New Indonesian History Book to be Launched for 80th Independence Day Anniversary

Jakarta, MINA – Restu Gunawan, the Director-General for Cultural and Traditional Protection at the Ministry of Culture has confirmed that a revised Indonesian history book will be launched to commemorate the country’s 80th anniversary of independence.

“The book [the history of Indonesia] will be launched to celebrate 80 years of Indonesian independence. By the 80th anniversary of our independence, we will have a new Indonesian history book,” said Gunawan when met at the Ministry of Culture office in Jakarta on Thursday.

While he did not specify an exact release date, Gunawan explained that the manuscript is currently being reviewed and edited. This follows public hearings held at four universities: the University of Indonesia in Depok, Lambung Mangkurat University in Banjarmasin, Padang State University, and Makassar State University.

As previously stated by Minister of Culture (Menbud) Fadli Zon, the new Indonesian national history must be written by historians who are experts in their respective fields.

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“We cannot carelessly hand over the rewriting of Indonesia’s national history to those who are not experts,” said Fadli Zon on July 25.

Fadli noted that this book cannot contain all of the nation’s history, as that would require around 100 volumes. “But with just 10 volumes, we can cover the highlights,” he said.

For this project, the Ministry of Culture has collaborated with 112 historians from 34 universities across Indonesia.

Fadli emphasized that Indonesia needs to write its own history from an Indonesian perspective, not a colonial one, and expressed his hope that this new historical account will be relevant to the nation’s identity.

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He highlighted that many new discoveries need to be updated in the historical narrative, such as the recently found ancient cave paintings which, based on 2003 research, are 51,200 years old.

Fadli Zon also stressed that nothing is being hidden in the rewriting of the national history and that the content is open for debate. The last Indonesian history book was written 26 years ago, and an update was long overdue.

This new history book is intended not only to celebrate Indonesia’s 80th anniversary but also to serve as a reflective tool to reawaken a collective awareness of the nation’s history. It aims to strengthen national solidarity across generations and reaffirm the direction and aspirations of Indonesia’s struggle, as pioneered by the country’s founders. [Shibgho]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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