THE connection between history and public policy is not apparent. But upon closer reflection, there is a connection as both impact people. History concerns people and society because it looks at how past events and behaviour change society. In the same way, a public policy that is implemented can also affect people’s lives and the way society behaves. A good policy-making process calls for a deep understanding of the past, present, and most importantly, having the skills to anticipate the future. If this is the case, how then should one distinguish public policy from history?

A public policy is broadly defined as that which a government sets in a constitution; it often refers to what a government does or does not do for the good of a country. For the greater part, it is the plans and programmes implemented by a government – one representative of the people that matter. 

A government’s actions or inactions are regularly dictated in part by history. Thus, when policies are formulated, they are constructed against the rigours of time. The evolution of a society is, therefore, in part, the consequence of past events and past decisions. In this regard, historians often can have an important role to play in a country’s public policy development. A good policy-making process calls for a deep understanding of the past and the present but most importantly, it demands the skill to be able to pre-empt the future.

These independent and critical thinking skills that are prevalent in historical thinking are equally significant for public policy development. They are crucial to identify emerging issues and potential challenges. By taking these factors into account, the policy-making process would be more rigorous and more focussed for finding reasonable solutions.

The above observations are applicable in the Malaysian context. A close examination of several major policies pursued by successive Malaysian governments confirms the role of historical events played in the formulation of the policies. For instance, the current debate surrounding the attempt to declare an emergency to address the Covid-19 pandemic draws on the historical use of a declaration of emergency to manage grave challenges.

Another pertinent example is provided by demands by the state governments for a more equitable share of revenues derived by Petronas from the exploitation of oil and gas. Other relevant examples that merit mention are the demands from the states of Sarawak and Sabah for a restoration of the provisions of Malaysia Agreement 1963. 

Historians have long served as policy advisers to the government in many countries. In the Western context, historians are rejoiced and celebrated. Their authored works are acknowledged and referenced in policy debates, policy briefs, and reports. Historians have long been sought after for their expertise in making policy analyses and policy recommendations, due to their knowledge in certain areas of concern. During his first term as US president in 2008, Obama appointed economists and economic historians such as Christina Romer, Austan Goolsbee, Jason Furman, and Alan Krueger as members of the Council of Economic Advisers.

The Council played a significant advisory role in formulating policies to address the subprime mortgage crisis. The advisers who were appointed by Obama were history professors who had researched the causes of the Great Depression. US economic policy is cognisant of the Great Depression and continues to draw lessons.

In the Western context, even big businesses and corporations make an effort to commission historians to write their company’s histories. More often than not, they also trust these historians with their private papers and documents. The reason is that these corporations appreciate the thinking skills of these historians, particularly in their ability to identify and discuss the evolution, the growth and the performance of their firms. Such knowledge can help these corporations to not only plan their future business growth and potentials but also to make contributions to the posterity of their country.

Although historians argued that their purpose is to serve the public, they seldom get to play an important role in policy-making. Only a minority of historians managed to make their contributions to policy-making. Historians are rarely engaged in many countries – especially in developing countries. Policy-making in many of these countries lack transparency and is often dictated by bureaucrats and their political masters. The public is marginally, if at all, involved in the process.

Malaysia must institute several reforms for the country to move forward in a post-pandemic de-globalised world that calls for a competitive and diversified economy. The implementation of an open government must be taken seriously to include greater transparency and accountability. The Official Secret Acts need to be revisited, and efforts to share data will promote better formulation of policies that incorporate practical inputs from multiple stakeholders, such as academia, civil society, and most importantly, the citizens at large. These are among the strategic shifts needed for Malaysia to thrive in the next normal. – November 1, 2020.

* Shakila Yacob is International Institute of Public Policy and Management executive director and is an international business and business history professor at Universiti Malaya.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.