Historian gives fresh perspectives on Sarawak history

KUCHING: Sarawak historian Datuk Dr Sanib Said delivered a thought-provoking lecture at the State Library on Tuesday, highlighting the need to decolonise Sarawak’s historiography.

A public lecture entitled “A Fresh Look At The 1841 Brunei-Brooke Agreement:  Unveiling New Interpretations On Its 183rd Anniversary” aimed to expand the comprehension of the Brunei-Brooke Agreement and shed light on its influence, both in the immediate and broader historical context of Sarawak.

Dr Sanib’s lecture was jointly organised by the Sarawak Malay Culture Foundation Charitable Trusts (AKYBMS) and the Institute of Borneo Studies, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

According to Dr Sanib, history has its theory and methodology that are different from other social sciences.

“We need to deconstruct our history or decolonise our historiography, which has influenced me greatly.

“The Western-centric, the Eastern-centric and all the bias in our historiography has inspired me to write the studying of Sarawak history, and it is a big challenge because of the different opinions made by different people,” he said.

Additionally, he said that historians dig into the past and refer to many sources from different people in the historical field, all of which must be verified.

“Historians have to verify all those sources and facts from the findings from the field or in the archives.

“The role commonly attributed to history is to judge the past, instruct the present and to benefit the future,” he said, quoting German historian Leopold van Ranke.

Dr Sanib emphasised that the primary purpose of history is to understand why events occur and their causes and effects, adding that the Sarawak Museum has excellent archives for those seeking historical information.

“The Sarawak Museum has good archives and has been preserving documents such as the Brooke papers, books, and more.

“You have to spend a lot of time there as I have spent six months on my thesis; thus, the Sarawak Museum’s archive is considered a goldmine for historical information dated as early as 1870,” he emphasised.

He encouraged attendees to explore historical sources, such as old newspapers, including the Sarawak Gazette (1870), Sarawak Tribune (1945), Utusan Sarawak (1946), and books about Sarawak written by Brooke’s officers, for additional insights.

“Many of Brooke’s officers wrote books and journals, particularly, which are excellent references for our research.

“One of my favourites is Spenser St. John’s book entitled The Life of Sir James Brooke: Rajah of Sarawak, and he wrote about the Malay Jawi manuscripts,” Dr Sanib added.

He also discussed another writer, Templer, to whom John wrote letters about James Brooke’s life in 1941 that were later published in books, and Captain Rodney Mundy, who published the journals of James Brooke, Esq.

“The Journals of James Brooke, Esq, however, is essential, and there are two volumes of it.

“It provides a wealth of detailed information about Brooke and offers a deep understanding of the unique culture of the Sarawakian people.

“So, you have to read all of this if you want to be a historian of Sarawak,” Dr Sanib said.

Dr Sanib also shared with the audience books written by Baring Gould and Charles Agar Bampfylde, including A History of Sarawak Under the Two White Rajahs (1909), Steven Runciman’s The White Rajahs, The Nagara Kretagama (1365) and more to help the people’s grasp Brooke’s time in Sarawak.

Dr Sanib added that people love history but that there is the danger of people claiming they know history without knowing what history is or its methodology and reminded historians to avoid subjectivity.

“We have to write as it was to avoid subjectivity, and to achieve objectivity, the concept in history must be non-biased.

“We have to read word by word and check the draft, and it is a tedious job, but if you enjoy doing it, I believe you can do it, and I am no exception.

“I put a lot of effort into gathering my sources and interpreting my findings, which is why I share them with all of you, in the hope that they will be of benefit the society,” he said after his presentation.