What is History?

I am pledged to staying away from Politics. But this sighting at a fellow blogger's post on a dark day in history of NegaraKu has been bugging me over the weekend.
I need to get IT out of my system -- politics or non-. Desi believes it falls within the realm of Truth seeking, the least expounded of my original goals when I ventured into blogsworld lending my 3sen worth.

First explaining the 3sen. When we give our opinions, the standard phrase is to give one's two sen worth. Desi thinks he tries a "li'l harder" than most, hence claiming the additional test. That way I drive myself in not takling my readers fro granted. I'd rather be silent than to mouth the first thing that comes to mind without reflection.

I've often challenged my EsteemedReaders to give me Da Rationale. I'd feel unsatisfied if a YoungOne gives me a one-liner with a claim. Standalone, e.g. "Yes, I think Amir Muhammad's Lelaki Komunist Terakhir is an educational movie and should be approved for public viewing." PERIOD.
(Period is of course the Americanisation of the conventional British FULL-STOP, the dot one uses to end most sentences, like this one.)
I would demand of my conversationist that he/he give REASONS for her/his views for the listener may then beg to agree or disagree with the grounds cited. I'd respect the most seemingly "ridiculous" statement from a Reader, but if he/she giveth good grounds, I salute him/her.

So, what troubled Desi?
This opening paragraph:

"Today is the anniversary of racial strife.
I realised this morning that today is 13th May, the day when two racist and Chinese-chauvinist parties, DAP and Gerakan, reared their ugly serpent heads and mobillised their death-killing machines and literally massacred Muslims in Kuala Lumpur in 1969. And for that crime, I will never forgive DAP for that." Please note that I'm NOT reproducing any other paragraphs because it's not logical to go any further as I have questioned the original premise of his thesis.

And the author used wikipedia as the source of what he deems good historical records for the May 13, 1969 incident.
I would have thought official, published sources like Tunku Abdul Rahman's and Leon Comber's and other "academically published" sources would have been more useful and authoritative.
Wikipedia as a source for HISTORY?
There is such a thing called ATTRIBUTION is news-writing. If a reporter is to do a feature on cancers, an authority that immediately comes to mind would be a medical doctor, better still, specialised in Cancers. And this doctior would have to be properly attributed as the source for his medical opinions, based on research and case studies.

Can you imagine if the reporter (dumbass!) were to iontyerview a JKR worker he met at the Mamak stall to give his medical viewpoints on the subject of Cancers. Don't laugh, mGf, I had had first hand experience dealing with a similar scenario. But me Hariidas tehtarik and I'll entertain with de tail/tael/tale.

For less demanding subjects like Entertainment and Sports, ongoing technology and news developments where other sources are concurrently available for referencing, I would accept a Wikipedia's account as "reliable", even then qualified.

For Malaysia's alledgedly "darkest hour" in modern history, I won't even count Wikipedia as suitable for a news summary. I woyuld go to the establsihed news organisations like Reuters, AP, ABC,BBC and yes, NST, The Star, and Bernama even.

Desiderata won't quote further from the Blogger's writeup because I follow what I have always written here, that one must not start off on wrong premise/s, otherwise, whatever that follows, FAILS.

For its 3sen worth, I left this footprint at the Blogger's Comments channel, which I thank him for making available, whether we agree or disagree. I indeed hold frim to VOLTAIRE's dictum:

"I may disgree with what you say but I will degfend, to the death, your right to say it."

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1 comment
Read the comments left by other users below, or:
(I suggest if you can track down the Blog, read also the first Commenter's, which I'm NOT reprising here as I don't have his permission.)


ylchong

#2. May 13th, 2006, at 2:34 PM.

"… the day when two racist and Chinese-chauvinist parties, DAP and Gerakan, reared their ugly serpent heads and mobillised their death-killing machines and literally massacred Muslims in Kuala Lumpur in 1969…”

I ask you from what and which source did you extract the above as FACT, then followed by subsequent laments?

If your premise is wrong, then all other thoughts are similarly flawed.

Please do NOT spread falsehood. Your children don’t deserve that wrong guardianship from you; your father’s gen also does not need to carry that burden."

In fact Malaysians are poorly served in terms of proper schooling in Malaysian history as the Government has sttrenuously kept under wraps the events surrounding May 13. Official accounts cannot be disputed, and yioung Malaysians in school, even at University, are not encouraged to think for themselves. The Government has succeeded in producing two generations of very skilled "rote learners" but hardly any original thinkiers, inventors -- a Nobel Prize winner from Malaysia?

Maybe in producing the largest "nasi lemak" enough to feed the whjole of Kuala Lumpyur for next City Day!
Nobel Prize, my kaki! When even a bold artiostioc work like LKT cannot see the day of light, oops, the light of Malaysian day. But it saw it in Singapore and many overseas venues.

And we have the proud record of a group of "enlightened" university students presenting a Memorandum to the DPM asking the Government to continue with the Universitioes and Uniobversity Colleges Act, whose primary aim is to gag students, or minimise their activities, as far as involvement in politics and civil issues of the day are concerned. In NegaraKu, a "minority" of vocal students who toe the Government's line is often used a "concveninet" representative of Young&Artculate when they really "mewakili the Degenerate and Ethno-entric Politics" of a certain group or class within that group.

I close Monday's rambling with one recall from The Man In Black, and should you ask who, please invest RM20 on the Ori of "WALK THE LINE"



WHAT IS TRUTH?


The old man turned off the radio
Said, "Where did all of the old songs go
Kids sure play funny music these days
They play it in the strangest ways"
Said, "it looks to me like they've all gone wild
It was peaceful back when I was a child"
Well, man, could it be that the girls and boys
Are trying to be heard above your noise?
And the lonely voice of youth cries "What is truth?"

A little boy of three sittin' on the floor
Looks up and says, "Daddy, what is war?"
"son, that's when people fight and die"
The little boy of three says "Daddy, why?"
A young man of seventeen in Sunday school
Being taught the golden rule
And by the time another year has gone around
It may be his turn to lay his life down
Can you blame the voice of youth for asking
"What is truth?"

A young man sittin' on the witness stand
The man with the book says "Raise your hand"
"Repeat after me, I solemnly swear"
The man looked down at his long hair
And although the young man solemnly swore
Nobody seems to hear anymore
And it didn't really matter if the truth was there
It was the cut of his clothes and the length of his hair
And the lonely voice of youth cries
"What is truth?"

The young girl dancing to the latest beat
Has found new ways to move her feet
The young man speaking in the city square
Is trying to tell somebody that he cares
Yeah, the ones that you're calling wild
Are going to be the leaders in a little while
This old world's wakin' to a new born day
And I solemnly swear that it'll be their way
You better help the voice of youth find"What is truth?"