Update history syllabus: national laureate

The Taiwanese ‘Orang Asli’

(Bernama) – All these while we believed Malays originated from Yunan but latest research has revealed that the Malay origin came from Taiwan, spread to Borneo and then to Palembang before coming here.

The Education Ministry has been urged to update the syllabus for history subjects, especially for STPM students, in line with the latest updates and discoveries said a national laureate.

Dean for School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Prof Datuk Abu Talib Ahmad said over the past few years, many historical facts and aspects revealed by historians have been included or updated.

“For example, all these while we believed Malays originated from Yunan but latest research has revealed that the Malay origin came from Taiwan, spread to Borneo and then to Palembang before coming here,” he told reporters during an International seminar of the Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak’s Centre for Policy Research and International Studies (CenPRIS) at USM here today.

Abu Talib said historical facts need to be looked at from all aspects, including social, religion, culture, food, etc to learn history in a more detailed and wide scope.

Meanwhile, National laureate Prof Emeritus Muhammad Salleh said syllabus contained in the subject must be expanded to attract the younger generation because history is a key for uniting nationalistic ideals among the various races.