Is UPM’s Defence a Joke?

A French historian has hit out at Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) defence of two of its academics accused of misrepresenting facts about Malay maritime history, calling it a “joke”. Serge Jardin also challenged the expertise of those who conducted the blind peer review for the duo’s paper, saying UPM’s defence could be easily disproved. “How is it possible for an expert not to see the difference between a Chinese junk and a Malay jong? Have you ever seen a Malay boat with a pair of eyes at the bow, which clearly belongs to Chinese culture?” he was quoted as saying. Jardin was responding to UPM, which defended the research on Malay maritime history by two of its academics after they were accused of distorting facts.

Rozita Che Rodi and Hashim Musa wrote “The Jongs and The Galleys: Traditional Ships of The Past Malay Maritime Civilization” which was published in the International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Vol 13, Issue 11, 2023.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

Jardin questioned the journal, saying it was a “pay to publish” journal and that its publisher, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, was listed as predatory in Beall’s List. Beall’s List, originally created by University of Colorado librarian and researcher Jeffrey Beall, is a widely used and referenced list that identifies potential predatory publishers and journals.

The Royal Museums Greenwich (“RMG”) in London said that the photograph of a ship model in its collection is correctly attributed as “Foochow junk”. However, there is likely to be cross-pollination of junk designs in Southeast Asia, according to RMG. That means a copy? According to RMG, “The evidence of marine archaeology is that the seas of Southeast Asia were dominated in the 16th century by large cargo ships of a common type, showing features predominantly Southeast Asian but with Chinese admixture”.

The re-writing of history is becoming a “fashion” in some local universities. That’s why we have Siti Mastura and the likes, who are championing the political or “ketuanan” concept. And so it is when we examine “murukku” or Proton X70 or X50. Wholly Malay invention? Integrity is important whether it is in academia, government or business.

References:

What a joke, says French historian on UPM’s defence in academic paper dispute, Free Malaysia Today, 25 January 2024

UK Museum says ship model’s Chinese, but designs similar across region, Aidila Razak, Malaysiakini, 26 January 2024