LETTERS: National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang recently asked historians to use the vast trove of information in the National Archives of Malaysia to fill gaps in the school history syllabus.
So it is important that the National Archives ensure schools and libraries have access to the materials.
It would be easier for students, researchers and the public to use the archives if they are aware of the types of sources that are accessible.
The "Index to British Colonial Office", Vol. 1-12, which was published by the archives in the 1990s with the cooperation of Dr Paul Kratoska, is a great example.
The index includes files from the Colonial Office from 1830 to 1957.
Materials come in hundreds of microfilms. Without the index, researchers would need years to browse through the microfilms, which have no mention of themes.
National Archives officers should visit schools and brief students and teachers on how to use the archives to supplement research. This is crucial because without guidance, they would be lost.
Students must also be informed about the historical context of the period. For example, if a person is keen to work on the Straits Settlements, which span the years 1700 to 1867, he must be informed of the sources that cover this time frame.
These include the Straits Settlements Records, Straits Settlements Factory Records (India Office Records), Straits Settlements Annual Reports and papers like 'Penang Gazette' and 'Straits Chronicle', 'Singapore Chronicle', 'Singapore Free Press' and 'Mercantile Advertiser'.
Understanding the historical period and the administration at that time can also help researchers determine which sources are relevant to their work.
It is obvious that knowledge of the sources in the archives and their proper use are prerequisites to filling the gaps in the history syllabus.
While we encourage students to conduct research at the National Archives, we should advise them to work on topics that reflect a multiracial Malaysia.
Former director of Pustaka Negara of Arkib Negara, Prabahkaran Nair, rightly pointed out in an article in 2005:
"We need to ensure that the collective memory of a shared past remains intact and inviolate for the different races in our country, so that people will be able to rediscover and reconstruct the beauty that lies at the heart of our common experience as a multiracial society.
"Such a past will confirm the greatness of our collective heritage to which we and our great-grandchildren can be proud heirs, who stand united in the pursuit of a common vision."
SIVACHANDRALINGAM SUNDARA RAJA
Retired professor
Department of History Universiti Malaya
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times