KOTA SAMARAHAN: A 40-year pursuit of historical truth has culminated in historian and author Datuk Dr. Sanib Said’s latest publication, “Negeri Santubong: Sejarah Awal Sarawak 300 ESS-1647 ES”.
He presented the publication during an author’s talk at DeTAR Putra, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), yesterday.
Sanib, a prolific scholar who has served in leading regional institutions including Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and UNIMAS, said the idea for the book dates back four decades, built gradually through research papers and manuscript studies undertaken throughout his academic career.
It was the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, he revealed, that finally pushed him to complete the book when academic work paused and he found himself with uninterrupted time.
He set a strict routine: 10 hours a day for three months dedicated solely to writing, research and refining his interpretation of the ancient Sarawak narrative.
“Three months for the first draft, then I rested a while before continuing more drafts,” he recalled.
The process eventually produced 10 drafts, each reviewed and strengthened to ensure the text was accurate, readable and accessible for general audiences.
“Quality is important. An editor must be there. If not, there will be many mistakes that we cannot see ourselves,” he explained.
Sanib emphasised the significance of working with specialist indexers to ensure the book contained a comprehensive index, a shortfall he noted in many Malaysian historical publications, which often makes scholarly referencing difficult.
He said that “Negeri Santubong: Sejarah Awal Sarawak 300 ESS-1647 ES” is grounded in the interpretation of Malay manuscripts including “Hikayat Datuk Merpati” combined with archaeological discoveries and ancient Chinese reports that indicate early iron-based economic power in Santubong.
“It took a long time to interpret the narrative,” he admitted, as manuscripts were traditionally dismissed as legends.
He himself once considered the stories “nonsense”, until a breakthrough moment brought clarity to the historical significance embedded in the text.
Through cross-referencing with archaeological evidence, including a major iron industry site polluted by smelting emissions as recorded in Chinese reports, he concluded that Santubong once had its own ruling entity, governance structure and thriving port, long predating the 19th-century historical timeline commonly cited for Sarawak.
“As historians, we must advance knowledge by adding to what is known.
“Sarawak’s civilisation existed earlier, that is part of our contribution to ensuring our history is complete and on par with others,” he said.
Sanib, who has authored almost 10 major titles including works on Sarawak politics, civilisation studies and Malay manuscript heritage, said he hopes the new book will strengthen public awareness of Sarawak’s deeper historical roots and inspire appreciation of its long-standing cultural legacy.
