Fahmi proposes initiative to preserve speeches, writings of Malaysia’s founding leaders

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil proposed preserving historical speeches and writings of Malaysia's founding leaders, inspired by the reprint of J. Victor Morais' Great Wisdom of the First Malaysians.

Fahmi intends to collaborate with the National Unity Minister to organise an initiative for next year's National Month celebrations, which may include additional print runs and programmes.

The book highlights the perspectives of founding leaders and is deemed a valuable resource for researchers and policymakers, aiming to preserve Malaysia's nation-building heritage.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil today has proposed a national initiative to preserve and revive historical speeches and writings of Malaysia’s founding leaders for future generations.

He said the initiative, inspired by the reprint of pioneering journalist J. Victor Morais’ Great Wisdom of the First Malaysians, could involve retrieving rare speeches, writings and historical accounts from archives.

“I will discuss with National Unity Minister (Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang) to identify the most appropriate steps. If possible, we will work towards organising something in conjunction with National Month celebrations next year.”

Fahmi said this at the launch of Great Wisdom of the First Malaysians – A Reprint of Selected Speeches by Pioneering Journalist J. Victor Morais here today.

Also present were Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, Daily Express chief editor Datuk Sardahthisa James and Victor’s son Benedict Morais.

Fahmi said the collection highlighted the importance of preserving the intellectual contributions and perspectives of the country’s founding figures, particularly at a time when rapid development and the pursuit of future progress could overshadow an understanding of the nation’s past.

The communications minister said the book deserved wider circulation beyond its initial print run of 2,000 copies to ensure its valuable historical content reached a broader audience.

In this regard, Fahmi offered to help raise funds to print an additional 2,000 copies, subject to the agreement of those involved in the publication, and proposed organising a related programme at Parliament next year.

He said he would distribute copies to all Cabinet ministers at Friday’s meeting to highlight the importance of understanding Malaysia’s nation-building history.

Meanwhile, Sardahthisa, also known as James Sarda, said the book provided valuable insights into the aspirations of Malaysia’s founding leaders and the challenges they faced during the country’s formation, making it an important resource for researchers, policymakers and younger generations.

He collaborated with Benedict to republish the collection, originally released in 1967 under the title Selected Speeches.

“For journalists like me, finding speeches delivered by Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak in Parliament is not easy, as record-keeping was different in those days and access to parliamentary records involved various protocols.

“This book is a gold mine for research. It is a one-stop centre containing the speeches of leaders from various backgrounds and their hopes for Malaysia,” he told reporters after the event.

Meanwhile, Benedict recalled that his father was a self-taught journalist who honed his skills through a correspondence course at Rapid Results College (RRC) in London at a time when formal journalism training was not widely available.

The 80-year-old said his father later gained practical experience through on-the-job training, reflecting the determination and initiative that shaped his career in journalism.

Recalling the declaration of independence on Aug 31, 1957, Benedict said he was a 12-year-old student among the 25,000 people who witnessed the historic occasion at Merdeka Stadium, including Tunku Abdul Rahman’s seven resounding cries of “Merdeka”.

He also recalled the strong sense of unity among the people during that period, when they simply identified themselves as Malayans regardless of race.

“We saw ourselves as Malayans…neighbours kept their homes open, shared food and visited one another freely. It was a spirit of unity that came naturally rather than being imposed,” he added. — Bernama

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通讯部长法米·法兹尔提议保存马来西亚建国领袖的历史演讲和著作，其灵感来自 J·维克多·莫赖斯的《马来西亚先民的伟大智慧》的再版。

法赫米打算与民族团结部长合作，组织明年国家月庆祝活动，其中可能包括额外的印刷和活动。

本书重点介绍了马来西亚建国领导人的观点，被认为是研究人员和政策制定者保护马来西亚建国遗产的宝贵资源。

吉隆坡，10月13日讯——通讯部长拿督斯里法米·法兹尔今日提出一项国家倡议，旨在保存和复兴马来西亚建国领袖的历史演讲和著作，以供后代参考。

他表示，这项计划的灵感来源于先驱记者 J. Victor Morais 的著作《马来西亚第一批人的伟大智慧》的重印，可能会涉及从档案馆中检索出珍贵的演讲、著作和历史记载。

“我将与国家团结部长（拿督亚伦·阿戈·达甘）商讨最合适的措施。如果可能，我们将努力争取在明年国庆月期间举办一些活动。”

法米今天在马来西亚先驱记者 J. Victor Morais 的演讲选集《马来西亚先民的伟大智慧》发布会上发表了上述讲话。

出席者还有马来西亚国家通讯社（Bernama）总编辑阿鲁尔·拉朱·杜拉尔·拉杰、每日快报总编辑拿督萨尔达蒂萨·詹姆斯以及维克多的儿子本尼迪克特·莫赖斯。

法赫米表示，该收藏凸显了保存国家缔造者们的思想贡献和观点的重要性，尤其是在快速发展和追求未来进步可能会掩盖对国家过去的理解的当下。

通讯部长表示，该书首印2000册，应该扩大发行范围，以确保其宝贵的历史内容能够被更广泛的读者所了解。

在这方面，法赫米表示愿意帮助筹集资金，在征得出版相关人员的同意后，再印刷 2000 份，并提议明年在议会组织一个相关的活动。

他说，他将在周五的会议上向所有内阁部长分发副本，以强调了解马来西亚建国历史的重要性。

与此同时，萨达蒂萨（又名詹姆斯·萨达）表示，这本书深入剖析了马来西亚建国领导人的抱负以及他们在建国过程中面临的挑战，使其成为研究人员、政策制定者和年轻一代的重要参考资料。

他与本尼迪克特合作重新出版了这本最初于 1967 年以《精选演讲集》为名出版的文集。

“对于像我这样的记者来说，找到东姑阿都拉曼和敦阿都拉萨在国会发表的演讲并不容易，因为当时的记录保存方式与现在不同，查阅国会记录涉及各种程序。

“这本书是研究的宝库。它汇集了来自不同背景的领导人的演讲以及他们对马来西亚的期望，堪称一站式资源，”他在活动结束后告诉记者。

与此同时，本尼迪克特回忆说，他的父亲是一位自学成才的记者，在正规新闻培训并不普及的年代，他通过伦敦快速成果学院 (RRC) 的函授课程磨练了自己的技能。

这位 80 岁的老人说，他的父亲后来通过在职培训获得了实践经验，这体现了他决心和进取心，也塑造了他后来的新闻事业。

回想起 1957 年 8 月 31 日的独立宣言，本尼迪克特说，当时他是一名 12 岁的学生，是默迪卡体育场见证这一历史性时刻的 25,000 人之一，其中包括东姑阿都拉曼七次响亮的“默迪卡”呼喊。

他还回忆起当时人民之间强烈的团结意识，他们不分种族，都认同自己是马来人。

“我们视彼此为马来亚人……邻里之间敞开家门，分享食物，自由走动。这种团结精神是自然而然形成的，而非强加的。”他补充道。——马新社

国家登记部门表示，不应剥夺原住民儿童获得父母结婚记录相关文件的权利。

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