When Malay seafarers sailed to Madagascar
International Islamic University Malaysia lecturer Solehah Yaacob sailed into a storm of controversy when she suggested that the ancient Romans learnt shipbuilding techniques from Malay seafarers.
The debate went full steam ahead in coffee shops, on social media and at events where people gathered, right up to Parliament. Solehah was ridiculed by many, with some saying she had gone overboard and others wondering if she might be on some kind of imaginary grog.
But the Arabic language lecturer battened down the hatches, insisting she was right. She managed to muster support from some politicians and social media users.
I do not propose to join the debate over her claim, which most knowledgeable Malaysians feel is dead in the water as it lacks academic rigour.
However, I do propose to write about Malay prowess on the seas in earlier centuries and how I was tasked with investigating the voyage of the Malays to Madagascar.
One day in 2001, the doyen of journalism, A Samad Ismail, who…
