The Urgency of Rewriting Indonesian History

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The project to rewrite Indonesian history has sparked public debate, with some expressing concern while others are optimistic, believing it is time to correct historical records. The government, as the initiator, needs to consider various perspectives to ensure that everything is recorded appropriately according to its significance.

At least 120 historians are involved in the project to rewrite the history of Indonesia, coming from various branches of historical science at universities both domestically and abroad, from Aceh to Papua. The historians involved are a combination of both young and senior scholars. They all contribute to rewriting the history of Indonesia from the early historical period to the administration of the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo.

The Chairman of the Indonesian History Rewriting Team, Susanto Zuhdi, stated that along with the development of knowledge among the Indonesian people, many historians have discovered other or more recent facts than those historically recorded. Therefore, the rewriting of Indonesian history is essential.

Moreover, the government has now established the Ministry of Culture, which includes a standalone Directorate of History, allowing for the structural and budgetary implementation of the projects long desired by historians.

"Historians have also long wanted to rewrite or update it. So, it's like a response from both parties. We want to emphasize its meaning for the nation's journey in accordance with reinventing Indonesian identity. So, we want to describe this history through time in the nation's journey," said Susanto when contacted from Jakarta, Monday (19/5/2025).

The Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Indonesia revealed that this team has been working for the past five months. They are targeted by Minister of Culture Fadli Zon to complete their work by August 17, 2025, as a gift for the 80th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia.

The history rewriting team must rewrite a more fair, complete and objective narrative.

Due to the short timeframe, the team will employ a methodology for gathering historical facts from various studies that have been conducted by historians. The plan is for this to result in 10 volumes of national history, with each volume consisting of 500 pages, and the work is currently about 70 percent complete.

This book will eventually replace the previous 9 volumes of Indonesian history, namely Indonesia in the Flow of History (IDAS), which consists of 4,500 pages and was published in the 2010s.

At least, Susanto continued, there are three main aspects in the renewal of the historical record that will be published in August. These include a revision of the existing narrative, the addition of new historical material, and the rectification of history that requires clarification based on the results of the study.

"Don't forget, Indonesia is formed by various factors, so the content is not only political history, there is also about economics, culinary, fashion, language, art, literature, lifestyle. Lately, there is also IT, right, these young people also need to be accommodated," he said.

One of the aspects of Indonesian history that is being revised is the terminology "Hindu-Buddha Era" or "Islamic Era," which will be replaced with "Indonesia in the Global Network" or "Indonesia in the Middle Eastern Network." According to Susanto, this emphasizes that Indonesia also plays an active role in various events.

Although sponsored by the government, Susanto assures that the history book produced will still be based on academic studies. All kinds of concerns regarding dark historical events or politics intersecting with the government will still be written according to their respective proportions.

"So the official history is actually, in my opinion, sponsored by the government. But it does not mean the government's version of history, it is still the history of the people, the history of the nation," said Susanto.

The controversy that has arisen since this issue came to public attention has been welcomed by Susanto. For him, the more people debate about history, the more the community cares about the history of their nation. Furthermore, this could boost the interest of young people in studying history, both through formal education and by reading historical literature.

"We will still tell the facts, hard facts, yes. This is a methodology, it's called accepted history. So, for example, there is the name of President Prabowo doing this or that, yes, we will say it. But the depth of how the analysis is, yes, it's not in this book, that's a separate study," said Susanto.

The Chairperson of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Hetifah Sjaifudian, has requested the rewriting team of history to compose a narrative that is more just, comprehensive, and objective, considering that history is a highly dynamic science. According to her, with the advancement of methodology, digital archiving technology, and the accessibility of old documents, many new facts can be revealed.

"It is possible that throughout history, national narratives have been written from the perspective of certain powers or ideologies, often neglecting the contributions of minority groups, remote regions, or figures not included in the historical narrative," said Hetifah.

Separately, historian Anhar Gonggong assessed that this project is very important, but there needs to be another special team that formulates a narrative to become a history book used in the school education curriculum. This book must refer to the results produced by the Susanto team.

"If students do not need to, they should be able to and must read all history books from any source. Especially if they want to become historians, it would be strange to only use books written by the government," said Anhar.

In addition, history teachers should not rely 100 percent on history books written by the government. Teachers must provide alternative perspectives to their students that may be incomplete or even unwritten in Indonesian history books.

"Teachers must also broaden their knowledge and insight. Because history is not really rigid, it depends on the sources they use," he said.