Historian laments untold history of Sarawak
Including me there are only six historians in Sarawak who write history books but since there is a lack of interest in history many of us do not contribute much.
KUCHING: Sarawak is rich in history but much remains untold as not many books are written about it.
Amanah Khariat Yayasan Budaya Melayu Sarawak (AKYBMS) general manager Dr Sanib Said attributed this to the lack of local historians and history writers.
“Including me there are only six historians in Sarawak who write history books but since there is a lack of interest in history many of us do not contribute much,” he told reporters after he officiated at a talk on Rosli Dhoby, a Malay Sarawakian nationalist from Sibu during the British crown colony era and Rukun 13 at Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka Sarawak hall, Petra Jaya, here yesterday.
“I had spoken to higher institutes of learning like Universiti Malaysia Sarawak( Unimas) on matters related to history of the state and see how the university can help us to expand on this by having its Historical Department,” he added.
He said there were very few historians and he hoped that future generations would have more interest to learn about
Dr Sanib Said, AKYBMS general manager
historic figures and what they did and events that occurred in the country.
“What happened in the past can be significant and can be used to shape our future and that is why historical subjects are important,” he said.
Sanib, who wrote a history book on Rosli Dhoby, said that he sold some 500 copies of the book.
“Initially before publication, I used the historic figure of Rosli Dhoby and Rukun 13 as research work for my doctorate thesis. Later I published a book on it but I did not make much from selling the book and even now I do not have a single original copy for my own,” he lamented.
On the talk yesterday, which was attended by 500 people including students, scholars and community leaders, Sanib said it was held to remember the struggle of Malay nationalist Rosli Dhoby who sacrificed himself to obtain Sarawak’s independence from the British.
He said Rosli was a leader of the Rukun 13, an active organisation in the anti- cession movement of Sarawak, along with Morshidi Sidek, Awang Rambli Deli and Bujang Suntong.
“Rosli was well known for his assassination of Sir Duncan George Stewart, the second governor of colonial Sarawak, in 1949,” he revealed.
According to Sanib, Rosli’s death was a heroic deed because he was fighting for the independence of Sarawak from the British colonial masters. He hoped that more such historical events or talks be carried out so that people would not forget as to what happened to the country in the past.
Also present at the talk was Director of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka ( DBP) Sarawak Dr Hazami Jahari.