Country loses 'walking encyclopedia of Malaysian history'

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 (Bernama) -- The country today lost a historian who knew the history of the country like the back of his hand with the passing of Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim.

The late Khoo, 82, died of lung infection at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, near here, at 10.13 this morning. He is survived by wife, Puan Sri Rathi Khoo, 75, and three children, Eddin, Rubin and Mavin.

The excellence, knowledge and experience of the late historian and academician are undeniable as his opinions and thoughts had often been referred to by various parties within and outside the country.

For instance, perhaps many are not aware that Khoo was one of the 12 special committee members who were instrumental in drafting the Rukun Negara (National Principles) in 1970, after the bloody racial riots of May 13, 1969.

In fact, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah himself had called Khoo ‘a walking encyclopedia of Malaysian history’ for his constant and untiring work.

Born in Kampar, Perak on March 28, 1937, Khoo, the eldest of three siblings, obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in History in 1960 from University of Malaya, Singapore and a master’s degree in the same field from the same university in 1967.

He was also the first Malaysian to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in History from the Faculty of Arts  and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur in 1974.

The late Khoo was also vocal in upholding the Federal Constitution, and often defending the special rights of the Malays and Bumiputeras which cannot be altered and disturbed, as stipulated in the Constitution.

Citing a news portal in 2010, he said, "Malaysians of any race who question Article 153 of the Federal Constitution that recognises the special position and rights of the Malays and Bumiputeras are ignorant of the country’s history and do not understand the Constitution."

Interestingly, he was not just an expert in history, Khoo was also respected in the national sports scenario, where he was a sports critic who was not afraid to express his views.

Khoo had produced and edited several academic books such as ‘The western Malay States 1850-1873: The Effects of Commercial Development on Malay Politics’ (1972); ‘Pensejarahan Malaysia’ (1975); ‘The History of Southeast Asia, South and East Asia: Essays and Documents’ (1977).

In addition to being a lecturer, he also headed the Department of History, Universiti Malaya twice and was appointed dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in 1984, and was director of the university’s Sports Centre between 1995 and 1996.

He was made Professor Emeritus of Universiti Malaya in 2001 for his contributions to its Department of History and Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Last year, he was presented with the Extraordinary Academic Achievement Award by Sultan Nazrin at  the Merdeka Awards event.

-- BERNAMA