The Selangor government will rename a major road in Petaling Jaya to Jalan Khoo Kay Kim, Mentri Besar Amirudin Shari said today.
The historian Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim died in May.
“His Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has consented to renaming Jalan Semangat in Petaling Jaya to Jalan Professor Khoo Kay Kim to remember his contributions,” he wrote on Twitter.
Jalan Semangat’s location in Section 14 is near Universiti Malaya, where Khoo used to teach.
Amiruddin said Khoo was a nationalist and a patriot who has written many important historical texts which are now canon.
“Apart from his academic work at Universiti Malaya, he was also a public intellectual who frequently spoke on politics and issues regarding national development. He was also involved in football,” said Amiruddin.
Khoo, 82, one of Malaysia’s most prolific historians, died of a lung infection on May 28.
He was most prominent for drafting the Rukunegara (National Principles) in the aftermath of the 1969 race riots.
Khoo was also known for his sometimes-controversial views of key moments in history, such as disputing the existence of Malay folklore hero Hang Tuah.
He also wrote countless works in both English and Malay on Malaysian history.
Khoo passed away on May 28 at the age of 82.