Malaysian Universities Must Strengthen The Study Of Colonialism - Zambry

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysian universities, especially journalism schools, need to strengthen the study of colonialism in its full historical depth and contemporary relevance, says Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.

In a Facebook post today, he concurred with International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)’s Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Murad Merican on the need to enhance the teaching of colonial history in universities, particularly journalism schools.

“This is not merely about revisiting the past. It is about equipping our students to understand how hegemonic structures continue to shape the present global order.

“What we are witnessing today is not a departure from history, but its continuation where power is exercised through new instruments, yet rooted in the same logic of domination,” he said.

He said that in today’s age of power, influence through media, technology, economics and geopolitics remains unequal, and without understanding colonial legacies, graduates risk becoming technically skilled but intellectually dependent, unable to question the systems they work in.

Zambry said while colonial legacies must be revisited, caution is needed against romanticising postcolonial discourse, noting that current realities point to a reconfiguration of control rather than genuine liberation.

He said prevailing academic standards and intellectual validation must be questioned, as overreliance on metrics such as Scopus risks creating a homogenised system in which knowledge is standardised, perspectives are filtered, and local epistemologies are marginalised.

He also said universities must become producers of knowledge rooted in local realities and intellectual traditions, rather than consumers of global hierarchies.

Ahmad Murad shared his views in a Facebook post yesterday, saying that Malaysian universities and journalism schools must teach colonialism and its ramifications to better understand the present world order and hegemonic arrangements.

He said the narrative should begin with colonialism, not neo-colonialism or romanticised postcolonial discourse, and be followed by critical resistance and reinterpretation.

-- BERNAMA