RIFLE RANGE BOY: pseudo-history

History has nothing to do with the narrator’s gender. Yet it has everything to do with the validity of his narrative, the narrative of the victors. The history lessons that were shoved down our throats during our schooling days are increasingly being disputed for their authenticity, reeking of imperialists' vested interest. It stands as a living proof of justifying Western powers' action to fulfil the duty of the white man's burden - to go forth to civilise and bring development to the natives. In the post-colonial era, historians continued to preach the subject from a leftist angle, glorifying Western power and downplaying Eastern society.

In the 21st century, history is no longer the dry subject that it used to be. With many natives now well-versed in European languages, they can tell their side of the story. As the African proverb goes, 'Until the lion tells its story, the hunt will always glorify the hunters', the natives can now tell how they were highly civilised way before the Westerners 'discovered' them and 'civilised' them.

The 21st century sees two types of historians: the first, a nationalistic one who tries to put the nation in a positive light, and the second, those who parrot the success of the hunters.

Closer to home, in Malaysia, a lecturer at one of the premier public universities has been going around making outlandish claims about the country's ancestors. Her assertions have been so ludicrous, but she has been receiving a lot of attention from the general public. She is a cult figure of sorts. Her statements include things like one of Prophet Muhammad's wives was a Malay, that the Malay DNA is not linked to Yunnan ancestry in China but to the Arabs, and lately she uttered that the Malays gave the Romans lessons in shipbuilding.

The funny thing is that none of her theories are challenged by fellow academics. For the record, the said soon-to-be Professor, Solehah Yaakob, is not a historian; she is trained in Arabic language studies. Her sentiments are in line with the racial hegemony that the ruling government is trying to propagate. To keep their voters happy, the leaders constantly hammer home grandiose ideas that magnify their ancestors' feats. They rule by feeding a constant diet of fear, telling the public of a conspiracy from within and without to topple the dominance of the majority in the country. Her outrageous claims augur well in boosting the ego of the majority.

Everyone knows what she is saying is not right. But Malaysians are too polite. Nobody wants to bell the cat. They do not want to seem to upset the status quo. It is their rice bowl they have to be concerned with, above all!

In a healthy intellectual society, everyone should be able to speak from their mind. Each opinion should not be consumed as a divine decree but should be debated intelligently. In retaliation, the opinion should be supported by hard facts and proof. They need not run behind politicians to cling to their petticoats for validation, as is happening now.