Instead of wanting to erase “parts” of the nation’s rich history, shouldn’t we just stop meddling with it, so that all the races can enjoy a sense of “belonging” to this country?
History is always a controversial topic as no one can tell for sure exactly what transpired hundreds of years ago except that which can be gleaned from blurry handwritten annals and drawings; in fact, the more one digs into history the more intriguing and confusing it gets!
Recently, in our country a PAS MP had sparked a storm after calling for Penang’s capital city George Town to be renamed Tanjung Penaga, which he claimed was the original name of the place before it was renamed by the British; but is the latter really the “original” name of the island’s state capital… or were there actually other names for the place much earlier?
Incidentally, in the latest controversy, PAS' Permatang Pauh MP Fawwaz Jan said that the state’s capital should be renamed to reflect Malaysia’s identity and that the people should not take pride in a name given by the colonisers. But aren't the “colonisers” also part of our rich history?
Anyway, it wasn't the first time this sensitive topic had been raised; back in 2022, International Islamic University Malaysia’s Ahmad Murad Merican had also proposed the renaming of George Town as it was deemed a legacy of the British colonialists.
Murad was said to have used the translation of cape (tanjung) to make his case for the name change as the land that used to jut out on the northeastern part of the island was apparently used to be referred to as Tanjung Penaga.
Meanwhile, the call by the PAS MP recently had actually stemmed from a grave oversight by the producers of a promotional video for the George Town Festival 2024, which was said to have focused mainly on Indian and Chinese culture - and ignored others!
According to Fawwaz, who is also the Penang PAS information chief, the incident had raised suspicion in the possible existence of an agenda to portray George Town as only belonging to certain races.
Nevertheless, the suggestion for the name change was swiftly dismissed by authorities, who pointed out that renaming George Town would jeopardise its status as a Unesco heritage site; and moreover the city has been famously known worldwide as George Town for the past two centuries!
While the calls to rename places in the country to reflect their “original” names may seem to be a fair move, it may spark fears of an alleged agenda by ultra-nationalist elements to “reclaim” the country and restore it to what it allegedly was in the past - that is, before the colonialists set foot here hundreds of years ago.
Moreover, in the context of a multiracial nation such as Malaysia, with its rich, colourful and unique history, such moves may also in the long run pose a significant threat to interracial harmony in the country.
This is because it may give rise to genuine fears that by attempting to erase the legacies of the colonialists, some ultra-nationalist elements may also harbour sinister ambitions to obliterate the history of the non-bumiputera communities here as well!
The truth is, history by its nature is marked by a sequence of events and to travel back in time to pinpoint the “true origin” of something or some place is just impossible.
Furthermore, as many may ask: what exactly could be the underlying motive for wanting to change the names of historic places in this country? After all, aren't our Constitution, our judiciary system and even our parliamentary system, also somewhat legacies of the much maligned colonialists? In the future, will there be attempts to erase or replace all these institutions too?
Coming back to the call by the PAS leader to change the name of George Town to Tanjung Penaga, wouldn’t there be chaos in this country if politicians start to unashamedly meddle with the nation’s formal history for their own selfish aspirations?
In any case, isn’t George Town's original name of “Tanjung” already preserved for posterity as it's the “official name” of the city's federal parliamentary constituency assigned by the nation’s Election Commission? Isn’t that recognition and honour good enough?
Sometimes history is best left alone…
The bottom line is, will changing the names of historic places in this country to their so-called “original” names serve any worthwhile purpose apart from merely pandering to the whims and fancies of the ultra-nationalists?
Interestingly, based on historical records, the ancient name of Muar is said to be “Muara”, while Kedah was known as “Kadaram”, which according to Sanskrit/Tamil translation means ‘smelting place of iron’; evidence of which is still found in abundance today in the Bujang Valley, showcasing its Hindu-Buddhist origins.
Information source: FMT and Cilisos
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