.

The Quran reminds us: “fa’ta-biru ya ulil absar” (“So take warning, O people of vision.”) Not a suggestion. A command. See clearly. Learn deeply. Act wisely. To lead in business — or in life — you must first reckon with the past.

The only way forward is through the past

The National Council of Historians can help if it chooses to be a catalyst, not a curator. If it steps beyond Putrajaya and KLCC, into schools in Sarawak and Sabah, factories in Penang, kampungs in Kelantan. If it partners with think tanks, chambers of commerce, teacher unions and youth groups — not to own the narrative, but to multiply it.

A history-empowered Malaysian society is not a nostalgic dream. It is the only foundation for the next level of national growth — more cohesive, more resilient, more innovative. Because when citizens understand the cost of division, they’ll choose unity.

When leaders understand the roots of policy failure, they design better solutions. When businesses understand cultural memory, they build lasting trust. This is survival. And it begins with remembering.

Shakila Yacob is a professor at Sunway University’s Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia and formerly served as director of the Centre for Civilisational Dialogue in Universiti Malaya. She champions history-informed public policy and the power of history.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.