Fadli Zon Calls for Comprehensive Historical Writing on Nusantara Civilisations

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon has challenged scholars and history experts to write history comprehensively or in its entirety.

“We actually need experts and scholars. Much of our history has not yet been written in full,” said Fadli Zon after delivering a speech at the National Symposium of Professors of Humanities at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Indonesia, in Depok, West Java, on Tuesday.

Fadli cited the history of Majapahit as an example, saying that people always speak of Majapahit’s greatness, but we do not have a complete book that captures or writes the history of Majapahit in a single comprehensive study—covering its economy, politics, daily life, culture, religion, and other aspects.

“What we hope for going forward is to have that as a reference. Majapahit, Sriwijaya, Pajajaran, Samudera Pasai, and the great Nusantara kingdoms that have left significant civilisational traces in this archipelago,” he said.

Likewise, cultural heritage sites and structures such as Borobudur Temple, Prambanan, and others have not yet been written about in full.

Fadli explained that from a budgetary perspective, the government is committed to advancing not only Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) but also the humanities.

“Just recently the President provided additional funding, particularly for research, which is quite substantial,” he said.