Historian Ramlah Adam today admitted the contribution of the leftist group in the pursuit of the nation’s independence but said they were not as influential as Tunku Abdul Rahman.

"We do not deny the contributions of Burhanuddin Helmy, Ahmad Boestamam, Ibrahim Yaacob and Zaba. We have never denied their contribution...

"However, in the struggle to gain independence, none of them were as influential or stellar as Tunku,” she said to boos and shouts during a public forum.

ramlah adam 150911 perkasa Ramlah ( left ), a Perkasa supreme council member, was speaking at a public forum titled 'Is it necessary that history be rewritten?'.

Some 500 people, mostly Pakatan Rakyat supporters, attended the forum which was organised by Sinar Harian .

Ramlah added that she made the observation based on documents and records which are hard facts, which cannot be changed.

She pointed out that Tunku Abdul Rahman’s trip with MCA and MIC leaders to London to negotiate for Malaya’s independence as an example of the Tunku’s wide contributions.

She, however, did not state her stand clearly on whether history should be rewritten.

tunku abdul rahman and patrick keith 020805 Another academician, Professor Dr Mohamad Abu Bakar, said history requires innovation or clarity following the demands of globalisation.

He said that the question remains as there are only certain parties which are highlighted in history and this resulted in dissatisfaction.

“There are contribution made by the leftist and religious group. It is a team struggle and not a one man show,” he said, using a football analogy.

'Sabuism' creates interest

Mohamad, who is also the dean of the Arts and Social Science Faculty of Universiti Malaya, also noted that the controversy surrounding PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, known affectionately as Mat Sabu, over the Mat Indera issue has renewed debates over the country’s history.

“Recently, a forum with Mat Sabu was attended by thousands, in comparison to talks organised by the History Department which would be attended only by a few hundred.

“There has been a renewed interest among the public to discuss history before independence. However, I will reject it facts and interpretation of history done by politicians as they can change. Based on politics, a change in government would not result in much change, but a change in education minister would result in a change in history interpretation.”

Members of the panel included Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi and PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.