A historian has asked his detractors to prove him wrong in his claim that Hang Tuah and other historical figures never existed. “If you do not agree with me, bring out sources to show that I am wrong. “You cannot simply say that you don’t agree. What is the basis?” Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim asked when met at the Interna-tional Conference on the Global Movement of Moderates here yesterday.
Prof Khoo, who is in a committee which will look into the present History curriculum in schools, said legends like Hang Tuah and Princess Hang Li Po were not real because there were no reliable sources to confirm their existence. On Hang Tuah’s grave in Malacca, Prof Khoo said there was no way of telling it was him unless the grave was dug up and the corpse examined. “I know there is a Hang Tuah well in Malacca too but it was built by the local people and they go there at night to ask for lottery numbers,” he added. Prof Khoo, who is from Universiti Malaya, said it was sad that Malaysians were becoming more ignorant of history but were “good at confrontation”.
Asked on the proposed move to allow undergraduates to participate in politics, Prof Khoo said he was worried that if students were given such opportunities, they would be “used” by politicians and would not have time for their studies. On Monday, Prof Khoo said there was no written record of Hang Li Po, Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat and the stories that have made it into the history books were just myths.
