TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Culture plans to conduct a public review of its revised history manuscript. Culture Minister Fadli Zon announced that this public consultation would take place in June or July.
Fadli revealed the plan during a work meeting with Commission X. He mentioned that the writing of several volumes of the manuscript has currently reached 50 to 70 percent completion, with some even fully completed. However, he did not specify which volumes have reached these stages.
"Later, when the average completion is 70 percent, the plan is that in June or July, we will open discussions per theme, involving and debating this with various experts," said Fadli at the Senayan Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Monday, May 26, 2025.
For now, Fadli has requested the public to allow historians time to finalize the manuscript. He assured that once completed, the manuscript would be widely publicized. "I think this is indeed a form of public test, and I think we can do it, but it has to be written first," he remarked.
Fadli also outlined six key reasons for rewriting history. First, he explained, this revision aims to eliminate colonial bias and assert an Indonesia-centric perspective. Second, rewriting history seeks to respond to contemporary challenges and globalization. Third, it aims to foster a strong national identity. Fourth, it is intended to assert historical autonomy. Fifth, Fadli highlighted its relevance for the younger generation. Sixth, the revision seeks to reinvent Indonesian identity.
The Ministry of Culture is undertaking this revision of the Indonesian history manuscript primarily to align historical knowledge with new findings from dissertations, theses, and research by historians. The rewritten history will be officially compiled with funding from the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the Indonesian Historians Society (MSI). This history book is targeted for completion by August 17, 2025, precisely on the 80th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia.
"The purpose of this writing is to produce a book that is 'official history' with a national orientation and interest, to enhance nationalism and love for the country. This book will be written in 10 (ten) volumes by Indonesian historians collectively," as quoted from the draft of the Conceptual Framework for Writing Indonesian History.
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