Jakarta, Jan. 3 -- Culture Minister Fadli Zon has urged Indonesian scientists to actively support Indonesia-centric historical narratives by thoroughly documenting their findings and publishing their work more extensively.

Speaking at a history seminar observed on Saturday, the minister said Indonesia's strong oral tradition, while valuable, has also contributed to the limited availability of written historical records that center on Indonesian perspectives.

"Oral tradition is important, but its reach is limited in time. Writing, on the other hand, endures. Publish or perish. We must write our own national history," Zon said.

He noted that much of the existing documentation on Indonesia's history and natural diversity was produced by E...