The draft for the project, which is expected to be written in 10 to 11 books, has been finalized and now in the editing stage, the minister said.

“According to the team’s report, the project now is in the editing process. Editing is different from the writing itself,” he said in a media briefing on Friday, as quoted by state news agency Antara.

Fadli claimed of not having read the book at all, “not even a single paragraph”, since the drafting team had not submitted the draft to the ministry. The writing team, comprising more than 100 historians and academics from several universities, was working independently based on their respective areas of expertise, the minister went on to say.

“Hopefully the book can be completed by Dec. 14 during the commemoration of National History Day,” said the politician from President Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra Party.

First announced in December of last year, the books are meant to become the country’s primary historical reference across all education levels. It was initially planned to be launched on Aug. 17 during the country’s 80th Independence Day, but got postponed to Nov. 10 to coincide with National Heroes Day before getting pushed back again to December.