SANDAKAN – A history enthusiast here is happy that RM10 million was allocated to Sabah and Sarawak to preserve the knowledge of their culture and heritage.
Sandakan Heritage Trail founder and chairman Lai King Hang said that even though the allocation is seen as a baby step towards the right direction, it is the acknowledgment from the federal government to take action after years of neglect that counts.
“I believe that RM5 million for each state is just a token amount, but it is good enough to start the process of getting some work done in preserving and passing down knowledge about Sabah’s culture and heritage,” he told The Vibes.
Lai said he hopes the allocation will be put to good use, such as re-introducing local culture and heritage lessons to Malaysia’s younger generation through education.
He said that back in the late 1950s, “A School History of Sabah” was introduced to the school system enabling the students to learn and understand their local history and culture.
However, it was later discontinued in the mid-1960’s post-independence.
“The new (history) syllabus emphasises the history of Malaya from the emergence of Malacca Sultanate to independence without mentioning the rich history of Borneo from its olden days to the British era,” he said.
Lai said that there is a general void of knowledge regarding the state’s history, leading to Sabahan youths being left in the dark of their own past.
He proposed that instead of printing books for the students like in the 1950s, children today might prefer an e-book on history which can be shared online.
“Maybe the project should be undertaken by the Sabah Heritage Council that was created by the Heritage Enactment 2017,” he said.
Lai said that last week alone, the state and federal governments have shown appreciation to the culture and heritage in the state.
“We saw two milestones towards the preservation of culture and heritage initiated by the Sabah and federal governments respectively.
“Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor in his speech at the the state’s Ethic Day said culture diversity in the state with more than 30 ethnic groups and 217 sub-ethnic groups and more than 50 languages and 90 dialects must continue to be strengthened and not marginalised by modernity and technology advancement.
“Likewise, at the launching of Culture Policy 21, (Prime Minister) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob also echoed the same sentiments,” said Lai.
The prime minister had said that the development of human capital should include formal arts, culture, and heritage education.
He estimated RM1 billion revenue from this sector by 2025.
“With such positive development from the state and federal levels, I hope that this will drive more efforts towards preserving the history, culture, and heritage in Sabah,” he added. – The Vibes, October 30, 2021
