AFTER protests against systemic racism erupted worldwide recently, some local historians and groups are pushing for a reckoning with Malaysia’s colonial past.

They are currently campaigning for cities, such as George Town, Penang, and landmarks such as St Paul’s Hill in Malacca to be restored to their original Malay names of Tg Penaga and Bukit Melaka.

They told The Malaysian Insight these places were renamed when the British and Portuguese ruled Penang and Malacca in 1786 and 1511, respectively.

But for other groups, such as the Malacca Eurasian community, the renaming campaign denies their own heritage and history in Malaysia.

For instance, during the first week of December, the Malacca Portuguese community holds a special ceremony at St Paul’s Hill and a name change will forever impact on this event.

One of the drivers of the renaming campaign is historian Ahmad Murad Merican, who is among those behind the petition to change George Town’s name to Tg Penaga and Butterworth to Bagan Tuan Kechil.

He has also written extensively against the practice of using colonial names for roads instead of local icons.

“One of the things that the Europeans did when they colonised us is that they changed the name of Tg Penaga to George Town and Bukit Melaka to St Paul’s Hill,” said Murad of the International Islamic University (IIUM).

“If they can do it, why can’t we? We don’t want to demolish the church on the hill, we just want the place to be restored to its original name,” said Murad of the Institute of International Islamic Thought and Civilisation.

This practice of decolonising, where elements of a colonial past are erased from a country’s history, has been done by other Asian nations, he said.

For instance, in the former British colony of India, its government renamed Calcutta to Kolkata and Bombay to Mumbai.

“Changing the name of a city to its original name is part of the decolonisation process. We want to create a different narrative that rejects the colonial narrative.

“After a country reaches independence, its values, its history has to return to its native character which rejects the colonial narrative,” Murad told The Malaysian Insight.

The renaming campaign was inspired by worldwide protests against systemic racism, sparked by the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of the US police.

Floyd was choked to death by a police officer in the US state of Minnesota and the death triggered riots that spread throughout the country and in Europe.

Floyd’s death brought to light issues of police brutality and systematic racism experienced by non-white citizens in the West.

Denial, erasing history

In Malaysia, the feeling is in the form of a protest against symbols of the former European masters.

“The Francis Light statue in Padang Kota Lama, Penang, was splashed with red paint and there is a campaign to rename George Town,” said Murad, referring to the statue of the city’s founder.

“The global campaign came a bit late to Malaysia even though places, such as Teluk Anson was renamed Teluk Intan, while Port Swettenham was changed to Port Klang,” said Murad.

The campaign to change the name of St Paul’s Hill to Bukit Melaka is being headed by the youth wing of Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma).

The campaign will be officially launched on Merdeka Day and be called “Tukar Nama Asal, Hapus Jejak Penjajah” (Revert to original name, wipe out signs of colonialism).

The campaign involves a roadshow to selected places still using colonial names in an effort to rename them, said Isma leader Soufi Anual.

Groups, such as the Malacca Eurasian Portuguese Association, however, see the renaming campaigns as an attempt to deny their history and identity.

Instead of seeing St Paul’s Hill as a symbol of oppression and conquest, the landmark could be viewed as a sign of Malaysia’s diverse ethnic mosaic.

“These colonial elements are now a part of our history. Just because we change their names, it does not mean these things did not take place,” said association president Michael Singho.

“St Paul’s Hill is known throughout the world and is a popular destination. In Malacca we have Malays, Chinese, Indians, and descendants of the Portuguese and the Dutch.

“The name of the hill also does not erase the history of the other communities, especially the Malays.”

The name St Paul’s Hill is also dear to the local Catholic community, said Jacinta Lazaroo, a former member of the Portuguese village management council in Malacca.

“St Paul is a saint for Catholics. We want the name of the hill to be preserved as it is a symbol of our faith,” said Lazaroo, adding that the community holds annual ceremonies in December on the hill. – August 26, 2020.