JABATAN SEJARAH the Khoo Kay Kim I Knew

JABATAN SEJARAH No. 9 June 2019 In Memoriam The Khoo Kay Kim I Knew Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dr. Khoo Kay of Malaya library. My room was just a few was never locked and you could meet him Kim was a personality I got to know about doors away from his. He was the internal anywhere, anytime. He would never tell during my Form Six days in 1982 when his examiner for my MA thesis. He anyone to leave his room or to even writings were published in an academic appreciated my work and had good things excuse him. Most often it would be visitors magazine named Diskusi. I referred to his to say about my ability to conduct vigorous who had to say thanks and excuse writings to write essays for assignments as research and the potential he saw in me to themselves. He was such a kind and a well as to study for examinations. I knew be a good historian. I also worked as a good-hearted person. him personally when I did my part time Research Assistant for him on I admired Prof. Khoo’s self-discipline and undergraduate study at the History the topic of History of Petaling Jaya time management. He would be in office at Department in 1985. His style of lecture before being appointed as a lecturer in the 9 am and then head to the microfilm was very different from what I had department in 1995. research room at the main library with an expected and so I did not enroll in any of Prof. Khoo was very generous to provide umbrella at around 1.30 pm to 4 pm. He his courses or attempt to approach him to references when I needed them after I would return between 4 pm-5.30 pm. His be my supervisor for my postgraduate completed my Master’s research. He was car, a Mercedes with the number plate research. I nonetheless admired his also kind enough to write a preface for the WTA 7102, would leave the faculty around scholarly personality and research works many books I published in the 1990s. One 6pm. He was a role model on what it that undoubtedly changed the landscape of these was Tamadun Dunia (World meant to be a dedicated historian. of Malaysian history. Civilization), which became the main Moving to Prof Khoo’s academic works, I had the chance to get to know Prof. Khoo reference for Form Six history students one cannot deny that he was an better when I enrolled for my Master’s from 1998 until 2012. I got to know him instrumental scholar who contributed programme at the department where I better when I pursued my Ph.D. at the enormously to the writings of Malaysian spent so much time engaging in same department and again we met history. He was the first academic to write conversation with him pertaining to my frequently in the microfilm rooms. Malaysian history from the Malaysian research – “Free Trade and Free Ports in What I admired most in him during and perspective or the Malaysian-centric view. the Straits Settlements in the late 18 and after my undergraduate days was his In his article entitled “Recent Advances in 19th century”. He spent many hours in the openness and welcoming nature. His door the Study and Writing of Malaysian microfilm research rooms at the University JABATAN SEJARAH History” published in Peninjau Sejarah in of knowledge should be used to explain history. It was through his leadership that 1968 (Vol. 3, No. 1, April), he mentions the past. Prof. Khoo’s works were thus the early 1970s and 1980s witnessed that writing Malaysian history from the mostly written using the objective- many works at the undergraduate level Malaysian point of view did not oblige descriptive narrative style, as opposed to dealing with local history. It is not far- one to adopt a condemnatory attitude the constructionist/analytical school that fetched to say it was he who introduced towards the British. He encouraged employs statistics, model-construction the tradition of oral history at the Malaysian historians to look into various and theoretical frameworks. In short, he department when there was no relevant factors, external and internal, social, did not believe in theories. unit or center available in the university. political and economic, perhaps even Because of the school of thought he To me, one of his greatest contributions psychological to see how they interact to belonged to, Prof. Khoo often became is in highlighting the historiography of produce our present society and where entangled in controversies with young Malaysia for students who are keen to precisely has the pattern of traditional historians who felt his views were rather pursue their higher studies in history. His Malay society been transformed. He was outdated. If one were to look into his writings “Recent Advances in the Study also concerned with the ultra-nationalists work closely, it would be seen that he too and Writing of Malaysian History”, who would not hesitate to indulge in self- had subscribed to theory in one form or Peninjau Sejarah, 1968; “Recent deceit by pretending that the British another without him realizing it. His work Malaysian Historiography”, Journal of never existed here and therefore Western Malay States has a chapter on Southeast Asian Studies, September contributed nothing to the making of Topography and Polity, discussing in the 1979; “Local Historians and the Writing of modern Malaysia. aspect of geo-history how the natural Malaysian History in the Twentieth His magnum opus, The Western Malay environment – rivers, lands and hills – Century” in Perceptions of the Past in States, 1850-1873 (Oxford University affected the economic life of the Malays Southeast Asia, 1979; “Historiography of Press, Kuala Lumpur, 1972) is an and their political system in the western Peninsular Malaysia: Past and Present”, excellent study of the impact of peninsular states. On page 15, he adopts Malaysian Studies: Archeology, commercial development on Malay J.M. Gullick’s socio-anthropological Historiography, Geography and society and politics in the Straits theory that a traditional Malay Society Bibliography, 1985; “Malaysian Settlements and in the western was composed of two main divisions – a Historiography: A Further Look”, Kajian peninsular states of Negeri Sembilan, ruling class and subject class, with the Malaysia, 1992 and “20th Century Selangor and Perak. The work achieves Yang DiPertuan Agong occupying the Malaysia: A Historiographical a high-level of objectivity largely due to apex of the political system. Perspective”, Sejarah, 2000 are some of Prof. Khoo’s adoption of a descriptive- the must-read references for researchers Prof. Khoo, along with R.R. Bonney, did empiricist methodology as well as his use who intend to work on Malaysian history. not hesitate to take issue with western of social theory. It is an authoritative scholars in the 1960s and 1970s in many I also admired Prof. Khoo’s role as a piece of Malaysian socio-economic of his writings and seminars organized by public intellectual. He responded to many history. The amount of meticulous the History Department. His works like historical controversies that gripped research that went into this work is clear “J.W.W. Birch: A Victorian Moralist in public attention. These included among by its extensive footnotes. Perak’s Augean Stable?, Journal of the others the controversy over whether Prof. Khoo belongs to the Rankean Historical Society, Vol. IV, 1965/66; “The Hang Tuah existed, who was the founder school of thought (Reconstructionist or Origins of British Administration in of Kuala Lumpur, the issue of objective/empiricist school of history) who Malaya”, JMBRAS, Vol. 39, No. 1, 1966 pendatang/immigrants, whether Malaya believed history should be based on and “Malay Society 1874-1920s”, Journal was actually colonized and many more. empirical evidence or, in other words, by of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 5, No. 2, While I would not agree with all his narrating how things really (or actually) 1974 provide new interpretations in views/interpretations, but by engaging happened. Rankean historians’ emphasis Malaysian history. with the subject, he kept the subject on knowledge through interpretation of alive. Indeed, it was Prof. Khoo who He became a rising star in the 1970s the written text leads them to reject made the attempt to popularize history when he was the first academic at the relativism in history – that is, the rejection among the masses. Through the column department to lecture in Bahasa of the idea that morality exists in a History Alive, which appeared in the Malaysia, the national language. He also historical context. For them, no theories Sunday Star in 1993, Prof. Khoo along contributed in enriching Malaysian local 2 Buletin June 2019 JABATAN SEJARAH with Dr. Ranjit Singh Malhi discussed Prof. Khoo joined those road shows and The local sabbatical was a blessing in controversial issues in Malaysian shared his thoughts with the students on disguise. I had ample of time to meet him historiography. The earlier articles the importance of history. As a result, the many days in a week, be it in the focused on the nature of pre-colonial number of undergraduate students saw a morning, afternoon or night to discuss Malay society and particularly whether it remarkable fourfold increase in the many subjects pertaining to history and was feudal or pre-colonial Malays who following years. He was the first to knock some casual chat. were traders or peasant farmers. In one on my door to congratulate me when the The operation took a toll on Prof. Khoo’s article, it was suggested that pre-colonial department was ranked as the top history body.

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