COMMENT | It is disingenuous of Khairy Jamaluddin to criticise Malaysian historians and experts as “cowardly professors” who refuse to speak out while misinformation about the nation’s past continues to spread.

It is always easier when the narrative becomes uncomfortable to blame those who describe it rather than those who shaped its boundaries.

The former minister’s outburst fits neatly into a familiar political reflex, that confusion in public understanding must be the fault of those who failed to speak loudly enough. This framing is too convenient, and it mistakes the symptom for the system.

So, why is Khairy focusing on the silence of historians, instead of the political environment that shaped what could be safely said in the first place?

The core issue is not academic courage; it is political history.

Malaysia’s post-independence nation-building project, especially during the strong Umno era, was deeply shaped by...