The new political landscape following the 12th. General Elections in Selangor may have a hand in the latest change in Perbadanan Muzium Selangor (PMS) - The Star Jun 15, 08. PMS is the museum authority overseeing the Shah Alam Museum and the Bukit Melawati Museum in Kuala Selangor and several Royal Burial sites in the state.
While the new Mentri Besar was quick to refute any claim of political victimization, many would view this development with trepilation. Such a move is likely to signal how the Pakatan led state government want a new approach in museum establishments under the auspice of PMS.
Political observers may interpret the removal of the state museum director is akin to the tug-of- war between UMNO and PKR, but museum afficinados in this country would regard it as another worrisome trend in this country to position public funded state museums as vehicles to propagate their myopic interpretations of history.
Public funded museums supported by our hard earned money will continue to be feted with vested interests groups who have no qualms about distorting historical events and cultural practices. Some are even guilty of 'ethnic cleansing' in their overzealous endeavors to champion the course of a particular race or a political party, and completely sideline the role other communities play in this same land we all call home.
Changing of the top guard in Malaysian State Museums according to the whims and fancies of the political masters is nothing new. Nevertheless Malaysians should view such interference with concern and urge restraint if we aim to have Malaysian museums to be the rightful institution that embodies the richness of our multi-racial and multi-religious heritage.
Malaysians museums as political fall guys are not completely a strange phenomenon. The latest development in Selangor is a political boomerang which come back to haunt the once perpetrators from UMNO. What goes around comes around.
In 2006, Penang Museum Curator and conservationist, Khoo Boo Chia - The Sun, March 24, 06 - was removed from his post prematurely by the state executive in charge of culture and arts, a rising UMNO political stalwart himself. The museum under Khoo's tenure was besieged by calls to showcase more the communities from Penang's mainland side, previously an UMNO fertile ground. There were few but loud disgrunts from the party members about the State Museum 'over-emphasizing' communities from the Penang Island.
Further south, in Barisan stronghold state of Malacca, PERZIM, the state museum authority went a step further in galvanizing this prominent political establishment when it opened a dedicated UMNO Museum in the tourist belt in Banda Hilir. Visit the Historical Museum in Stadhuys and discerning visitors will be disappointed to find to find loopsided interpretations of the main political players and their contributions, in the historic state and also the country. Prominent role played by non- Malay communities in their collective fight for Malaya's Independence were overshadowed by the 'heroic' political mastery from their UMNO brethens. Exhibitions on the state colorful and vibrant minorities are best patronizing and worst misleading in their lackadaisical attempts.
Hopefully the change we are witnessing in Selangor marks a departure from the old ways which museums are merely a propaganda tool and set our sight to elevate museums into a reputable heritage cum historical establishment that all Malaysians can proud of.
Jun 16, 08
Showing posts with label Heritage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heritage. Show all posts
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Bukit China Now A Heritage Zone?
In an unprecedented turnabout by Malacca authority, Bukit China and the 10,000 or more graves are now considered worthy of being accorded heritage site. This latest announcement must be music to the souls from the largest Chinese Cemetery outside of China and now they can rest in peace.
This latest twist of event is a remarkable departure from an earlier hostile policy to ‘redevelop’ Bukit China in the mid 80s initiated by the then rising UMNO stalwart and former CM, Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik. This controversial and elaborate scheme calls for the remains of the graves to be exhumed and the entire hill leveled to spur Malacca property markets. Centuries old cemeteries will be replaced with hotels and shop lots. A multilevel pagoda will also be built to house the urns of the deceased and served to remind Malaccans of the sanctity of this burial site.
There were huge uproars among the Chinese communities and the many living descendents who feared such a move has devastating impact on family fengshui and their future well being.
Opposition politicians from DAP won rousing support and its leader Lim Kit Siang was hailed as hero when he confronted the masterminds on this massive plan.
History would showed that locals eventually voiced their displeasure by voting out the Chinese representatives from the ruling component parties on the election day. Following this thrashing at the ballot box, wisdom won the day and the political masters were quick to heed the clear message from the Chinese community.
Owner of the Bukit China, the Chen Hoon Teng Temple and monks then spearheaded a clean up project to make the cemeteries more accessible to the Malaccans. Soon, Bukit China became the favorite jogging site for health enthusiasts. Some well concerned individuals contributed time, sweats and money to green up the entrance leading to the climb to the hill top.
Soon, Bukit China too became Malacca’s scout troopers’ favorite venue. After night fall, countless young scouts were ‘ordained’ here especially after they have successfully ’subjected’ themselves to a test of faith within a stone throw away from the cemetery.
While the latest call from current CM Ali Rustam goes a long way to safeguard Bukit China from wanton development, at least for the time being, one can’t help wondering if these are part of a shrewd political maneuver to win back the hearts of the minority in the country following the 12th General Election. Malaysians are too familiar with too many instances when promises were broken even before the inks dry.
The on-off development curse that lingers around Bukit China is an example of the complexity that brews out of political necessity but if it is allowed to go ahead will surely have far reaching consequence on the community and Malacca’s unique position as the Malaysia’s foremost cultural melting pot.
The real fear is that Bukit China may again become the pawn of flicked politicians whose agenda is not revealed till the damages have come irreversible.
June 5, 2008
Related Reading
The Star -Thursday June 5, 2008
Bukit China now in Malacca heritage zone
MALACCA: The state’s well-known historical landmark, Bukit China, has been included in Malacca and Penang’s joint bid for listing as a World Heritage Site next month.
The decision to bring the 256ha hill within the state’s conservation buffer zone comes into immediate effect following a recommendation by the United Nations International Council on Monuments and Sites to include it as part of the listing effort.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the hill was deemed to have historical value and significance dating back to the 15th century Malacca Sultanate.
“Besides being recognised as the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China, the hill is also the site of the ruins of a 16th century Portuguese monastery,” he said after chairing the state exco meeting yesterday.
With this, Mohd Ali said, the buffer zone to protect the state’s 235ha core heritage zone in the heart of the old city would be enlarged to 1,049ha from the previous 793ha.
“This will mean that the hill will now be preserved. Any proposed development must now obtain approval from the relevant conservation agencies,” he said, adding that the World Heritage Council would sit in Quebec, Canada, next month to decide on the joint bid.
“It has taken eight years for us to prepare the dossier for submission to the World Heritage Council in Paris and there’s a good chance that we can succeed,” Mohd Ali said.
He said the state would receive recognition as “Malacca and George Town Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca” if successful.
This latest twist of event is a remarkable departure from an earlier hostile policy to ‘redevelop’ Bukit China in the mid 80s initiated by the then rising UMNO stalwart and former CM, Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik. This controversial and elaborate scheme calls for the remains of the graves to be exhumed and the entire hill leveled to spur Malacca property markets. Centuries old cemeteries will be replaced with hotels and shop lots. A multilevel pagoda will also be built to house the urns of the deceased and served to remind Malaccans of the sanctity of this burial site.
There were huge uproars among the Chinese communities and the many living descendents who feared such a move has devastating impact on family fengshui and their future well being.
Opposition politicians from DAP won rousing support and its leader Lim Kit Siang was hailed as hero when he confronted the masterminds on this massive plan.
History would showed that locals eventually voiced their displeasure by voting out the Chinese representatives from the ruling component parties on the election day. Following this thrashing at the ballot box, wisdom won the day and the political masters were quick to heed the clear message from the Chinese community.
Owner of the Bukit China, the Chen Hoon Teng Temple and monks then spearheaded a clean up project to make the cemeteries more accessible to the Malaccans. Soon, Bukit China became the favorite jogging site for health enthusiasts. Some well concerned individuals contributed time, sweats and money to green up the entrance leading to the climb to the hill top.
Soon, Bukit China too became Malacca’s scout troopers’ favorite venue. After night fall, countless young scouts were ‘ordained’ here especially after they have successfully ’subjected’ themselves to a test of faith within a stone throw away from the cemetery.
While the latest call from current CM Ali Rustam goes a long way to safeguard Bukit China from wanton development, at least for the time being, one can’t help wondering if these are part of a shrewd political maneuver to win back the hearts of the minority in the country following the 12th General Election. Malaysians are too familiar with too many instances when promises were broken even before the inks dry.
The on-off development curse that lingers around Bukit China is an example of the complexity that brews out of political necessity but if it is allowed to go ahead will surely have far reaching consequence on the community and Malacca’s unique position as the Malaysia’s foremost cultural melting pot.
The real fear is that Bukit China may again become the pawn of flicked politicians whose agenda is not revealed till the damages have come irreversible.
June 5, 2008
Related Reading
The Star -Thursday June 5, 2008
Bukit China now in Malacca heritage zone
MALACCA: The state’s well-known historical landmark, Bukit China, has been included in Malacca and Penang’s joint bid for listing as a World Heritage Site next month.
The decision to bring the 256ha hill within the state’s conservation buffer zone comes into immediate effect following a recommendation by the United Nations International Council on Monuments and Sites to include it as part of the listing effort.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the hill was deemed to have historical value and significance dating back to the 15th century Malacca Sultanate.
“Besides being recognised as the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China, the hill is also the site of the ruins of a 16th century Portuguese monastery,” he said after chairing the state exco meeting yesterday.
With this, Mohd Ali said, the buffer zone to protect the state’s 235ha core heritage zone in the heart of the old city would be enlarged to 1,049ha from the previous 793ha.
“This will mean that the hill will now be preserved. Any proposed development must now obtain approval from the relevant conservation agencies,” he said, adding that the World Heritage Council would sit in Quebec, Canada, next month to decide on the joint bid.
“It has taken eight years for us to prepare the dossier for submission to the World Heritage Council in Paris and there’s a good chance that we can succeed,” Mohd Ali said.
He said the state would receive recognition as “Malacca and George Town Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca” if successful.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Bring Back The Trams To Penang
By Diana Chin newsdesk@thesundaily.com
The Sun, June 4, 2008
GEORGE TOWN: Citizens groups in Penang have initiated a lobby to have the billion-ringgit monorail project replaced with a tram system in the state.
The movement stems from an increasingly popular notion that the monorail is far too costly and would bring about adverse effects to the heritage streets and green landscape of Penang.
'Penangites for Tram' campaign coordinator Anil Netto explained that investment required for developing a tram network would be much lower than for constructing the monorail.
"The tram is a more substantial choice as we can revive the system based on already existing old tram lines that Penang used to have, thereby eliminating excessive additional costs," he said.
Netto said trams would blend in with George Town’s heritage and greenery, while the monorail would obstruct views of buildings and mar the attractiveness of the island.
He said a good tram system would also encourage people not to drive private vehicles within the town area, allowing them to save following the increase in fuel charges.
"If we give the people a better alternative in public transport, there will be less traffic congestion and more parking spaces in town," he said.
As the roads of Penang are narrow, they suited the concept of the trams, he added. The campaign is currently being supported by 25 bloggers and websites. Heritage writer Khoo Salma Nasution noted that the Penang Island Municipal Council was the first local government to introduce electric trams in the inner city in the early part of the last century.
"People think the tram is a thing of the past, but they are wrong because it is actually the thing of the future," she said. "It is clean, energy saving and user-friendly not to mention fast, efficient and also cheap." She said the tram could provide an iconic identity for Penang and help revitalise the heritage of the inner city.
Khoo, who published a book titled ‘Penang Trams, Trolleybuses & Railways: Municipal Transport History 1880s-1963’,said trams could also help traffic calming in Penang’s roads.
Aliran and Penang Heritage Trust activist Ahmad Chik said the campaign is calling for a traffic master plan for Penang that would include feasibility studies for trams as compared to monorails and underground transit systems.
The Sun, June 4, 2008
GEORGE TOWN: Citizens groups in Penang have initiated a lobby to have the billion-ringgit monorail project replaced with a tram system in the state.
The movement stems from an increasingly popular notion that the monorail is far too costly and would bring about adverse effects to the heritage streets and green landscape of Penang.
'Penangites for Tram' campaign coordinator Anil Netto explained that investment required for developing a tram network would be much lower than for constructing the monorail.
"The tram is a more substantial choice as we can revive the system based on already existing old tram lines that Penang used to have, thereby eliminating excessive additional costs," he said.
Netto said trams would blend in with George Town’s heritage and greenery, while the monorail would obstruct views of buildings and mar the attractiveness of the island.
He said a good tram system would also encourage people not to drive private vehicles within the town area, allowing them to save following the increase in fuel charges.
"If we give the people a better alternative in public transport, there will be less traffic congestion and more parking spaces in town," he said.
As the roads of Penang are narrow, they suited the concept of the trams, he added. The campaign is currently being supported by 25 bloggers and websites. Heritage writer Khoo Salma Nasution noted that the Penang Island Municipal Council was the first local government to introduce electric trams in the inner city in the early part of the last century.
"People think the tram is a thing of the past, but they are wrong because it is actually the thing of the future," she said. "It is clean, energy saving and user-friendly not to mention fast, efficient and also cheap." She said the tram could provide an iconic identity for Penang and help revitalise the heritage of the inner city.
Khoo, who published a book titled ‘Penang Trams, Trolleybuses & Railways: Municipal Transport History 1880s-1963’,said trams could also help traffic calming in Penang’s roads.
Aliran and Penang Heritage Trust activist Ahmad Chik said the campaign is calling for a traffic master plan for Penang that would include feasibility studies for trams as compared to monorails and underground transit systems.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Uproar Over Looming Demolition of Historic WWII Jail
Uproar over looming demolition of historic WWII jail
47 minutes ago
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Plans to demolish Malaysia's historic Pudu jail, where allied prisoners were imprisoned and executed during the brutal Japanese occupation, have Second World War veterans up in arms. The site of prisoner-of-war tortures, interrogations and modern-day infamous hangings is set to be torn down later this year, to be replaced by a commercial centre and condominium complex on the prime downtown location.
"Pudu jail should be preserved," said Charles Edwards, 89, who was a private in the Australian 8th Division, part of Commonwealth forces that defended Malaya, as it was then known, at the outset of the 1939-1945 war. "So many Australians and allied soldiers died in places like Pudu, defending democracy and the lives of the people of Malaya," Edwards said from his home outside Melbourne. "They made the ultimate sacrifice and Pudu is a reminder of that sacrifice which led to the freedom we enjoy now," he told AFP.
Japanese forces swept down the peninsula within days of the December 8, 1941 landings on the beaches of Singora and Pattani in southern Thailand and in Kota Bharu in Malaysia's northern Kelantan state.
By January 11, they had taken Kuala Lumpur which had been abandoned by the retreating British and pushed further south, capturing Singapore on February 15, 1942 and bringing the Malayan Campaign to an end in just 70 days. With just 30,000 soldiers, the Japanese captured 150,000 British and Commonwealth troops in what wartime British prime minister Winston Churchill called "the worst disaster and greatest capitulation of British history."
"I was one of the first 30 Australians taken prisoner by the Japanese in World War II," said Edwards, who was captured in Johor state which lies next to Singapore. Along with 1,000 other men, Edwards spent nine months in Pudu, which had been built to house just 600 prisoners.
The cells were horrific, he said, each with a window the size of a shoebox. "The conditions were shocking with wounded men, the cookhouse and the hastily dug benjos (latrine pits) all within metres of each other," he said. "Men were milling around with no leadership, filthy dirty, lice-filled and surviving on a half a cup of water per day. "More men were brought in as the days went by until there were about 600 men in this small area of about 20 by 20 metres."
At great danger to himself, Edwards helped six men escape but they were caught and brought back to the jail where they were executed. Edwards was one of many POWs who were sent on to Changi jail in Singapore and then to Thailand to build the the infamous Siam-Burma death railway, from which most never returned. After the end of the war, Pudu continued to be used as a prison. In July 1986, Briton Kevin Barlow and Australian Brian Chambers were hanged there, the first Westerners to lose their lives under Malaysia's tough anti-narcotics laws.
The two were convicted of drug trafficking in an internationally publicised trial, and an appeal for clemency by the Australian prime minister was turned down.
A decade later, Pudu was closed to make way for a prison museum but poor visitor numbers spelt a quick end to the venture and since 2005 it has been used as a holding centre for prisoners undergoing trial. The Urban Development Authority is now preparing to tear down the jail. Its chairman Baharum Mohamad says the site was handed over in exchange for the construction of a new prison on the outskirts of the capital.
But the decision to demolish Pudu has upset many.
"It is a historic building and there should be some trace of it," said Ahmad Sarji, chairman of the Malaysian Heritage Board. "Even if you could keep the facade, about 20 feet (6 metres) to the left and right of the main gate which shows the date of its founding, that would be good," he said.
Historians say Pudu's fate reflects a lack of interest in heritage in Malaysia, where significant buildings continue to be torn down, including the charming century-old Bok House in downtown Kuala Lumpur.
An early example of the fusion between European and local architecture, it was nevertheless demolished in 2007 after only a brief outcry. Military historian Brian Farrell, who has written extensively on the Malayan Campaign, said the authorities should consider preserving part of the building, one of the few intact 19th century prisons in the region. "The real significance of Pudu is that it is right in the heart of the city and yet it has survived intact and undamaged," he said. "If nothing else, at least preserve some of the walls, the gate and have a small museum."
In contrast, plans to tear down the infamous Changi Prison in neighbouring Singapore were met with stiff opposition in 2001.
"When news leaked that Changi was to be demolished, there was a chorus of protests not only from locals but also from many overseas," says Jeyathurai Ayadurai, Director of the Changi Prison Museum. "Five Australian ministers wrote to the Singapore government asking for a reversion of the decision," he said. "It was partly due to this protest and outcry that a section of the Changi Prison wall and its iconic gates were preserved."
Pudu is unlikely to benefit from such a campaign as each year sees the number of veterans decline. "Unfortunately, I do not think there are enough voices left here in Australia or in the UK to launch a protest in the same way Changi supporters managed," said Australian historian Lynette Silver.
47 minutes ago
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Plans to demolish Malaysia's historic Pudu jail, where allied prisoners were imprisoned and executed during the brutal Japanese occupation, have Second World War veterans up in arms. The site of prisoner-of-war tortures, interrogations and modern-day infamous hangings is set to be torn down later this year, to be replaced by a commercial centre and condominium complex on the prime downtown location.
"Pudu jail should be preserved," said Charles Edwards, 89, who was a private in the Australian 8th Division, part of Commonwealth forces that defended Malaya, as it was then known, at the outset of the 1939-1945 war. "So many Australians and allied soldiers died in places like Pudu, defending democracy and the lives of the people of Malaya," Edwards said from his home outside Melbourne. "They made the ultimate sacrifice and Pudu is a reminder of that sacrifice which led to the freedom we enjoy now," he told AFP.
Japanese forces swept down the peninsula within days of the December 8, 1941 landings on the beaches of Singora and Pattani in southern Thailand and in Kota Bharu in Malaysia's northern Kelantan state.
By January 11, they had taken Kuala Lumpur which had been abandoned by the retreating British and pushed further south, capturing Singapore on February 15, 1942 and bringing the Malayan Campaign to an end in just 70 days. With just 30,000 soldiers, the Japanese captured 150,000 British and Commonwealth troops in what wartime British prime minister Winston Churchill called "the worst disaster and greatest capitulation of British history."
"I was one of the first 30 Australians taken prisoner by the Japanese in World War II," said Edwards, who was captured in Johor state which lies next to Singapore. Along with 1,000 other men, Edwards spent nine months in Pudu, which had been built to house just 600 prisoners.
The cells were horrific, he said, each with a window the size of a shoebox. "The conditions were shocking with wounded men, the cookhouse and the hastily dug benjos (latrine pits) all within metres of each other," he said. "Men were milling around with no leadership, filthy dirty, lice-filled and surviving on a half a cup of water per day. "More men were brought in as the days went by until there were about 600 men in this small area of about 20 by 20 metres."
At great danger to himself, Edwards helped six men escape but they were caught and brought back to the jail where they were executed. Edwards was one of many POWs who were sent on to Changi jail in Singapore and then to Thailand to build the the infamous Siam-Burma death railway, from which most never returned. After the end of the war, Pudu continued to be used as a prison. In July 1986, Briton Kevin Barlow and Australian Brian Chambers were hanged there, the first Westerners to lose their lives under Malaysia's tough anti-narcotics laws.
The two were convicted of drug trafficking in an internationally publicised trial, and an appeal for clemency by the Australian prime minister was turned down.
A decade later, Pudu was closed to make way for a prison museum but poor visitor numbers spelt a quick end to the venture and since 2005 it has been used as a holding centre for prisoners undergoing trial. The Urban Development Authority is now preparing to tear down the jail. Its chairman Baharum Mohamad says the site was handed over in exchange for the construction of a new prison on the outskirts of the capital.
But the decision to demolish Pudu has upset many.
"It is a historic building and there should be some trace of it," said Ahmad Sarji, chairman of the Malaysian Heritage Board. "Even if you could keep the facade, about 20 feet (6 metres) to the left and right of the main gate which shows the date of its founding, that would be good," he said.
Historians say Pudu's fate reflects a lack of interest in heritage in Malaysia, where significant buildings continue to be torn down, including the charming century-old Bok House in downtown Kuala Lumpur.
An early example of the fusion between European and local architecture, it was nevertheless demolished in 2007 after only a brief outcry. Military historian Brian Farrell, who has written extensively on the Malayan Campaign, said the authorities should consider preserving part of the building, one of the few intact 19th century prisons in the region. "The real significance of Pudu is that it is right in the heart of the city and yet it has survived intact and undamaged," he said. "If nothing else, at least preserve some of the walls, the gate and have a small museum."
In contrast, plans to tear down the infamous Changi Prison in neighbouring Singapore were met with stiff opposition in 2001.
"When news leaked that Changi was to be demolished, there was a chorus of protests not only from locals but also from many overseas," says Jeyathurai Ayadurai, Director of the Changi Prison Museum. "Five Australian ministers wrote to the Singapore government asking for a reversion of the decision," he said. "It was partly due to this protest and outcry that a section of the Changi Prison wall and its iconic gates were preserved."
Pudu is unlikely to benefit from such a campaign as each year sees the number of veterans decline. "Unfortunately, I do not think there are enough voices left here in Australia or in the UK to launch a protest in the same way Changi supporters managed," said Australian historian Lynette Silver.
Secret Weapon to Keep Our Borders
The fight for Pulau Batu Putih (PBP), or Pedra Branca as Singapore prefers it, was over even before the lawyers could face it off in The Hague. Malaysians had apparently embarked on a ‘war path’ without the one vital ammunition which could have inflicted the knockout punch on their opponents from across the causeway.
Chief negotiator and Ambassador-at-large Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Mohamad had revealed how the search for the correspondence from a British Governor in Butterworth to the Johore Temenggong seeking approval to build the Horsburgh Lighthouse was met with dead end. This futile effort was revealed in the Malaysian Parliament (The Star, May 26, 08) when lawyer cum opposition politician Karpal Singh put the government to task for the loss of PBP. He claimed it was ‘foolhardly to have the case before ICJ” without this solid piece of material.
The missing piece of the 19th. Century document proved to be the coup de grace in our argument that the rocky islet was indeed historically ours. It was the vital material to further support the claim that the British crown colony’s presence there was the outcome of Johorean courtesy.
Other parliamentarians too joined in the fray and some of their favourite punching bags were the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the National Archives (Arkib Negara). A backbencher not wanting to be outdone during the heated debate, even go so far to attribute the PBP loss to the lackadaisical attitude from the Unity, Cultural, Arts and Heritage Ministry in living up to its reputation as the guardians of Malaysia’s heritage.
The ministry’s costly oversight in securing and preserving historical documents has manifested into permanently deleting part of our southern border off from the map. While there are now frantic calls to preserve documents, maps and relics pertaining to our littoral heritage before more islands are lost, they have come too late for PBP.
At hindsight, these developments could have taught us the valuable lesson to consider another perspective on how best we can safeguard our sovereign integrity.
Policymakers no longer can justify protecting our shores by going on shopping spree and spending our hard earned ringgit on military hardware. Similarly, they must adopt fresh approach to meet our defensive needs and look at threats from a whole different angle. When we finally arrive at this juncture, the future solution to prevent encroachment to our territory lies not in the billions we spent on the Sukhoi or Scorpene, but the fight is waged closer to our hearts and minds, by protecting our heritage.
Therefore, it is not too far stretched to argue that our vibrant and rich history could well be the preferred armament to avoid more geopolitical skirmish.
Perhaps it is not too late yet for Malaysians to come with terms that our fight to settle future disputes and defend our territorial rights begins with the first step to Arkib Negara and the quality and volume of its heritage collections. In this new playing field, conservationists, museum curators and historians would join ranks with army generals and panglima in assuming the role of safeguarding our national sovereignty.
Heritage will be the weapon of choice to keep Malaysian borders intact.
May 27,08
Chief negotiator and Ambassador-at-large Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Mohamad had revealed how the search for the correspondence from a British Governor in Butterworth to the Johore Temenggong seeking approval to build the Horsburgh Lighthouse was met with dead end. This futile effort was revealed in the Malaysian Parliament (The Star, May 26, 08) when lawyer cum opposition politician Karpal Singh put the government to task for the loss of PBP. He claimed it was ‘foolhardly to have the case before ICJ” without this solid piece of material.
The missing piece of the 19th. Century document proved to be the coup de grace in our argument that the rocky islet was indeed historically ours. It was the vital material to further support the claim that the British crown colony’s presence there was the outcome of Johorean courtesy.
Other parliamentarians too joined in the fray and some of their favourite punching bags were the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the National Archives (Arkib Negara). A backbencher not wanting to be outdone during the heated debate, even go so far to attribute the PBP loss to the lackadaisical attitude from the Unity, Cultural, Arts and Heritage Ministry in living up to its reputation as the guardians of Malaysia’s heritage.
The ministry’s costly oversight in securing and preserving historical documents has manifested into permanently deleting part of our southern border off from the map. While there are now frantic calls to preserve documents, maps and relics pertaining to our littoral heritage before more islands are lost, they have come too late for PBP.
At hindsight, these developments could have taught us the valuable lesson to consider another perspective on how best we can safeguard our sovereign integrity.
Policymakers no longer can justify protecting our shores by going on shopping spree and spending our hard earned ringgit on military hardware. Similarly, they must adopt fresh approach to meet our defensive needs and look at threats from a whole different angle. When we finally arrive at this juncture, the future solution to prevent encroachment to our territory lies not in the billions we spent on the Sukhoi or Scorpene, but the fight is waged closer to our hearts and minds, by protecting our heritage.
Therefore, it is not too far stretched to argue that our vibrant and rich history could well be the preferred armament to avoid more geopolitical skirmish.
Perhaps it is not too late yet for Malaysians to come with terms that our fight to settle future disputes and defend our territorial rights begins with the first step to Arkib Negara and the quality and volume of its heritage collections. In this new playing field, conservationists, museum curators and historians would join ranks with army generals and panglima in assuming the role of safeguarding our national sovereignty.
Heritage will be the weapon of choice to keep Malaysian borders intact.
May 27,08
Sunday, May 25, 2008
New Look For Malaysian Heritage?
New Look for Malaysian Historical and Cultural Heritage?
The purported guardians of the Malaysian heritage will soon find themselves tasked with redefining the appropriate context for a country with the new political awakening.
This scenario may be the direct result from the recent 12th General Poll which saw the country’s minorities voicing their discontent through the ballot boxes. Key amongst their woes is the feelings that the minorities are systematically sidelined from the mainstream of Malaysia’s political, economical, and educational sectors.
Nevertheless, it is perhaps timely too that calls made by those who won in the elections championing the fight for justice and equality in the political arenas should entails similar voice calling for greater but more importantly equal representation in matters constituting minority cultural heritage and their historical contribution to this nation.
Only through an earnest and strong effort brought forth by this new political reality can the fate of minorities in Malaysia see light at the end of the tunnel. This noble quest will offer deserving minorities and their forefathers whose forgotten sacrifices made through the generations be recognized and accorded the rightful place in Malaysian History.
Visit Muzium Negara and the State Museums in this country (with the exception of a handful like in Penang), and you are bound to be confronted with a dire situation where exhibit highlights on minorities’ history, culture and social economical involvement is almost non existence and if they are, the exhibits are mere patronizing and left you with a foul aftertaste. Nothing is more infuriating when you come face-to-face with minority related exhibitions that sorely lack research and depths, and insult our intelligence.
State Museum Boards in Melaka, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, are in my view the top culprits in marginalizing minority communities in their choice of exhibits. PERZIM of Melaka for example, has over the years founded and built more than ten separately themed museums. A few were runaway success with tourists flocking for ample photography opportunity yet none focus any significant feature on the state’s rich and diverse communities like the Peranakan and the Portuguese.
Recent development in Singapore is another great concern to Malaysians who love our heritage. While Malaysia profusely claims to be the cradle of Baba and Nyonya heritage, the recently launched Peranakan Museum in downtown Singapore opened its door to a few surprises. Featured prominently in its main collection and a pride of its curator is the jaw dropping ancestral Baba Nyonya wares and artefacts from Penang!
This event is tantamount to a Cultural coup and should serve as an alarm to our heritage amnesia guardians. Malaysians can ill afford to have its priceless heritage sold to the highest bidder and let it fell into foreigner’s hands. All of us bear some of the blame too and we must seek answers on why and what happened to the much hyped Jabatan Muzium dan Ankuiti initiative in the 90s to have the Malaysian version of a similar Peranakan Museum in the Malacca historical enclave.
This dreadful situation is also compounded by a band of cultural chauvinists who has for too long guilty of ignoring the historical development in this country. Instead, these self appointed cultural and heritage gatekeepers perpetrated historical interpretation that borders cleansing of the country multi ethnic composition.
Perhaps it is appropriate that we demand a different breed of dedicated historians and conservationists who value and ready to embrace the multi racial and multi religious components of our Malaysian Heritage. They will boldly tackle new role as the heritage and history vanguards to take diversity and historical accuracy in Malaysia to greater heights.
In turn, Malaysian museums will gradually showcase these revolutionized interpretations of our diversity and history. They will be the undisputable establishment and the perfect platform to unify and to usher in a new era of mutual understanding and learning from one and other for all Malaysians.
The purported guardians of the Malaysian heritage will soon find themselves tasked with redefining the appropriate context for a country with the new political awakening.
This scenario may be the direct result from the recent 12th General Poll which saw the country’s minorities voicing their discontent through the ballot boxes. Key amongst their woes is the feelings that the minorities are systematically sidelined from the mainstream of Malaysia’s political, economical, and educational sectors.
Nevertheless, it is perhaps timely too that calls made by those who won in the elections championing the fight for justice and equality in the political arenas should entails similar voice calling for greater but more importantly equal representation in matters constituting minority cultural heritage and their historical contribution to this nation.
Only through an earnest and strong effort brought forth by this new political reality can the fate of minorities in Malaysia see light at the end of the tunnel. This noble quest will offer deserving minorities and their forefathers whose forgotten sacrifices made through the generations be recognized and accorded the rightful place in Malaysian History.
Visit Muzium Negara and the State Museums in this country (with the exception of a handful like in Penang), and you are bound to be confronted with a dire situation where exhibit highlights on minorities’ history, culture and social economical involvement is almost non existence and if they are, the exhibits are mere patronizing and left you with a foul aftertaste. Nothing is more infuriating when you come face-to-face with minority related exhibitions that sorely lack research and depths, and insult our intelligence.
State Museum Boards in Melaka, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, are in my view the top culprits in marginalizing minority communities in their choice of exhibits. PERZIM of Melaka for example, has over the years founded and built more than ten separately themed museums. A few were runaway success with tourists flocking for ample photography opportunity yet none focus any significant feature on the state’s rich and diverse communities like the Peranakan and the Portuguese.
Recent development in Singapore is another great concern to Malaysians who love our heritage. While Malaysia profusely claims to be the cradle of Baba and Nyonya heritage, the recently launched Peranakan Museum in downtown Singapore opened its door to a few surprises. Featured prominently in its main collection and a pride of its curator is the jaw dropping ancestral Baba Nyonya wares and artefacts from Penang!
This event is tantamount to a Cultural coup and should serve as an alarm to our heritage amnesia guardians. Malaysians can ill afford to have its priceless heritage sold to the highest bidder and let it fell into foreigner’s hands. All of us bear some of the blame too and we must seek answers on why and what happened to the much hyped Jabatan Muzium dan Ankuiti initiative in the 90s to have the Malaysian version of a similar Peranakan Museum in the Malacca historical enclave.
This dreadful situation is also compounded by a band of cultural chauvinists who has for too long guilty of ignoring the historical development in this country. Instead, these self appointed cultural and heritage gatekeepers perpetrated historical interpretation that borders cleansing of the country multi ethnic composition.
Perhaps it is appropriate that we demand a different breed of dedicated historians and conservationists who value and ready to embrace the multi racial and multi religious components of our Malaysian Heritage. They will boldly tackle new role as the heritage and history vanguards to take diversity and historical accuracy in Malaysia to greater heights.
In turn, Malaysian museums will gradually showcase these revolutionized interpretations of our diversity and history. They will be the undisputable establishment and the perfect platform to unify and to usher in a new era of mutual understanding and learning from one and other for all Malaysians.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
More.... Fun Museums For School Holidays.
Continuing with the series on Fun and… mainly FREE Malaysian museums to bring kids to especially with the coming of new school break.
The RMAF Museum (3 out of 5 Stars) in the Sungai Besi Air Base (the first international airport in Malaysia, before Subang and definitely way before Sepang) has a thing or two to attract the most devout lot of museum aficionados. The main draw is the fascinating array of aircraft in display. These flying machines were once the pride of the nation and Malaysia’s primary air defense arsenal.
Visitors who want a glimpse of the air force humble past may kick off their tour with the memorabilia in the modest museum housed in an ex-officer barrack. While the exhibits lack in creativity to capture visitors’ imagination, they compensate the fact with the historical importance of a struggling nation’s flying unit. The first gallery is adorned with many wooden plaques listing the names of previous Air Marshall and black and white photos of colonial officers in their rather awkward pose in their songkok and their official Malay military gears.
The museum has a treasure or two to boast if you look hard enough for it. Located in the corner of this same gallery is the uncelebrated ejected pilot seat of F-5E jet. Not much is told about the incident but a little notice nearby discloses the uneventful fate of the fighter jet which crashed off the coasts of Terengganu in the 80s.
However, kids and their dads will have a field day discovering more about the aircraft parked next to the derelict hangar located close to the runway. Kids would love to explore the interiors of the large wing Caribou. These hard working Canadian transporters were the backbones of air force logistic need, and when standing in the narrow cabin one can still feel the adrenalin rush of a paratrooper waiting his turn to jump off the plane.
With luck, visitors can catch the air force’s Nuri (transport helicopter) or Police Pilatus in operation from the nearby runway.
More surprises inside the hangar. There, the A-4 Skyhawk - the supersonic jet fighter that once ruled our skies in the 80s before the arrivals of the Hornets, Sukhoi and MiGs, now greets visitors amid silently. Retired helicopters are also valuable exhibits to allow visitors hand-on experience on the working of a rotor blade aircraft.
The historical biplane that served in the formation years of RMAF is another attraction not to be missed. Nevertheless it is heart breaking that parts of the aircraft body which is covered with flimsy cloth-like material, are tears everywhere due to lack of care and poor maintenance.
That is probably the main contention of visitors to this museum.
Muzium TUDM has in their procession some of the priceless artifacts showcasing our country’s momentous start in aerial military yet all the exhibits are covered with a thick layer of dust or worst condemned under the unforgiving tropical sun. Many outdoor exhibits including Ferrer Scout Car, Grumman Seaplane and others are left to rust. Information or the lack of it on the displays is another thing that the curator should be dismayed with. Questions should be asked now if another more committed conservation entity should assume the role as the repository of Malaysian Air Force heritage.
The RMAF Museum (3 out of 5 Stars) in the Sungai Besi Air Base (the first international airport in Malaysia, before Subang and definitely way before Sepang) has a thing or two to attract the most devout lot of museum aficionados. The main draw is the fascinating array of aircraft in display. These flying machines were once the pride of the nation and Malaysia’s primary air defense arsenal.
Visitors who want a glimpse of the air force humble past may kick off their tour with the memorabilia in the modest museum housed in an ex-officer barrack. While the exhibits lack in creativity to capture visitors’ imagination, they compensate the fact with the historical importance of a struggling nation’s flying unit. The first gallery is adorned with many wooden plaques listing the names of previous Air Marshall and black and white photos of colonial officers in their rather awkward pose in their songkok and their official Malay military gears.
The museum has a treasure or two to boast if you look hard enough for it. Located in the corner of this same gallery is the uncelebrated ejected pilot seat of F-5E jet. Not much is told about the incident but a little notice nearby discloses the uneventful fate of the fighter jet which crashed off the coasts of Terengganu in the 80s.
However, kids and their dads will have a field day discovering more about the aircraft parked next to the derelict hangar located close to the runway. Kids would love to explore the interiors of the large wing Caribou. These hard working Canadian transporters were the backbones of air force logistic need, and when standing in the narrow cabin one can still feel the adrenalin rush of a paratrooper waiting his turn to jump off the plane.
With luck, visitors can catch the air force’s Nuri (transport helicopter) or Police Pilatus in operation from the nearby runway.
More surprises inside the hangar. There, the A-4 Skyhawk - the supersonic jet fighter that once ruled our skies in the 80s before the arrivals of the Hornets, Sukhoi and MiGs, now greets visitors amid silently. Retired helicopters are also valuable exhibits to allow visitors hand-on experience on the working of a rotor blade aircraft.
The historical biplane that served in the formation years of RMAF is another attraction not to be missed. Nevertheless it is heart breaking that parts of the aircraft body which is covered with flimsy cloth-like material, are tears everywhere due to lack of care and poor maintenance.
That is probably the main contention of visitors to this museum.
Muzium TUDM has in their procession some of the priceless artifacts showcasing our country’s momentous start in aerial military yet all the exhibits are covered with a thick layer of dust or worst condemned under the unforgiving tropical sun. Many outdoor exhibits including Ferrer Scout Car, Grumman Seaplane and others are left to rust. Information or the lack of it on the displays is another thing that the curator should be dismayed with. Questions should be asked now if another more committed conservation entity should assume the role as the repository of Malaysian Air Force heritage.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Urban Golf To Promote Heritage in Malaysia
Golf Courses seldom get credit for heritage conservation but there is this golf course in Switzerland that has successfully accommodated both. The entire course was designed around the historic city of Fribourg and when you've completed the 18th hole, you basically complete a tour of the city too.
In Malaysia, golf courses are popping up everywhere swallowing precious virgin jungles and poisoning our rivers. When the Old Subang Airport was handling international flights, it was not uncommon to have pilots cursing out loud the bright lights from the golf courses adjacent to the runway. Apparently the lights made the pilots confused and fortunately there was no untoward incident.
An urban golf course makes an excellent choice to strike a balance between heritage, tourism and sports. Imagine teeing off from Merdeka Square to Bukit Nenas Reserve Forest and finally landing on the green at KLCC park.
For a game of golf, players will discover the historical square where Independence was declared, then make a nature visit at one of the two urban rainforests in the world. Finally the golfer can putt in the final hole in the manicured garden besides the world's tallest twin towers.
A win-win situation for all. Golf tourists from all over the world will pay top dollar to enjoy a game of lifetime and the tourism folks can claim that they have helped to promote Malaysian history and its many tourist attractions. It is also a great way to promote golf and make it a truly people's game.
Related Readings - The Star Friday May 2, 2008
A Swiss city gets urban golf down to a tee. By WILLIAM FRENCH
FUNICULAR railways, bridges and cobbled streets are not typical features on a golf course but they form the backdrop to a new course in a Swiss city hoping to attract fresh tourists.
“Urban golf” is the brainchild of Celine Curty, a former business studies student who hit upon the idea while working as an intern in the tourist office of Fribourg, a pretty university town that marks the frontier between French- and German-speaking Switzerland.
Each ‘hole’ consists of one small patch of astroturf from where you tee off, aiming for a separate piece of turf no more than a few metres away.
The plan formed the basis of her final year degree project, and impressed her bosses at Fribourg so much that they decided to turn it into a reality. “I’m very pleased with how it turned out,” said Curty, though she admitted she hasn’t played the whole course yet.
The 18 “holes” are dotted around the medieval Old Town, many offering fantastic views of the Gothic cathedral, the old city walls and the Sarine river.
It’s more than just a stroll. Doing the full round involves crossing the town for a good four hours, even if you do take advantage of Fribourg’s funicular railway to get down from the first hole to the riverbank.
And if there’s no clubhouse for the traditional “19th hole” relaxation over a gin and tonic, there are plenty of cafes and bars dotted around the city for thirsty players to take a break.
The hole is not marked by a traditional flag but a fixed red marker.
“It’s the perfect way to discover the town,” said Nicolas Zapf, Fribourg’s tourism director.
Urban golf exists in many forms, proving particularly popular in the late 1990s in London’s trendy Shoreditch district, where golfers tired of the sport’s conservative image literally took their clubs to the streets and set up impromptu contests, improvising the holes as they went.
The Fribourg approach is slightly different as the location of the holes is fixed, with the aim of giving players the best possible views across the town. But any budding Tiger Woods or Nick Faldo hoping to perfect their swing will be disappointed, as “urban golf” differs greatly from the traditional variant.
For a start, you have only one club for both swinging and putting – a relief no doubt to any potential caddies who would otherwise have to scale Fribourg’s cobbled, winding and hilly streets.
The ball is also much lighter and made of squeezable rubber, which is probably just as well given the number of pedestrians passing by seemingly unaware of the course in their midst. Each “hole” consists of one small patch of astroturf from where you tee off, aiming for a separate piece of turf no more than a few metres away. The hole is not marked by a traditional flag (too tempting for light-fingered passers-by) but a fixed red marker.
The aim is to sink the ball within seven shots, though of course there are no fixed rules and indeed you’re not forced to play every hole. “We’re not aiming it at golfers, just ordinary tourists,” Zapf said.
Urban golf has been up and running since April 1 and has already attracted a lot of interest in Switzerland as well as neighbouring France and Germany, but is not yet targeting golf-mad Asian tourists.
The holes are surprisingly discreet and not heavily signed – so you need to keep your map with you at all times.
Hurrying after two eager young boys with clubs in hand, one local grandmother said she was all in favour.
“I’m from Fribourg but the kids are from France – it’s a great way for them to get to know the place,” she said. – AFP
In Malaysia, golf courses are popping up everywhere swallowing precious virgin jungles and poisoning our rivers. When the Old Subang Airport was handling international flights, it was not uncommon to have pilots cursing out loud the bright lights from the golf courses adjacent to the runway. Apparently the lights made the pilots confused and fortunately there was no untoward incident.
An urban golf course makes an excellent choice to strike a balance between heritage, tourism and sports. Imagine teeing off from Merdeka Square to Bukit Nenas Reserve Forest and finally landing on the green at KLCC park.
For a game of golf, players will discover the historical square where Independence was declared, then make a nature visit at one of the two urban rainforests in the world. Finally the golfer can putt in the final hole in the manicured garden besides the world's tallest twin towers.
A win-win situation for all. Golf tourists from all over the world will pay top dollar to enjoy a game of lifetime and the tourism folks can claim that they have helped to promote Malaysian history and its many tourist attractions. It is also a great way to promote golf and make it a truly people's game.
Related Readings - The Star Friday May 2, 2008
A Swiss city gets urban golf down to a tee. By WILLIAM FRENCH
FUNICULAR railways, bridges and cobbled streets are not typical features on a golf course but they form the backdrop to a new course in a Swiss city hoping to attract fresh tourists.
“Urban golf” is the brainchild of Celine Curty, a former business studies student who hit upon the idea while working as an intern in the tourist office of Fribourg, a pretty university town that marks the frontier between French- and German-speaking Switzerland.
Each ‘hole’ consists of one small patch of astroturf from where you tee off, aiming for a separate piece of turf no more than a few metres away.
The plan formed the basis of her final year degree project, and impressed her bosses at Fribourg so much that they decided to turn it into a reality. “I’m very pleased with how it turned out,” said Curty, though she admitted she hasn’t played the whole course yet.
The 18 “holes” are dotted around the medieval Old Town, many offering fantastic views of the Gothic cathedral, the old city walls and the Sarine river.
It’s more than just a stroll. Doing the full round involves crossing the town for a good four hours, even if you do take advantage of Fribourg’s funicular railway to get down from the first hole to the riverbank.
And if there’s no clubhouse for the traditional “19th hole” relaxation over a gin and tonic, there are plenty of cafes and bars dotted around the city for thirsty players to take a break.
The hole is not marked by a traditional flag but a fixed red marker.
“It’s the perfect way to discover the town,” said Nicolas Zapf, Fribourg’s tourism director.
Urban golf exists in many forms, proving particularly popular in the late 1990s in London’s trendy Shoreditch district, where golfers tired of the sport’s conservative image literally took their clubs to the streets and set up impromptu contests, improvising the holes as they went.
The Fribourg approach is slightly different as the location of the holes is fixed, with the aim of giving players the best possible views across the town. But any budding Tiger Woods or Nick Faldo hoping to perfect their swing will be disappointed, as “urban golf” differs greatly from the traditional variant.
For a start, you have only one club for both swinging and putting – a relief no doubt to any potential caddies who would otherwise have to scale Fribourg’s cobbled, winding and hilly streets.
The ball is also much lighter and made of squeezable rubber, which is probably just as well given the number of pedestrians passing by seemingly unaware of the course in their midst. Each “hole” consists of one small patch of astroturf from where you tee off, aiming for a separate piece of turf no more than a few metres away. The hole is not marked by a traditional flag (too tempting for light-fingered passers-by) but a fixed red marker.
The aim is to sink the ball within seven shots, though of course there are no fixed rules and indeed you’re not forced to play every hole. “We’re not aiming it at golfers, just ordinary tourists,” Zapf said.
Urban golf has been up and running since April 1 and has already attracted a lot of interest in Switzerland as well as neighbouring France and Germany, but is not yet targeting golf-mad Asian tourists.
The holes are surprisingly discreet and not heavily signed – so you need to keep your map with you at all times.
Hurrying after two eager young boys with clubs in hand, one local grandmother said she was all in favour.
“I’m from Fribourg but the kids are from France – it’s a great way for them to get to know the place,” she said. – AFP
Rubber Smokehouse Museum in Lunas
History of rubber industry in Malaysia now has a home to call its own or sort of. A private initiative by award winning architect Laurence Loh has given birth to a museum in Lunas, Kedah which showcases the latex industry in the country. Fortunately, Loh has pursued the museum idea by incorporating and maintaining the original allure found inside an old rubber smokehouse.
Today, the museum has the distinction of allowing visitors the opportunity to see and experience the making of smoked rubber sheets. It is the only museum of its kind in Malaysia.
More importantly the museum has allowed a glimpse to an industrious past where the rubber industry was the main livelihood for millions and responsible for the making of many rubber moguls.
But rubber industry has been sidelined in our quest to be developed.
In a short span of just two decades, many traditional economy activities in Malaysia died a slow death. Traditionally agriculturally based, Malaysia began to embrace industrialization like a testorone charged man with a new mistress in tow and government officials brandished earful 'F' words like FDI, FTZ to all and sundry.
Rubber trees were among the first to go and they were uprooted in a frenzy to feed the massive needs for industrial and residential lands. Sons and daughters of rubber tappers left their homes in droves for more 'glamorous' jobs in air-conditioned factories and supermarkets.
In its wake, small towns like Lunas in the northern state of Kedah, found itself without a reason to sustain itself and slowly disappeared from the map.
Urban migration is particularly acute in this country and a great Malaysian phenomenon which is not fully studied, or perhaps understood by the authority about its implication. The swift in the population data was overwhelming. From a 80:20 ration between rural and urban population right after Merdeka; to a reversal of 3 urbanites to every two persons in the rural area by the time we celebrated our 50th Independence. Unbalanced development priority is the other culprit.
Rubber trees even in the villages are now far and between and the sight of rubber tappers rarer.
After the first rubber seet was planted in Kuala Kangsar about 150 years ago, the once lucrative Rubber industry is now a distance memory and fast disappearing from our mindset.
In 2006, Laurence Loh took over the family owned smokehouse in Lunas and converted it into a museum. He also spearheaded a conservation campaign involving the town's children to promote heritage awareness in Lunas. Walking inside the museum allows visitors experience the authencity of a working smokehouse as Loh explained in a talk given at the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum 2007, Hong Kong:-
"In the rubber story, the actual patina and crust of history was retained. Actual rubber sheets were hung up on the original bamboo poles to simulate the environment of the internal space of a smoke house - black walls full of soot and dust, accumulated over 40 years, complete with teh rich pungent smell of raw rubber, totally unforgettable and distinct."
Smokehouses were main structure in many Malaysian towns and they served as the processing center to treat rubber sheets brought by the tappers before the treated sheets are sent to ports to be exported. Lunas Smokehouse is made of wood structure but in bigger town like Malacca, the smokehouse there (Bachang besides the Onn Yah Kong temple) was a massive building about 5 stories high and occupied an area of considerable size. Passers by often have to cover their noses because of the pungent smell from the site.
For a comprehensive insight on the rubber industry, start the journey in the revamped Gallery C of Muzium Negara. There is an interesting exhibit of the paraphernalia used by rubber tappers in the olden days. Center to the exhibit is a female tapper 'milkling' on a rubber tree. Take a closer look and you will see that there is a mosquito coil attached to the side of the mannequin to repel the insects.
In Kuala Kangsar the oldest surviving rubber tree from the original seet brought in from London's kew Garden is found near the Malay College.
Related Reading:
Lunas - by Elizabeth Cardosa January 2007
Badan Warisan Malaysia is currently involved in an exciting cultural mapping project in Lunas, Kedah.
LUNAS: The Rubber Story is one of DiGi’s Amazing Malaysians 2006 projects. Two heritage education programmes involving Laurence Loh, ‘The Heritage Architect of Kedah’, were held in Lunas, Kedah, between June and August 2006. It involved 80 students, aged between 10 and 14 years, from three local schools, SRJK (Cina) Hwa Min, SMK Kulim and SMK Jalan Paya Besar.
Laurence Loh chose Lunas as the project site because his grandfather, Loh Boon Ghee, came to Lunas from China by way of Sumatra. Starting out as a labourer, he worked hard and became the owner of several rubber plantations. In the process, with two others, he built and owned a large portion of Lunas town in its early days, a legacy which remains till today. Laurence believes that in the process of collecting the stories and photographs of Lunas, the unique character of the town, its special buildings, places and stories can be recorded and kept intact as a heritage to pass on to the next generation. This way, the effort, joys, sorrows, triumphs, disappointments and achievements of the pioneers will be embedded in the memory of every child and person who experiences Lunas. This is the story of just one of the many little towns in Malaysia, and by collecting the stories, it makes our history and communities richer.
The project also featured the restoration of an old Smokehouse in Lunas, by Laurence Loh, DiGi’s Amazing Malaysian. The documentation, images, videographic materials and data from the two education programmes are used within the main exhibition which has been installed at the Smokehouse.
DiGi's Amazing Malaysians is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme which identifies passionate individuals who, quietly but with dedication, work towards preserving Malaysia's natural, social, art, cultural or built heritage. DiGi provides resources for these ordinary people doing extraordinary things to share their knowledge and skills with groups of 50-100 children or youth. Most of the projects are centred in rural locations, and the children involved come from the surrounding areas. This way, DiGi is able both to support commendable heritage work, and to introduce children to the rich tapestry of culture and tradition that makes up Malaysia's unique heritage.
Today, the museum has the distinction of allowing visitors the opportunity to see and experience the making of smoked rubber sheets. It is the only museum of its kind in Malaysia.
More importantly the museum has allowed a glimpse to an industrious past where the rubber industry was the main livelihood for millions and responsible for the making of many rubber moguls.
But rubber industry has been sidelined in our quest to be developed.
In a short span of just two decades, many traditional economy activities in Malaysia died a slow death. Traditionally agriculturally based, Malaysia began to embrace industrialization like a testorone charged man with a new mistress in tow and government officials brandished earful 'F' words like FDI, FTZ to all and sundry.
Rubber trees were among the first to go and they were uprooted in a frenzy to feed the massive needs for industrial and residential lands. Sons and daughters of rubber tappers left their homes in droves for more 'glamorous' jobs in air-conditioned factories and supermarkets.
In its wake, small towns like Lunas in the northern state of Kedah, found itself without a reason to sustain itself and slowly disappeared from the map.
Urban migration is particularly acute in this country and a great Malaysian phenomenon which is not fully studied, or perhaps understood by the authority about its implication. The swift in the population data was overwhelming. From a 80:20 ration between rural and urban population right after Merdeka; to a reversal of 3 urbanites to every two persons in the rural area by the time we celebrated our 50th Independence. Unbalanced development priority is the other culprit.
Rubber trees even in the villages are now far and between and the sight of rubber tappers rarer.
After the first rubber seet was planted in Kuala Kangsar about 150 years ago, the once lucrative Rubber industry is now a distance memory and fast disappearing from our mindset.
In 2006, Laurence Loh took over the family owned smokehouse in Lunas and converted it into a museum. He also spearheaded a conservation campaign involving the town's children to promote heritage awareness in Lunas. Walking inside the museum allows visitors experience the authencity of a working smokehouse as Loh explained in a talk given at the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum 2007, Hong Kong:-
"In the rubber story, the actual patina and crust of history was retained. Actual rubber sheets were hung up on the original bamboo poles to simulate the environment of the internal space of a smoke house - black walls full of soot and dust, accumulated over 40 years, complete with teh rich pungent smell of raw rubber, totally unforgettable and distinct."
Smokehouses were main structure in many Malaysian towns and they served as the processing center to treat rubber sheets brought by the tappers before the treated sheets are sent to ports to be exported. Lunas Smokehouse is made of wood structure but in bigger town like Malacca, the smokehouse there (Bachang besides the Onn Yah Kong temple) was a massive building about 5 stories high and occupied an area of considerable size. Passers by often have to cover their noses because of the pungent smell from the site.
For a comprehensive insight on the rubber industry, start the journey in the revamped Gallery C of Muzium Negara. There is an interesting exhibit of the paraphernalia used by rubber tappers in the olden days. Center to the exhibit is a female tapper 'milkling' on a rubber tree. Take a closer look and you will see that there is a mosquito coil attached to the side of the mannequin to repel the insects.
In Kuala Kangsar the oldest surviving rubber tree from the original seet brought in from London's kew Garden is found near the Malay College.
Related Reading:
Lunas - by Elizabeth Cardosa January 2007
Badan Warisan Malaysia is currently involved in an exciting cultural mapping project in Lunas, Kedah.
LUNAS: The Rubber Story is one of DiGi’s Amazing Malaysians 2006 projects. Two heritage education programmes involving Laurence Loh, ‘The Heritage Architect of Kedah’, were held in Lunas, Kedah, between June and August 2006. It involved 80 students, aged between 10 and 14 years, from three local schools, SRJK (Cina) Hwa Min, SMK Kulim and SMK Jalan Paya Besar.
Laurence Loh chose Lunas as the project site because his grandfather, Loh Boon Ghee, came to Lunas from China by way of Sumatra. Starting out as a labourer, he worked hard and became the owner of several rubber plantations. In the process, with two others, he built and owned a large portion of Lunas town in its early days, a legacy which remains till today. Laurence believes that in the process of collecting the stories and photographs of Lunas, the unique character of the town, its special buildings, places and stories can be recorded and kept intact as a heritage to pass on to the next generation. This way, the effort, joys, sorrows, triumphs, disappointments and achievements of the pioneers will be embedded in the memory of every child and person who experiences Lunas. This is the story of just one of the many little towns in Malaysia, and by collecting the stories, it makes our history and communities richer.
The project also featured the restoration of an old Smokehouse in Lunas, by Laurence Loh, DiGi’s Amazing Malaysian. The documentation, images, videographic materials and data from the two education programmes are used within the main exhibition which has been installed at the Smokehouse.
DiGi's Amazing Malaysians is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme which identifies passionate individuals who, quietly but with dedication, work towards preserving Malaysia's natural, social, art, cultural or built heritage. DiGi provides resources for these ordinary people doing extraordinary things to share their knowledge and skills with groups of 50-100 children or youth. Most of the projects are centred in rural locations, and the children involved come from the surrounding areas. This way, DiGi is able both to support commendable heritage work, and to introduce children to the rich tapestry of culture and tradition that makes up Malaysia's unique heritage.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Treasures for Suffolk House
Penang soon can boost another heritage project and may help in its effort to be listed under UNESCO listing.
Below is the article on The Star posted on Wednesday April 2, 2008.
Treasures for Suffolk House
By ANDREA FILMER
WITH a little luck, the Suffolk House, Penang’s sole surviving Georgian residential architecture, will be opened to the public by the end of the year.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government hoped to revive the house, which was first built in the 1780s in a pepper estate owned by Captain Francis Light, into a cultural, historical and art collection centre.
Lim was speaking to reporters on a visit to the home of antiquity collector Jasmine Tan, who had offered the majority of her collection on loan to be displayed at the Suffolk House.
“With this offer, we hope we can get things moving again at the Suffolk House that has been recently refurbished and renovated,” Lim said.
Guan Eng (third from right) taking a closer look at an antique marble table.
Taking up antique and art collection in 1982, Tan and her husband’s collection includes historic items in Malaysian history as well as European fine furniture, marble statuary and architectural items from the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
Among items available for loan to the state government is a handwritten document by Captain Light dated 1794 pertaining to land on the Prince of Wales Island.
“This is the oldest item in the collection that I managed to obtain through the years,” Tan said.
Lining the walls and walkways of Tan’s house are precious artwork and several stained glass windows rumoured to be made by William Morris, a principal founder of the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain.
A pair of Baba Nyonya bridal tables (left foreground) made with mother of pearl and Venetian glass are among Jasmine's antique collection.
Also on display to reporters were a beautiful wooden table with a marble top fashioned in the shape of the Penang state made in 1874 in Calcutta, a 19th century Srard piano, marble furniture once belonging to Eu Tong Sen (one of Ma-laya’s most successful and wealthy tin miners) and a pair of Baba Nyonya bridal tables made with mother of pearl and Venetian glass.
“Penang is linked by history to other straits settlements, so a lot of items in this collection are highly prized by other countries as well. “Thankfully, these items are still in Penang thanks to Tan and her family, and I think it is important for us to retain them here and not lose these pieces of history,” Lim said.
He also urged other collectors to come forward to offer pieces to be displayed at the Suffolk House.
Tan, on the other hand, thought it would be nice to share her prized possessions with the public after enjoying them personally.
“I have been to the Suffolk House and there’s nothing much inside, so I thought that it would be a good idea to use the collection to help promote and boost tourism in the state,” Tan said.
A 19th century Srard piano made in Paris in one of Tan's most prized possessions.
Penang State Museum Board curator Haryany Mohamad, who was present at the visit to assess some of the items, said it would take at least six months to catalogue all the pieces.
“We will also have to look into the placement and security of the pieces at the Suffolk House before any movement can be made,” she said.
State Tourism Development, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang, state executive councillors Lydia Ong Kok Fooi and Lim Hock Seng as well as Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng were also present at the visit.
Below is the article on The Star posted on Wednesday April 2, 2008.
Treasures for Suffolk House
By ANDREA FILMER
WITH a little luck, the Suffolk House, Penang’s sole surviving Georgian residential architecture, will be opened to the public by the end of the year.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government hoped to revive the house, which was first built in the 1780s in a pepper estate owned by Captain Francis Light, into a cultural, historical and art collection centre.
Lim was speaking to reporters on a visit to the home of antiquity collector Jasmine Tan, who had offered the majority of her collection on loan to be displayed at the Suffolk House.
“With this offer, we hope we can get things moving again at the Suffolk House that has been recently refurbished and renovated,” Lim said.
Guan Eng (third from right) taking a closer look at an antique marble table.
Taking up antique and art collection in 1982, Tan and her husband’s collection includes historic items in Malaysian history as well as European fine furniture, marble statuary and architectural items from the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
Among items available for loan to the state government is a handwritten document by Captain Light dated 1794 pertaining to land on the Prince of Wales Island.
“This is the oldest item in the collection that I managed to obtain through the years,” Tan said.
Lining the walls and walkways of Tan’s house are precious artwork and several stained glass windows rumoured to be made by William Morris, a principal founder of the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain.
A pair of Baba Nyonya bridal tables (left foreground) made with mother of pearl and Venetian glass are among Jasmine's antique collection.
Also on display to reporters were a beautiful wooden table with a marble top fashioned in the shape of the Penang state made in 1874 in Calcutta, a 19th century Srard piano, marble furniture once belonging to Eu Tong Sen (one of Ma-laya’s most successful and wealthy tin miners) and a pair of Baba Nyonya bridal tables made with mother of pearl and Venetian glass.
“Penang is linked by history to other straits settlements, so a lot of items in this collection are highly prized by other countries as well. “Thankfully, these items are still in Penang thanks to Tan and her family, and I think it is important for us to retain them here and not lose these pieces of history,” Lim said.
He also urged other collectors to come forward to offer pieces to be displayed at the Suffolk House.
Tan, on the other hand, thought it would be nice to share her prized possessions with the public after enjoying them personally.
“I have been to the Suffolk House and there’s nothing much inside, so I thought that it would be a good idea to use the collection to help promote and boost tourism in the state,” Tan said.
A 19th century Srard piano made in Paris in one of Tan's most prized possessions.
Penang State Museum Board curator Haryany Mohamad, who was present at the visit to assess some of the items, said it would take at least six months to catalogue all the pieces.
“We will also have to look into the placement and security of the pieces at the Suffolk House before any movement can be made,” she said.
State Tourism Development, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang, state executive councillors Lydia Ong Kok Fooi and Lim Hock Seng as well as Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng were also present at the visit.
Friday, April 25, 2008
'A Famosa' Rescued?
The Malaysian Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage has proposed a RM12.8 million plan to ‘reconstruct’ a partial fortress wall of 'A Famosa' in Malacca.According to report -The Star, Feb 18, 07- the reconstructed wall would offer tourists a glimpse of the the original sea-front defensive wall that once guarded the Portuguese against numerous sea invasions.
It is difficult to identify where the fortress walls are today because reclamation and senseless property development have altered the sea front of the historic city and the sea is now a good distance away.
This recent development prompted vested parties to claim it as a shot in the arms for Malacca conservation but how the whole episode involving the archaeological site has been unfolding is a worthy news in itself.
The same honorable minister had on a previous occasion came to the very same spot next to Malacca River and proudly launched a grand Malacca state scheme to build a revolving viewing tower.
It will take paying tourists for a bird-eye view of the Stadhuys and the Class I historical enclave across the historical river and also remnants of 'A Famosa'.
Despite overwhelming public objections including from this writer to the proposed Viewing Tower and our valid concerns that there would be unreversable damage to the area’s historical significance, the distinguished minister vehemently defended the state authority’s decision to go ahead with the construction of revolving tower (similar to Singapore’s Carlsberg Tower in Sentosa Island).
In a bizarre twist of fate, critics of the project were vindicated when men working on the tower foundation accidentally stumbled upon structural remains of Middleburg bastion!
For the very first time, the scale of the Portuguese Fortress is emerging and this archaeological find adds weight to ancient maps depicting four other similar bastions around 'A Famosa'.Fortunately, good sense prevailed and an announcement was made, I suspected relunctantly by the parties concerned to halt the tower project. A decision quickly followed suit and the site of the viewing tower was moved assumingly to a less controversial one.
The same personnel from Perzim (Malacca Museum Board) and the Museum Department who had given the go-ahead with the Taming Sari Viewing Tower project now ironically have a new task at hand, presiding and spearheading conservation work to bring the bastion back alive.
Subsequently, Phase II will kick in and it involves a more ambitious project to ‘reconstruct’ the missing 300 meter fortress wall from same river side extending to Santiago Gate.
Reconstruction is controversial and is by no mean conservation. The Chinese has experimented with the Great Walls with devastating consequence at popular sites like Badaling near Beijing.
Ruins of the Great Walls are rebuilt based on purely academic guesses, and compromises were made at the expense of the integrity and the historical values of the Walls.
Today millions of tourists visiting there are disassociated to this fact, but they are essentially paying 40 yuan pax to merely see mock up walls catering very much to their tourist dollars.
In conservation, original artifacts i.e. rocks, manuscripts, bricks, weapons etc are the essential tools to invoke appreciation and instill better understanding for the historical subject.
Every efforts to replicate objects or materials no matter how authentic, should be the last resort to promote historical awareness and should never replace the original artifacts.
Will 'A Famosa' suffer the same fate? The answer lies with the Minister and Jabatan Muzium.
2 centuries ago -'A Famosa' or the beautiful fort, so named by the conquerer Alfonso D' Albuquerque - almost faded into oblivion until the timingly intervention by Munshi Abdullah and Sir Stamford Raffles.
Is 'A Famosa' finally enjoying the limelight it solely deserves or perhaps it is too premature to rejoice yet?
Note:
The 'Taming Sari' Revolving Tower - a RM23 million project by Perbadanan Melaka has since operated from the old Glutton's Corner. (Apr 2008)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Culture Coup by Singapore Peranakan Museum
The new Peranakan Museum in Singapore has opened its doors to visitors(The Star-Apr 24,08) and judging by the success they have had with the Asian Civilizations Museum, it is safe bet to say that this museum housed in an old school will generate the same excitement among history bluffs and tourists. Singaporeans can be forgiven if they show a glint in their eyes over this museum but it is no laughing matter for the Malaysian government.
The Malaysian Ministry of Unity, Cultural, Arts and Heritage and the Museum Department are now caught with their tails in between the legs. They must confront this culture coup earnestly and they must be transparent about the direction or the lack of it of where we are heading. This is important if the authority is to be taken seriously as the guardian of our museums and the repository of our national heritage and heirloom. Heritage loving Malaysians are disappointed that valueless Peranakan artifacts are now in the hands of foreigners and we should demand that the same authority in Malaysia adopt a more proactive stance to champion local heritage.
For centuries, Malaysian states like Malacca, Penang and as far as Kelantan were some of the early points of entry for chinese immigrants who came here to work. They subsequently assimilated with the locals to form this unique culture we are come to call Peranakan, or the not so politically correct term - Baba & Nyonya.
Singapore or Temasik was then just the occasional pirate hideouts. Thus it is not ridiculous to stake claim that Tanah Melayu is the rightful birthplace of the Peranakan and its heritage.
Countless thesis and articles from local and foreign universities have critiqued its unique racial composition and highlighted the role they in Malaysian society. When it fits the fancy of the same authority especially when elections or Lunar New Year are near, they are exemplified for their multi racial outlook and the multi cultural practices.
The time has come to call for greater recognition for the community besides the casual complimentary.
There is a popular Baba and Nyonya Museum operated by Chan Kim Lay and his family in Malacca. It is a favorite with tourists who are willing to pay top dollars to see first hand culture, handi works and architecture associated with the peranakan. In the late 90s there were talks about a Jabatan Museum project to build a similar Peranakan Museum along the same Heeren Street. Nothing came out of it and as we all know now -Singapore has beaten us to it.
It is not an exaggeration if we consider this seemingly "oversight" a tip of the iceberg. We have new archeological finds and reveal fascinating insights about 'A Famosa' fortress and its two unearthed Portuguese bastions in Malacca. Yet Jabatan Muzium and the state government enthusiasm is found wanting. Lembah Bujang, Kedah with its 1000 year old cendis around Gunung Jerai are left neglected although conservationists have acknowledged that Lembah Bujang is in the same league with Angkor Wat and Borobodur. However, no proper recognition or planning is forthcoming and this historical treasure is just accorded a brief mention in tour itinenaries, if at all.
Malaysians should not lament that Malaysia has not historical attractions to offer. The truth is the Ministry responsible for our heritage and culture are NOT bold enough to embrace the wealth that our multicultural and multi racial society has to offer. It continues to hide under a bigoted 'turtle shell' that brushed aside the multi-ethnicity and historical treasures laying idle across the country.
April 24, 2008
Related Reading
Singapore pays tribute to Peranakan culture with new museum.
The Star Apr. 24, 08
By DEEPIKA SHETTY
A new Peranakan museum in Singapore showcases more than 1,200 items of Straits Chinese artefacts and tells the stories behind them. MUSEUMS are much more than about items on display these days. They are about the stories behind the things as well.
Take the S$12mil (RM27.8mil) boutique Peranakan Museum, which opens this Saturday in what was once the Tao Nan School in Armenian Street. Work on it started just over two years ago.
The S$12mil (RM27.8mil) boutique Peranakan Museum, in what was once the Tao Nan School in Armenian Street, Singapore.
The world’s most comprehensive collection of Straits Chinese, or Peranakan artefacts, it contains more than 1,200 items showcasing this unique South-East Asian culture.
The Peranakan community began with early Chinese immigrants in Malacca, Penang and Java adopting local customs and marrying local Malay women.
Peranakans, famed for sarong kebaya (embroidered blouse-and-batik ensemble), kueh (cake) and feisty bibik (matriarch), began to live a blend of Malay and Chinese lifestyles peppered with British and Dutch influences. The items on show reflect these influences and range from intricately beaded shoes to a grand wedding bed. Also on display is the largest Peranakan beadwork tablecloth, created using one million beads.
The treasures are often all the more precious for their “true blue” individual histories.
That is something Dr Kenson Kwok, director of the Asian Civilisations Museum which is developing and operating the Peranakan Museum project, can attest to.
Late 19th or early 20th century Peranakan bridal garment made of silk and gold thread.
About 10 years ago when a visitor from Penang walked into his office asking for him, Dr Kwok almost turned her away.
“She said her mother had all these nyonya things which she wanted to give to the museum,” he says. He adds with a laugh that he was not convinced and did not take her seriously at first.
At that time, the Asian Civilisations Museum had only a small section devoted to the Straits Chinese past. But the woman was persistent and urged him to fly to Penang to take a look at some of the work.
“I flew to Penang and the minute I saw the kamcheng (covered container which the Peranakans used to store and serve food, water or pickles), I knew we had something special.
“It was so precious that I hand-carried it back to Singapore. It weighs more than 5kg and I had it on my lap all through,” he says.
Today, the kamcheng, which dates back to the late 19th century and is worth over S$100,000 (RM230,000), occupies pride of place in the Food and Feasting Gallery of the Peranakan Museum – one of 10 themed galleries housed in the building. These are spread over a floor area of 4,000sqm with a display space of 1,500sqm.
Also in the Food and Feasting gallery is a set of eight dining chairs with English-style carving which would have been done by Chinese craftsmen, and which Dr Kwok found in a junk shop toilet. “We managed to find a full set and they were in pretty good condition,” he says.
However, the museum is not just about viewing displays, but having hands-on involvement as well. Some exhibits include interactive components. These include touchable displays at a Peranakan kitchen, wedding and beading activities, and a multimedia activity where children can dress up in Peranakan costume electronically.
The museum’s galleries range from one devoted to weddings to others that cover the process of growing up, religious beliefs, food and feasting, conversations and public life. The Bim Poh Lenggang(ceremonial handkerchief) used during the traditional 12-day Peranakan wedding. The bride wore the handkerchief by wearing the ring around the fourth finger of her left hand.
Visitors will get an insight into a traditional Peranakan wedding – an elaborate 12-day affair filled with rituals and ceremonies – and also of the chiu thau ceremony, a rite of purification and initiation into adulthood, for example.
The museum wants to engage people of all ages. Says curator Randall Ee: “We want people to live through those times.” – The Straits Times, Singapore / Asia News Network
For more information, go to www.peranakanmuseum.sg.
The Malaysian Ministry of Unity, Cultural, Arts and Heritage and the Museum Department are now caught with their tails in between the legs. They must confront this culture coup earnestly and they must be transparent about the direction or the lack of it of where we are heading. This is important if the authority is to be taken seriously as the guardian of our museums and the repository of our national heritage and heirloom. Heritage loving Malaysians are disappointed that valueless Peranakan artifacts are now in the hands of foreigners and we should demand that the same authority in Malaysia adopt a more proactive stance to champion local heritage.
For centuries, Malaysian states like Malacca, Penang and as far as Kelantan were some of the early points of entry for chinese immigrants who came here to work. They subsequently assimilated with the locals to form this unique culture we are come to call Peranakan, or the not so politically correct term - Baba & Nyonya.
Singapore or Temasik was then just the occasional pirate hideouts. Thus it is not ridiculous to stake claim that Tanah Melayu is the rightful birthplace of the Peranakan and its heritage.
Countless thesis and articles from local and foreign universities have critiqued its unique racial composition and highlighted the role they in Malaysian society. When it fits the fancy of the same authority especially when elections or Lunar New Year are near, they are exemplified for their multi racial outlook and the multi cultural practices.
The time has come to call for greater recognition for the community besides the casual complimentary.
There is a popular Baba and Nyonya Museum operated by Chan Kim Lay and his family in Malacca. It is a favorite with tourists who are willing to pay top dollars to see first hand culture, handi works and architecture associated with the peranakan. In the late 90s there were talks about a Jabatan Museum project to build a similar Peranakan Museum along the same Heeren Street. Nothing came out of it and as we all know now -Singapore has beaten us to it.
It is not an exaggeration if we consider this seemingly "oversight" a tip of the iceberg. We have new archeological finds and reveal fascinating insights about 'A Famosa' fortress and its two unearthed Portuguese bastions in Malacca. Yet Jabatan Muzium and the state government enthusiasm is found wanting. Lembah Bujang, Kedah with its 1000 year old cendis around Gunung Jerai are left neglected although conservationists have acknowledged that Lembah Bujang is in the same league with Angkor Wat and Borobodur. However, no proper recognition or planning is forthcoming and this historical treasure is just accorded a brief mention in tour itinenaries, if at all.
Malaysians should not lament that Malaysia has not historical attractions to offer. The truth is the Ministry responsible for our heritage and culture are NOT bold enough to embrace the wealth that our multicultural and multi racial society has to offer. It continues to hide under a bigoted 'turtle shell' that brushed aside the multi-ethnicity and historical treasures laying idle across the country.
April 24, 2008
Related Reading
Singapore pays tribute to Peranakan culture with new museum.
The Star Apr. 24, 08
By DEEPIKA SHETTY
A new Peranakan museum in Singapore showcases more than 1,200 items of Straits Chinese artefacts and tells the stories behind them. MUSEUMS are much more than about items on display these days. They are about the stories behind the things as well.
Take the S$12mil (RM27.8mil) boutique Peranakan Museum, which opens this Saturday in what was once the Tao Nan School in Armenian Street. Work on it started just over two years ago.
The S$12mil (RM27.8mil) boutique Peranakan Museum, in what was once the Tao Nan School in Armenian Street, Singapore.
The world’s most comprehensive collection of Straits Chinese, or Peranakan artefacts, it contains more than 1,200 items showcasing this unique South-East Asian culture.
The Peranakan community began with early Chinese immigrants in Malacca, Penang and Java adopting local customs and marrying local Malay women.
Peranakans, famed for sarong kebaya (embroidered blouse-and-batik ensemble), kueh (cake) and feisty bibik (matriarch), began to live a blend of Malay and Chinese lifestyles peppered with British and Dutch influences. The items on show reflect these influences and range from intricately beaded shoes to a grand wedding bed. Also on display is the largest Peranakan beadwork tablecloth, created using one million beads.
The treasures are often all the more precious for their “true blue” individual histories.
That is something Dr Kenson Kwok, director of the Asian Civilisations Museum which is developing and operating the Peranakan Museum project, can attest to.
Late 19th or early 20th century Peranakan bridal garment made of silk and gold thread.
About 10 years ago when a visitor from Penang walked into his office asking for him, Dr Kwok almost turned her away.
“She said her mother had all these nyonya things which she wanted to give to the museum,” he says. He adds with a laugh that he was not convinced and did not take her seriously at first.
At that time, the Asian Civilisations Museum had only a small section devoted to the Straits Chinese past. But the woman was persistent and urged him to fly to Penang to take a look at some of the work.
“I flew to Penang and the minute I saw the kamcheng (covered container which the Peranakans used to store and serve food, water or pickles), I knew we had something special.
“It was so precious that I hand-carried it back to Singapore. It weighs more than 5kg and I had it on my lap all through,” he says.
Today, the kamcheng, which dates back to the late 19th century and is worth over S$100,000 (RM230,000), occupies pride of place in the Food and Feasting Gallery of the Peranakan Museum – one of 10 themed galleries housed in the building. These are spread over a floor area of 4,000sqm with a display space of 1,500sqm.
Also in the Food and Feasting gallery is a set of eight dining chairs with English-style carving which would have been done by Chinese craftsmen, and which Dr Kwok found in a junk shop toilet. “We managed to find a full set and they were in pretty good condition,” he says.
However, the museum is not just about viewing displays, but having hands-on involvement as well. Some exhibits include interactive components. These include touchable displays at a Peranakan kitchen, wedding and beading activities, and a multimedia activity where children can dress up in Peranakan costume electronically.
The museum’s galleries range from one devoted to weddings to others that cover the process of growing up, religious beliefs, food and feasting, conversations and public life. The Bim Poh Lenggang(ceremonial handkerchief) used during the traditional 12-day Peranakan wedding. The bride wore the handkerchief by wearing the ring around the fourth finger of her left hand.
Visitors will get an insight into a traditional Peranakan wedding – an elaborate 12-day affair filled with rituals and ceremonies – and also of the chiu thau ceremony, a rite of purification and initiation into adulthood, for example.
The museum wants to engage people of all ages. Says curator Randall Ee: “We want people to live through those times.” – The Straits Times, Singapore / Asia News Network
For more information, go to www.peranakanmuseum.sg.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Malaysian Tin Legacy Comes Alive
Tin was an integrated part of Malaysian history. Millions of Malaysian Chinese today can trace their ancestry to the waves of cheap coolies brought into Malaya to labor in the God forsaken, malaria infested tin mines. Many Malays in this country too have their roots traced to groups originated from the surrounding Malay Archipelago who came to Tanah Melayu for the same economical reasons (i.e the Mandailing from Sumatera found mostly in Papan, Perak, Bugis from Sulawesi in Perak and Selangor). Unfortunately, this later form of migration are not mentioned promptly in history books or museums.
Calm was disrupted when everyone was caught in a ruthless fight for a bigger share of the tin pie. Throughout the 19th century, Civil Wars erupted in Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Selangor and often complicated by bloody royal tussle. Rival Malay/ Bugis Warlords would be aided by equally ferocious Chinese Clans fighting territorial control over tin rich areas.
Perfect excuse for the opportunistic British to interfere. With their superior guns and arm twisting tactics, the smoke apparently cleared and the mines were a hive of activity again. The British wasted no time and made iron roads into the Malay heartland. In a short span of time, numerous British financed railway lines began to dot the landscape spanning a common East to west direction.
It is was a mayhem in the villages with supertitious folks greeted the arrival of the steam era akin to doomsday. Wild elephants too were scared out of their wits by sights and sounds of fire eating iron work horse chugging with their tin ore loads to nearby sea ports. These East - West routes i.e. Taiping-Port Weld, Kuala Lumpur - Port Klang, Sungai Ujung(Seremban) - Port Dickson - share a familiar trait - Tin
Needless to say Tin resource brought prosperity for the country. History will also show that tin from Malaya saved Great Britain from bankruptcy after World War II. Countless millionaires were made and with their nouveau riches, they showed off by acquiring lavish taste for western amenities. In Perak, car owners have the privilege of having their Morris and Renault with car plates beginning with the letter 'A' . Selangor was next with 'B' and Pahang 'C'. They were the three of the wealthier states in Malaya and their source was primarily tin. Mansions built on hard cash from Tin also mushroomed in Ipoh, Penang and Malacca.
The collapse of tin price in the 80s suddenly halted the rosy outlook and hit hard at all levels of the society. However what's most unfortunate is how quick we were to distance ourselves from the tin legacy. Suddenly the tin industry became an outclass and not worth a mention except briefly on the school textbooks. We became apparently ashamed of our centuries old ties with mother nature's black gift.
Their immediate demise were hastened by a national inertia on what properly constitute Malaysia National Heritage. As a young country, we were confronting depleting treasures from our chequered past yet they were concerns, valid or otherwise by powerful groups who viewed our Colonial eras with dismay. They held a vengeance by collectively imply any symbolic representation or gestures from the last five centuries as a threat to our national identity.
Nothing were spared. Mining equipment were sold for scrap. Miners unemployed for the first time in their life found no support whatsoever. They quickly turned to cooking and manned the many hawkers stalls. Options were few for them and they have families to feed.
In Seri Kembangan/ Balakong, Selangor, the former world's largest open cast tin mine was shut down and is now a man-made lake with The Palace of Golden Horses(5 Star Hotel) and the Mine Shopping Center at its shores.
Other ex-tin mines were condemned too. They are now either popular fishing grounds, haven for migratory birds and worst, completely reclaimed to begin a new life as Taman (residential garden) found commonly in Puchong, Subang and Sunway, notably of the Sunway Lagoon fame in Selangor, and in Perak -Kampar and Gopeng areas to name a few.
If you are keen to revisit the tin legacy in this country then you have an uphill task. There are NO historical sites, NO dedicated museum, NO conservation of the mining equipments that are important to present or showcase tin and its history in this country.
However, I think there is light at the end of the tunnel. Malaysia while it positions itself as a tourism destination has taken a renewal interest in everything old, rustic and even colonial. Colonial subjects were discarded previously because it was considered against unnationalistic interest and unpatriotic.
The authority has finally awakened to the concept that heritage is a valuable asset and can bring in the precious tourism ringgit. This arrangement is far from perfect in conservation sense but it does offer a glimpse of hope to conservation work and the need to protect heritage sites and the artifacts despite some reservation about colonialization and the diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.
Below is a list of museums and visitor centers offering fascination insights on the tin legacy in Malaysia.
The newly upgraded Gallery C of the Muzium Negara has an impressive exhibition on the subject. The gallery is also a good start to get acquited with the subject of tin and the different methods used in mining for tin ore. Tin ingots and model of tin dredge are on display too. (The current upgrade work in Galleries A & B of the museum is scheduled to complete in May 2008)
Not to be missed is The Royal Selangor Visitor Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Highly recommended. A dedicated venue to highlight pewtersmithing business that has gone global. What I find most interesting is that the visitor center offers visitors stimulating and engaging exhibits not just the history of the Yong family and the trade. Visitors will leave with a profound appreciation of how tin is used and the pride involved in the making of pewterware. Look out for the giant dredge bucket replicas hanging from the ceiling. The buckets were used to dig tin ore in the ponds and there are some 50 buckets in one floating tin dredge!(model available in the Tin History section). Admission is free.
The Sungai Lembing Museum, Sungai Lembing, Pahang. Recommended. Known once as the El Dorado of Malaya because of its unsurpassed richness, now a dying town with largely an aged population with their grandchildren. One of the few perfect in-situ museums in Malaysia. The diorama of machinery and life in the tunnel can literally transport visitors back to the site itself worth the trip. The museum authority deserves a pat for Admission is free.
Visitor Information
Journey from Kuantan to Sg. lembing is approximately 45 km and takes about 1 hour by car.
The Sg. Lembing Museum is located at the far end of the quaint town. Pass the row of wooden shophouses and the handicraft center next to the main town field. Museumi s located on top of the hill. Lookout for the town's sole surviving Petrol Station and the antique looking fuel pump used for filling up the town's motorized vehicles.
The Jabatan Muzium run museum makes a welcomed weekend stop to get a sense of how tin was mined then. Besides the museum, visitors can access to the mining ground where tin ore was taken out from underground tunnels. The tunnels are located not too far from the museum.
Proceed by taking the small narrow road up the cliffs next to the museum lower entrance. DO NOt go beyond the tunnel opening because there is real risk of the tunnels collapsing. One can still walk inside the tunnels for about 10 meters and experience the claustrophobic environment.
Authorities have blocked any atempts to go beyond that and visitors will come face to face with earth rumbles and fallen wooden beams inside. Watch out too for the Bats!
Another highlight for history bluffs is the wooden ruins of the Smelting plant. A major fire destroyed a substantiate part of the plant and all is left of the structure is burned wooden poles.
Visitors will bel rewarded with sights of cement ponds at different levels supposedly used to filter tin ore (May 2005). Abandoned railway sleepers are still visible near the ruins. In the museum, maps and photos indicating a railway system with its rolling stocks and track was in place in Sg. Lembing.
For a close encounter with the huge tin dredge previously used to dig tin ore, one has to travel north(3 hours from KL) to Tanjung Taulang, Perak. T.T. No. 5, Tin Dredge is one of the two remaining floating tin dredge in Malaysia. The other one is in Dengkil, Selangor but unfortunately is left idle when the Wetland cum museum project fell through. And accessiblity there is a problem.
T.T. No. 5 should offer visitors an unforgetable learning experience and the trip should help history bluffs appreciate better the floating vessel the size of half football field. Guided tour is available and the dregde and museum complex is run by a private venture and there is an admission charge.
Darul Ridzuan Museum, Ipoh. Read that it has an exhibition on mining but no more information available.
RELATED READING
Tin dredge to open to public - The Star Jan 30, 2008
By G. MAHINDER SINGH
AFTER years of relative obscurity, the Perak tin dredge at Tanjung Tualang will open its doors to the public from Feb 1. Run by Osborne & Chappel, the attraction will have packages that include guided tours – a trip to a tin mining museum and movies on how the 4,500 tonne giant works – for both children and adults.
Steven Ng, a company director in charge of development and marketing, said the dredge, T.T. No. 5, has been given a RM100,000 facelift.
Historical: Ng showing the tin dredge that has been given a RM100,000 facelift. There are toilet facilities, a canteen, parking lots, ticket booths, an exhibition room and walkway around the dredge, he said.
“During its tin-mining heyday, there were 40 dredges operating in Chemor, Ipoh, Gopeng, Batu Gajah, Papan, Tronoh and Malim Nawar,” said Ng.
T.T. No 5, one of the last great reminders of the time when the Kinta Valley was the world’s richest tin
producing area, was built in 1938 by W.F. Payne & Sons for Pernas Chartered Management Sdn Bhd.
Once belonging to Southern Malayan Tin Dredging (M) Sdn Bhd, the dredge had scoured for tin ore in the Kinta Valley for 44 years.
Operations stopped in 1983 due to the collapse of the tin mining industry. Since then, it has lain in a man-made pond at Desa Perlombongan, about 10km from Batu Gajah, Perak.
“At one time, the dredge would run on electricity for 24 hours in two shifts with 20 workers per shift,” related Ng.
In 1997, Pernas Chartered Management Sdn Bhd donated the three-storey high dredge to the state, which had spent over half a million ringgit to develop it into an attraction.
Ng said among other things, the company was planning to showcase other methods of tin mining to visitors.
“With the help of the Chinese tin miners associations, non-governmental organisations and Matta Fair, we should be able to get 400,000 visitors by year end,” he added.
The first package (RM5 for adults and RM3 for children less than 60cm tall) will include a movie, visit to the dredge museum and a tour of the dredge from outside.
The second package (RM15 for adults, RM8 for children aged 12 years and above) features tours inside the dredge.
RELATED READING
Bright future awaits Sungai Lembing - NST 2007
The Star - Saturday March 22, 2008
Dredging up the past -BY LIZ PRICE
For a trip down memory lane to Malaysia’s tin-mining past, nothing beats a visit to TT No.5, one of only three dredges left in the country. Walking onto the tin dredge was like stepping back in time. The cavernous interior was strangely silent, but I am sure that when this dredge was in full operation, the noise and vibration would have been almost unbearable. This huge metal monster is a relic of the past, a reminder of the once bustling tin mining industry that thrived in Malaysia.
Tin mining is one of Malaysia’s oldest and most successful industries. In the 1600s, this industry started to thrive in Kedah, Perak and Selangor. Over the centuries, tin was extracted in huge quantities from both open cast and deeper mines. Dredges were commonly used. Today, there are only about three old dredges left in the country, and this one at Chenderoh, near Tanjong Tualang, Perak, has been preserved. In Feb 2008, it was opened to the public for tours.
The dredge looks like a colossal metal monster sitting in a pond, maybe a relative of the dinosaur. It looks too big to possibly move, but these massive dredges once devoured swamp and jungle as they searched hungrily for tin deposits. Steven Ng, 56, the man responsible for renovating this giant, is a director of Osborne & Chappel, the company that gave the dredge, TT No. 5, a RM100,000 face lift. Osborne & Chappel was started by British engineers in Malaya in the 1890s and was at the forefront of the alluvial mining industry in Malaysia.
TT5 was built in 1938 by W.F. Payne and Sons (UK), and modified in 1960.
As we walked onto the dredge, we realised just how big it was. The pontoon is 75m long, 20m wide, and three storeys high. It is essentially a floating factory where buckets on a chain scoop earth deep from the pond. These buckets were then transported up to an area high in the body of the dredge.
Nordin our guide opened a hatch in the wall and revealed the buckets on the ladder, which once took them to the top of the dredge. It looked like something from a bizarre fairground ride.
Each bucket was huge, made of manganese steel and the edges were reinforced to endure the damage done when scooping up the earth containing tin.
There are 115 buckets on the ladder, and each one can hold more than 600 litres. The maximum digging depth of this dredge was 31m. At the front end we could see the buckets where they came out of the water before beginning the long ascent to the top of the dredge. We also clambered up to the upper levels to get an overall picture of how the dredge worked. The dredge was built using steel girders, many of which came from Britain and have the manufacturers’ names stamped on them, such as Shelton, Skinningrove, and Appleby-Frobingham.
The dredge weighs 4,500 tonnes. It was moved by means of a 1.5km long cable, worked from the control area.
If the cable was released on the right side, the dredge moved left. At the top of the dredge, we got a bird’s eye view over the surrounding ponds. I was surprised to see a few birds nesting in the dredge. There are three ponds in the vicinity, and the one TT5 sits on is surrounded by paths and embankments. Fish have been stocked in the neighbouring ponds, which hopefully will encourage more birds in the area.
From the front end of the dredge, we walked along the narrow walkway on the roof and entered the next area where we had a close up view of the buckets all the way to the very top. Further on, we got to look down on the jigs. Leaving the buckets, the excavated material was broken up by jets of high-pressure water as it fell on to the revolving or oscillating screens.
Large stones and rubble were retained by these screens, while the tin bearing material passed to the jigs. These were vibrating trays, where water was forced up from below, pulsing up in a wave, so the heavy tin sank and the lighter hematite floated off. From this primary separating plant, the tin went down to the palong below and into a big container ready for transportation. The waste went out via a disposal chute at the tail end of the dredge and was subsequently dumped on the banks. These tailings were bulky as excavating just one cubic metre of new ground produced 20 cubic metres of waste material, as the new ground was compact, but the waste was separated and full of water.
Nordin informed us that the dredge operated 24 hours a day, with three shifts of about 17 men.
An area near the jigs was designated as the eating area, where the men had their food. A selection of tools is now exhibited here. Back at deck level, we could see the many hoses above our heads, which carried the tin from the jigs to the collecting areas. We continued our tour around the back end of the dredge and had a look at the control area. On the wall here is a list of the major components of the dredge and the date they were installed and last serviced.
We could see that the bucket band was fitted in 1974. Nordin showed us how the buckets were fixed to the band, and we could see the giant hammer used for removing the pins, which held the buckets in place.
There are squat toilets on the dredge at the back end, which open directly to the pond. After our tour of the dredge, we walked around the outside and then went to the small exhibition room.
During the heyday of the tin mining industry, 40 dredges were operated in Perak, with a record of 105 working in 1929 in the whole of the peninsula. This particular dredge stopped work around 1983 after more than 40 years of service.
Ng’s goal is to preserve the dredge. More money is needed to repair the two pumps. He also wants to set up a palong and to turn the area into a living museum, with people dressed in traditional clothes, including women dressed as dualang washers. A video will also be shown on how this giant worked. A visit to this dredge is an ideal way to get some understanding of what was once one of Malaysia’s most important industries.
TT5 is open from 8:30am to 7pm daily, including weekends and public holidays.
A RM10 entrance fee is charged for a walkabout on deck level while the grand tour is priced at RM15 and includes a guided one-hour tour on the upper levels and a video presentation.
TT No. 5
5th Mile Jalan Tanjong Tualang, 31000 Batu Gajah Perak
For more information, call: 05 3702 2216 or 012 517 1260
Calm was disrupted when everyone was caught in a ruthless fight for a bigger share of the tin pie. Throughout the 19th century, Civil Wars erupted in Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Selangor and often complicated by bloody royal tussle. Rival Malay/ Bugis Warlords would be aided by equally ferocious Chinese Clans fighting territorial control over tin rich areas.
Perfect excuse for the opportunistic British to interfere. With their superior guns and arm twisting tactics, the smoke apparently cleared and the mines were a hive of activity again. The British wasted no time and made iron roads into the Malay heartland. In a short span of time, numerous British financed railway lines began to dot the landscape spanning a common East to west direction.
It is was a mayhem in the villages with supertitious folks greeted the arrival of the steam era akin to doomsday. Wild elephants too were scared out of their wits by sights and sounds of fire eating iron work horse chugging with their tin ore loads to nearby sea ports. These East - West routes i.e. Taiping-Port Weld, Kuala Lumpur - Port Klang, Sungai Ujung(Seremban) - Port Dickson - share a familiar trait - Tin
Needless to say Tin resource brought prosperity for the country. History will also show that tin from Malaya saved Great Britain from bankruptcy after World War II. Countless millionaires were made and with their nouveau riches, they showed off by acquiring lavish taste for western amenities. In Perak, car owners have the privilege of having their Morris and Renault with car plates beginning with the letter 'A' . Selangor was next with 'B' and Pahang 'C'. They were the three of the wealthier states in Malaya and their source was primarily tin. Mansions built on hard cash from Tin also mushroomed in Ipoh, Penang and Malacca.
The collapse of tin price in the 80s suddenly halted the rosy outlook and hit hard at all levels of the society. However what's most unfortunate is how quick we were to distance ourselves from the tin legacy. Suddenly the tin industry became an outclass and not worth a mention except briefly on the school textbooks. We became apparently ashamed of our centuries old ties with mother nature's black gift.
Their immediate demise were hastened by a national inertia on what properly constitute Malaysia National Heritage. As a young country, we were confronting depleting treasures from our chequered past yet they were concerns, valid or otherwise by powerful groups who viewed our Colonial eras with dismay. They held a vengeance by collectively imply any symbolic representation or gestures from the last five centuries as a threat to our national identity.
Nothing were spared. Mining equipment were sold for scrap. Miners unemployed for the first time in their life found no support whatsoever. They quickly turned to cooking and manned the many hawkers stalls. Options were few for them and they have families to feed.
In Seri Kembangan/ Balakong, Selangor, the former world's largest open cast tin mine was shut down and is now a man-made lake with The Palace of Golden Horses(5 Star Hotel) and the Mine Shopping Center at its shores.
Other ex-tin mines were condemned too. They are now either popular fishing grounds, haven for migratory birds and worst, completely reclaimed to begin a new life as Taman (residential garden) found commonly in Puchong, Subang and Sunway, notably of the Sunway Lagoon fame in Selangor, and in Perak -Kampar and Gopeng areas to name a few.
If you are keen to revisit the tin legacy in this country then you have an uphill task. There are NO historical sites, NO dedicated museum, NO conservation of the mining equipments that are important to present or showcase tin and its history in this country.
However, I think there is light at the end of the tunnel. Malaysia while it positions itself as a tourism destination has taken a renewal interest in everything old, rustic and even colonial. Colonial subjects were discarded previously because it was considered against unnationalistic interest and unpatriotic.
The authority has finally awakened to the concept that heritage is a valuable asset and can bring in the precious tourism ringgit. This arrangement is far from perfect in conservation sense but it does offer a glimpse of hope to conservation work and the need to protect heritage sites and the artifacts despite some reservation about colonialization and the diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.
Below is a list of museums and visitor centers offering fascination insights on the tin legacy in Malaysia.
The newly upgraded Gallery C of the Muzium Negara has an impressive exhibition on the subject. The gallery is also a good start to get acquited with the subject of tin and the different methods used in mining for tin ore. Tin ingots and model of tin dredge are on display too. (The current upgrade work in Galleries A & B of the museum is scheduled to complete in May 2008)
Not to be missed is The Royal Selangor Visitor Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Highly recommended. A dedicated venue to highlight pewtersmithing business that has gone global. What I find most interesting is that the visitor center offers visitors stimulating and engaging exhibits not just the history of the Yong family and the trade. Visitors will leave with a profound appreciation of how tin is used and the pride involved in the making of pewterware. Look out for the giant dredge bucket replicas hanging from the ceiling. The buckets were used to dig tin ore in the ponds and there are some 50 buckets in one floating tin dredge!(model available in the Tin History section). Admission is free.
The Sungai Lembing Museum, Sungai Lembing, Pahang. Recommended. Known once as the El Dorado of Malaya because of its unsurpassed richness, now a dying town with largely an aged population with their grandchildren. One of the few perfect in-situ museums in Malaysia. The diorama of machinery and life in the tunnel can literally transport visitors back to the site itself worth the trip. The museum authority deserves a pat for Admission is free.
Visitor Information
Journey from Kuantan to Sg. lembing is approximately 45 km and takes about 1 hour by car.
The Sg. Lembing Museum is located at the far end of the quaint town. Pass the row of wooden shophouses and the handicraft center next to the main town field. Museumi s located on top of the hill. Lookout for the town's sole surviving Petrol Station and the antique looking fuel pump used for filling up the town's motorized vehicles.
The Jabatan Muzium run museum makes a welcomed weekend stop to get a sense of how tin was mined then. Besides the museum, visitors can access to the mining ground where tin ore was taken out from underground tunnels. The tunnels are located not too far from the museum.
Proceed by taking the small narrow road up the cliffs next to the museum lower entrance. DO NOt go beyond the tunnel opening because there is real risk of the tunnels collapsing. One can still walk inside the tunnels for about 10 meters and experience the claustrophobic environment.
Authorities have blocked any atempts to go beyond that and visitors will come face to face with earth rumbles and fallen wooden beams inside. Watch out too for the Bats!
Another highlight for history bluffs is the wooden ruins of the Smelting plant. A major fire destroyed a substantiate part of the plant and all is left of the structure is burned wooden poles.
Visitors will bel rewarded with sights of cement ponds at different levels supposedly used to filter tin ore (May 2005). Abandoned railway sleepers are still visible near the ruins. In the museum, maps and photos indicating a railway system with its rolling stocks and track was in place in Sg. Lembing.
For a close encounter with the huge tin dredge previously used to dig tin ore, one has to travel north(3 hours from KL) to Tanjung Taulang, Perak. T.T. No. 5, Tin Dredge is one of the two remaining floating tin dredge in Malaysia. The other one is in Dengkil, Selangor but unfortunately is left idle when the Wetland cum museum project fell through. And accessiblity there is a problem.
T.T. No. 5 should offer visitors an unforgetable learning experience and the trip should help history bluffs appreciate better the floating vessel the size of half football field. Guided tour is available and the dregde and museum complex is run by a private venture and there is an admission charge.
Darul Ridzuan Museum, Ipoh. Read that it has an exhibition on mining but no more information available.
RELATED READING
Tin dredge to open to public - The Star Jan 30, 2008
By G. MAHINDER SINGH
AFTER years of relative obscurity, the Perak tin dredge at Tanjung Tualang will open its doors to the public from Feb 1. Run by Osborne & Chappel, the attraction will have packages that include guided tours – a trip to a tin mining museum and movies on how the 4,500 tonne giant works – for both children and adults.
Steven Ng, a company director in charge of development and marketing, said the dredge, T.T. No. 5, has been given a RM100,000 facelift.
Historical: Ng showing the tin dredge that has been given a RM100,000 facelift. There are toilet facilities, a canteen, parking lots, ticket booths, an exhibition room and walkway around the dredge, he said.
“During its tin-mining heyday, there were 40 dredges operating in Chemor, Ipoh, Gopeng, Batu Gajah, Papan, Tronoh and Malim Nawar,” said Ng.
T.T. No 5, one of the last great reminders of the time when the Kinta Valley was the world’s richest tin
producing area, was built in 1938 by W.F. Payne & Sons for Pernas Chartered Management Sdn Bhd.
Once belonging to Southern Malayan Tin Dredging (M) Sdn Bhd, the dredge had scoured for tin ore in the Kinta Valley for 44 years.
Operations stopped in 1983 due to the collapse of the tin mining industry. Since then, it has lain in a man-made pond at Desa Perlombongan, about 10km from Batu Gajah, Perak.
“At one time, the dredge would run on electricity for 24 hours in two shifts with 20 workers per shift,” related Ng.
In 1997, Pernas Chartered Management Sdn Bhd donated the three-storey high dredge to the state, which had spent over half a million ringgit to develop it into an attraction.
Ng said among other things, the company was planning to showcase other methods of tin mining to visitors.
“With the help of the Chinese tin miners associations, non-governmental organisations and Matta Fair, we should be able to get 400,000 visitors by year end,” he added.
The first package (RM5 for adults and RM3 for children less than 60cm tall) will include a movie, visit to the dredge museum and a tour of the dredge from outside.
The second package (RM15 for adults, RM8 for children aged 12 years and above) features tours inside the dredge.
RELATED READING
Bright future awaits Sungai Lembing - NST 2007
That’s the nickname given to Sungai Lembing, a sleepy hollow which is a 45-minute drive from Kuantan. It earned the name due to the Westerners’ involvement in tin mining activities in the area 100 years ago. The place has a record of sorts for it is home to the largest, longest and deepest underground tin mine in the world.“Sungai Lembing will be sleepy no more,” said Department of Museums and Antiquities (East District) director Mohd Razaimi Hamat, adding that there were plans to revive the tin mine and the old British bungalows under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. He said the plan involved promoting the town’s rich historical tourism product.
The underground tunnels and mining site are currently closed to the public as they are no longer safe to visit. They have been rendered unstable through disuse and occasional floods in the town. “Efforts will be put in place to reconstruct the underground tunnels and mining areas while preserving the main structure to allow tourists a chance to revisit the historical mining site and learn how underground mining worked some 100 years ago.“The rebuilding of the tunnels, mining areas and bungalows will take a few years to complete but this will be carried out in tandem with promotion efforts to attract tourists to visit the existing Sungai Lembing Museum, which is still not widely known,” said Mohd Razaimi.The museum, which is a must-visit place in town, tells the story of how Sungai Lembing was once the richest tin mining area in Pahang around the early 20th century. Locals there prospered when they earned about RM1,000 per month. With that kind of money then, they could afford to purchase British-made home products and furnishings.
Mining activities in the town started with British colonisation when the area was first explored in 1888 under Sultan Pahang Almarhum Sultan Ahman Muazzam Shah 1, who agreed to the proposal by a London-based mining company to mine tin in Sungai Lembing. The company operated in Sungai Lembing from 1905 till 1986 under Pahang Consolidated Company Ltd (PCCL).The tin mine’s underground tunnels, known as pengkang, were dug by hand with the occasional use of explosives. The deepest tunnel at Myah Mines was 700 metres below ground.At that time, the population in Sungai Lembing was 10,000, and they enjoyed basic amenities. The British built a police station, a school, a hospital, shops and residential areas.However, the town suffered several unfortunate incidents such as a fire that ravaged shophouses in 1921, floods in 1926, the Japanese Occupation in 1941-1945 and the communist insurgency in the 1950s. A fatal blow to the prosperity of the town was when tin prices in the world market collapsed in 1985.This caused PCCL to crash, incurring huge losses. Mining activities then ceased and the economic activities in Sungai Lembing came to a halt.
Ever since the closure of the tin mine in 1986, Sungai Lembing has slowly slipped into an almost deserted place with miners moving into agricultural and logging areas elsewhere.However, visitors to Sungai Lembing today will still be able to see some of the town’s old characteristics, such as houses and shophouses still spotting a blend of the Pahang Malay traditional architecture with a Western influence. Houses occupied by tin miners in the old days are still standing, including 40 bungalows meant for British officers.Another interesting structure is the hanging bridge built for use during floods. There are now six hanging bridges in town.Most of the locals today sell coconut biscuits, fruits, wild lychee and tilapia which they fish from Sungai Lembing.According to local folklore, Sungai Lembing was named after the Malay weapon lembing (spear). It is said that a group of hunters hurled a spear at a deer. The deer jumped into a river with the spear still embedded in its body. After a long time, a group of miners arrived at the river and found the spear that killed the deer. The miners then named the place Sungai Lembing.Sungai Lembing Museum is open daily from 9am to 5pm. For enquiries, call 09-5412378.
Related ReadingThe Star - Saturday March 22, 2008
Dredging up the past -BY LIZ PRICE
For a trip down memory lane to Malaysia’s tin-mining past, nothing beats a visit to TT No.5, one of only three dredges left in the country. Walking onto the tin dredge was like stepping back in time. The cavernous interior was strangely silent, but I am sure that when this dredge was in full operation, the noise and vibration would have been almost unbearable. This huge metal monster is a relic of the past, a reminder of the once bustling tin mining industry that thrived in Malaysia.
Tin mining is one of Malaysia’s oldest and most successful industries. In the 1600s, this industry started to thrive in Kedah, Perak and Selangor. Over the centuries, tin was extracted in huge quantities from both open cast and deeper mines. Dredges were commonly used. Today, there are only about three old dredges left in the country, and this one at Chenderoh, near Tanjong Tualang, Perak, has been preserved. In Feb 2008, it was opened to the public for tours.
The dredge looks like a colossal metal monster sitting in a pond, maybe a relative of the dinosaur. It looks too big to possibly move, but these massive dredges once devoured swamp and jungle as they searched hungrily for tin deposits. Steven Ng, 56, the man responsible for renovating this giant, is a director of Osborne & Chappel, the company that gave the dredge, TT No. 5, a RM100,000 face lift. Osborne & Chappel was started by British engineers in Malaya in the 1890s and was at the forefront of the alluvial mining industry in Malaysia.
TT5 was built in 1938 by W.F. Payne and Sons (UK), and modified in 1960.
As we walked onto the dredge, we realised just how big it was. The pontoon is 75m long, 20m wide, and three storeys high. It is essentially a floating factory where buckets on a chain scoop earth deep from the pond. These buckets were then transported up to an area high in the body of the dredge.
Nordin our guide opened a hatch in the wall and revealed the buckets on the ladder, which once took them to the top of the dredge. It looked like something from a bizarre fairground ride.
Each bucket was huge, made of manganese steel and the edges were reinforced to endure the damage done when scooping up the earth containing tin.
There are 115 buckets on the ladder, and each one can hold more than 600 litres. The maximum digging depth of this dredge was 31m. At the front end we could see the buckets where they came out of the water before beginning the long ascent to the top of the dredge. We also clambered up to the upper levels to get an overall picture of how the dredge worked. The dredge was built using steel girders, many of which came from Britain and have the manufacturers’ names stamped on them, such as Shelton, Skinningrove, and Appleby-Frobingham.
The dredge weighs 4,500 tonnes. It was moved by means of a 1.5km long cable, worked from the control area.
If the cable was released on the right side, the dredge moved left. At the top of the dredge, we got a bird’s eye view over the surrounding ponds. I was surprised to see a few birds nesting in the dredge. There are three ponds in the vicinity, and the one TT5 sits on is surrounded by paths and embankments. Fish have been stocked in the neighbouring ponds, which hopefully will encourage more birds in the area.
From the front end of the dredge, we walked along the narrow walkway on the roof and entered the next area where we had a close up view of the buckets all the way to the very top. Further on, we got to look down on the jigs. Leaving the buckets, the excavated material was broken up by jets of high-pressure water as it fell on to the revolving or oscillating screens.
Large stones and rubble were retained by these screens, while the tin bearing material passed to the jigs. These were vibrating trays, where water was forced up from below, pulsing up in a wave, so the heavy tin sank and the lighter hematite floated off. From this primary separating plant, the tin went down to the palong below and into a big container ready for transportation. The waste went out via a disposal chute at the tail end of the dredge and was subsequently dumped on the banks. These tailings were bulky as excavating just one cubic metre of new ground produced 20 cubic metres of waste material, as the new ground was compact, but the waste was separated and full of water.
Nordin informed us that the dredge operated 24 hours a day, with three shifts of about 17 men.
An area near the jigs was designated as the eating area, where the men had their food. A selection of tools is now exhibited here. Back at deck level, we could see the many hoses above our heads, which carried the tin from the jigs to the collecting areas. We continued our tour around the back end of the dredge and had a look at the control area. On the wall here is a list of the major components of the dredge and the date they were installed and last serviced.
We could see that the bucket band was fitted in 1974. Nordin showed us how the buckets were fixed to the band, and we could see the giant hammer used for removing the pins, which held the buckets in place.
There are squat toilets on the dredge at the back end, which open directly to the pond. After our tour of the dredge, we walked around the outside and then went to the small exhibition room.
During the heyday of the tin mining industry, 40 dredges were operated in Perak, with a record of 105 working in 1929 in the whole of the peninsula. This particular dredge stopped work around 1983 after more than 40 years of service.
Ng’s goal is to preserve the dredge. More money is needed to repair the two pumps. He also wants to set up a palong and to turn the area into a living museum, with people dressed in traditional clothes, including women dressed as dualang washers. A video will also be shown on how this giant worked. A visit to this dredge is an ideal way to get some understanding of what was once one of Malaysia’s most important industries.
TT5 is open from 8:30am to 7pm daily, including weekends and public holidays.
A RM10 entrance fee is charged for a walkabout on deck level while the grand tour is priced at RM15 and includes a guided one-hour tour on the upper levels and a video presentation.
TT No. 5
5th Mile Jalan Tanjong Tualang, 31000 Batu Gajah Perak
For more information, call: 05 3702 2216 or 012 517 1260
Friday, April 18, 2008
Stop Wanton Development around St.Paul's Hill
The historical significance of the area around the St Paul’s Hill should not be further diluted by inconsiderate attempts to bring wanton development to the already fragile surroundings. Despite boosting a unique heritage site rich in colonial history, on-goings structure projects i.e. the Taming Sari Revolving Tower in the area would only doom genuine efforts to promote the area’s essence and value.
One can easily observe all around the foothill - from the lonely existence of Santiago Gate to the adjacent colonial buildings and the Stadhuys complex; have all suffered terrible fate brought by myopia and ill-advised planners in the name of boosting tourism.
Perzim operated Museums (Umno Museum, Islamic Museum, Philatelic Museum etc) are erected along this corridor but none exhibits artifacts and information related to the past communities living around this Malacca landmark or its historical significance.
Ill-conceived shopping center projects i.e the Pahlawan Mall (Banda Hilir Field) with similarity to KL’s Merdeka Square opened only inches away from an excavation site housing the only physical remnant of a bastion (The Bastion of Santiago). The bastion, if preserved and proper viewing infrastructure is built, the potential of Malacca enhancing its historical attractions can further be strengthened, attracting both historical enthusiasts and leisure visitors alike and showcasing what a grandeur fortress the “A Fomosa” was then.
Sadly no known attempts were made to halt the intrusion. Needless to say, there are no written signs or plans to indicate, promote and preserve this truly important find.
Hence it comes as no surprise to me that the viewing tower now located in the former Glutton Corner area has opened to public (ironically on Apr 15, 08 - the Declaration of Malacca As Historic City Day). Heritage preservation of the Malacca’s historical richness must be given the highest priority and not make to accommodate the need for more leisure attractions to cater for the endless troops of camera happy tourists.
The colonial legacy of St. Paul needs like-minded Malaysians to voice their concerns and to help it preserved and protected against compromises made to turn Malacca’s most visited site into a theme park with sky high rides or amusement facilities that facilitate no whatsoever role to heighten the heritage value.
One can easily observe all around the foothill - from the lonely existence of Santiago Gate to the adjacent colonial buildings and the Stadhuys complex; have all suffered terrible fate brought by myopia and ill-advised planners in the name of boosting tourism.
Perzim operated Museums (Umno Museum, Islamic Museum, Philatelic Museum etc) are erected along this corridor but none exhibits artifacts and information related to the past communities living around this Malacca landmark or its historical significance.
Ill-conceived shopping center projects i.e the Pahlawan Mall (Banda Hilir Field) with similarity to KL’s Merdeka Square opened only inches away from an excavation site housing the only physical remnant of a bastion (The Bastion of Santiago). The bastion, if preserved and proper viewing infrastructure is built, the potential of Malacca enhancing its historical attractions can further be strengthened, attracting both historical enthusiasts and leisure visitors alike and showcasing what a grandeur fortress the “A Fomosa” was then.
Sadly no known attempts were made to halt the intrusion. Needless to say, there are no written signs or plans to indicate, promote and preserve this truly important find.
Hence it comes as no surprise to me that the viewing tower now located in the former Glutton Corner area has opened to public (ironically on Apr 15, 08 - the Declaration of Malacca As Historic City Day). Heritage preservation of the Malacca’s historical richness must be given the highest priority and not make to accommodate the need for more leisure attractions to cater for the endless troops of camera happy tourists.
The colonial legacy of St. Paul needs like-minded Malaysians to voice their concerns and to help it preserved and protected against compromises made to turn Malacca’s most visited site into a theme park with sky high rides or amusement facilities that facilitate no whatsoever role to heighten the heritage value.
Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery
The Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery in Klang, Selangor has recently opened its doors for public viewing. Visitors to the gallery will find it a treasure trove of unsurpassed historical values and rightful deserves its unique position as the latest repository of Selangor’s proud Sultanate legacy.
The elegant gallery is housed in a refurbished colonial white façade building located a stone throw away from the Klang Railway station. Once a dilapidated building on the verge of collapse, it began a new lease of life when the current reign of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin spearheaded a dedicated effort to turn it into a public domain showcasing the legacy of his beloved father - the late Salahuddin Abdul Aziz. The building is now meticulously preserved and for the magnificent efforts, the Royal Gallery has recently won the coveted FIABCI award for specialized category.
Historical aficionados will be spellbound by the excellent arrays of exhibits featuring the royal regalia and the historical milestones of the Selangor Sultanate. Every corner also opens up to more impressive personal collections and artifacts of the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz and provides impressive insight of a man who reigned as the 8th. Ruler of Selangor.
The exhibits in the gallery are evenly paced and more importantly, they are attractively positioned to allow visitors enough room to contemplate and digest the available information and exhibits. It may well deserve the accolades of being the best in its league and has definitely set new benchmark for must-see museums in Malaysia.
Although the royal heritage center was initially conceptualized as an act of filial piety, it now has a pivotal role to enhance rakyat appreciation for the immense public role that the royalty played in the state. Furthermore, the architectural landmark has become a bonus of sort and it is a welcome addition to uplift the status of Klang as the royal town.
Kudos to Sultan Sharafuddin for his foresightedness and salute the management and the architects of the gallery for a job well done. The only fault it may have are the lack of proper road signage to help visitors locate the gallery and the rather dismay public awareness of this impressive public domain.
Visitor Info:
The elegant gallery is housed in a refurbished colonial white façade building located a stone throw away from the Klang Railway station. Once a dilapidated building on the verge of collapse, it began a new lease of life when the current reign of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin spearheaded a dedicated effort to turn it into a public domain showcasing the legacy of his beloved father - the late Salahuddin Abdul Aziz. The building is now meticulously preserved and for the magnificent efforts, the Royal Gallery has recently won the coveted FIABCI award for specialized category.
Historical aficionados will be spellbound by the excellent arrays of exhibits featuring the royal regalia and the historical milestones of the Selangor Sultanate. Every corner also opens up to more impressive personal collections and artifacts of the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz and provides impressive insight of a man who reigned as the 8th. Ruler of Selangor.
The exhibits in the gallery are evenly paced and more importantly, they are attractively positioned to allow visitors enough room to contemplate and digest the available information and exhibits. It may well deserve the accolades of being the best in its league and has definitely set new benchmark for must-see museums in Malaysia.
Although the royal heritage center was initially conceptualized as an act of filial piety, it now has a pivotal role to enhance rakyat appreciation for the immense public role that the royalty played in the state. Furthermore, the architectural landmark has become a bonus of sort and it is a welcome addition to uplift the status of Klang as the royal town.
Kudos to Sultan Sharafuddin for his foresightedness and salute the management and the architects of the gallery for a job well done. The only fault it may have are the lack of proper road signage to help visitors locate the gallery and the rather dismay public awareness of this impressive public domain.
Visitor Info:
- Admission: Free (April 2008), Advised to allocate 1- 2 hours to visit the gallery.
- The Royal Gallery is closed on Mondays. Opening hours are Tue-Sun- 10am -5pm.
- The royal town Klang is located approximately 1hour from Kuala Lumpur.
- Located nearby is Klang's famous Little India with its fabulous arrays of Indian foods and shops specialized in Indian sweet candies.
- A Florist show now operates from what is probably the only surviving KTM caboose on display. (painted in silver on the side entrance of KTM Klang Station)
RELATED READING
A royal life remembered - Article from NST
ZANNA ES
SELANGOR has a new museum and gallery which provides a fascinating glimpse into the history of the Selangor sultanate and the life and times of the eighth Sultan, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.The Royal Gallery Sultan Abdul Aziz in Klang, opened in November, houses magnificent artifacts, gifts and personal collection of the late Sultan.A brainchild of the late Sultan, and originally funded by him, it was set up in 1988 as the Memorial Museum, in one of the late Sultan’s private palaces in Jalan Kota Raja (Kampung Jawa).
The palace was renovated, with the support of the State Government, and opened to the public in the year 2000, renamed the Royal Gallery Sultan Abdul Aziz, in honour of his birthname. However, a year later, the Sultan passed away and the gallery was temporarily closed.His eldest son, who succeeded him as the ninth sultan, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, took up his father’s wishes to safeguard traditional values and nurture heritage consciousness.
As the museum stood on the sultan’s private land, the Sultan Suleiman building, built in 1909 and named after Raja Suleiman who became Sultan Alaeddin Suleiman Shah was chosen for its historical significance and accessiblity to the public.Conservation and renovation works on the building adjacent to the Klang Post Office, began in 2005 and were completed late last year. “The Sultan took a personal interest in the museum and would often spend about three hours going through the artifacts, ensuring that they were correctly documented,” said Munasor Aliyasak, the museum manager.Exhibits on the ground floor provide background on the sultanate, the royal lineage, and brief histories of Selangor’s nine sultans.The late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj was born on March 8, 1926, at Istana Bandar in Kuala Langat.The late Sultan’s ancestry can be traced back to the Bugis Sulawesi family of Opu Tanreburung Daeng Relaka which featured in the history of the Malay Archipelago.
The eighth Sultan also served as Yang di-Pertuan Agong XI, first Chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia, and Chancellor of the Universiti Teknoloji Mara.Among the historical items of interest at the gallery is a silver cigar case, a gift from Sir Frank Swettenham, the third Resident in Selangor, to the fourth sultan, Sultan Sir Abdul Samad, royal seals used during the reign of Sultan Sir Abdul Samad, and the royal canes of arecanut (pinang) with the royal seal as the hilt.
There is also the Queen Victoria Sword, a gift to Sultan Sir Abdul Samad from the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Frederick Weld, with an inscription that reads “...as a token of friendship of Her Brittanic Majesty’s Government and in recognition of His Highness’s enlightened policy on the question of debt slavery”.As visitors move up to the first floor, they will get an insight into the late Sultan’s early years, with one photograph showing him at the age of four.Visitors will also discover that Sultan Alaeddin Suleiman Shah agreed to the construction of the Mahkota Puri Palace in Klang, completed in 1903, and used as the sultan’s official palace before it was converted as a hostel for school children, and later demolished to make way for a new palace.
A large Hargine music box is an interesting feature: the box was bought at auction in 1928 (for the price of one Straits dollar) by Sultan Sir Hisamuddin Alam Shah at Port Swettenham (now Port Klang).“The late sultan used to tell stories about how he would usually take a nap in front of the music box apparently exhausted after dancing to the rhythm of the melodious music,” said Munasor.Also displayed are some of the late Sultan’s personal belongings including his favourite gold watch bearing the Selangor state crest, and a boxed watch bearing the picture of the late Sultan and the late Tengku Ampuan Rahimah.
Visitors will be dazzled by the beauty of hand-embroidered shoes as well as the several pieces of gold thread embroidered kain sampin and a gold-buckled belt with the alphabet ‘S’ embellished in the centre.The late Sultan also kept a pistol cane which was used for shooting practices while the German-made pistol was often carried for his personal protection. An American-made shotgun acquired in 1970 was used to drive away animals from the palace grounds.
The late Sultan enjoyed taking pictures and it is not unusual to find that he owned a few cameras, which are also displayed here.He often cycled to the rural areas to visit the people, especially to Lumut Island (now known as Pulau Indah) and Pulau Ketam and the bicycles he used are on display, such as the Raleigh New Yorker, an Underwood with leather seat and pouches as well as the La Giunchina.The late Sultan was also a coin collector and his collections include commemorative gold coins, dinars in conjunction with Kuwait’s 25th national day and Russian coins.Of particular significance were food containers in Selangor’s red and yellow with the State crest embossed on the cover. The containers were used for nasi beriani. Another is a colourful flat metal box which could easily be converted into a pencil case for children. “Although they were simple gifts it meant a lot to both the late and the present Sultan as they were donated by the rakyat,” said Munasor.
On display are also gifts from companies which include a set of golf balls (individually signed by the late Sultan) presented by Sime Darby, the classic F & N soft-drink bottle in gold presented during the late Sultan’s visit to the factory, as well as a copy of the paper currency that was used in the Sungei Buloh leprosy centre in 1936, which was presented to the late Sultan during his visit to the centre.A centrepiece of the display is royal regalia such as the Sultan’s crown which superseded the pure gold Mahkota Leleng crown used in the 19th century.
During the reign of Sultan Muhammad (1826-1857), a Muslim theologian, Sheikh Abdul Ghani, counselled the royal court to obtain a substitute for Mahkota Leleng. Diamonds and gem stones from Pontianak, Indonesia, and genuine rubies, set in pure gold from Pahang, adorn the present crown which is worn on royal occasions.Also on display is a replica of the diamond tiara worn by the Tengku Ampuan during functions such as royal banquets and investitures.The Sultan’s keris, Keris Tetali Emas or Keris Emas Pendek, has a blade forged from Lela Pestaka iron, deemed to have exceptional qualities.
The sheath is made of cork and it has a gilded rope that adorns the length of the sheath, which encases the seven-grooved blade. The tip of this sheath is axe-shaped, and the hilt is adorned with gemstones.One of the gifts that the Sultan received while serving as Yang di-Pertuan Agong was a model of the Dome of the Rock, presented by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.A jade cannon with a dragon carved on the top of the barrel was a gift from Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei.Among souvenirs collected by the late Sultan during his travels abroad were silver spoons, samurai head gear as well as beautiful clocks which include the crystal ball clock, mantel clock, swinging clock with brass sculpture as well as the marble clocks.
There is a section of commemorative official plates and plates used at Mahkota Puri Palace as well as a gold-plated tea set.Visitors would certainly be interested in the 6.7-metre-long crocodile captured in the Klang River in 1961 by Mohd Salleh bin Abdul Karim and Ibrahim bin Abdul Karim, three months after Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj ascended the throne.It is said that the crocodile “surrendered” itself to the two mediums as an attestation to the sovereignty of the new Sultan. The crocodile’s skull was presented to the Sultan by V M Hutson, first curator of the National Zoo. Other items of interest are a cathedral-shaped bird cage, a Javanese tiger, as well as gold-plated flamingo, gold- plated deer and a porcelain horse.
The final section houses personal paintings and decorative chairs as well as greeting cards with Chinese characters embossed in solid gold, as well as the lela cannon.The gallery is open from 10am to 5pm daily except Mondays and on public holidays. Call 03-3373-6500 or fax 03-3373-6510.
The Remaining Legacy of A Famosa
The Gateway of Santiago is high on the list of must-see landmarks in the historically-rich state of Malacca (or Melaka). It is featured extensively in “Visit Malaysia” promotions to highlight diversity and conjure the strong historical presence in this rather young country.
Built in mid 15th century, this single structure made of coral stones was part of a larger impregnable fortress that stood against countless invasions from European rivals and local warlords, all spoilt for a violent quest for Malacca’s strategic importance.
Despite its historical significance the site has evolved somewhat less graciously into a convenient photography opportunity for the busloads of tourists. Many, unfortunately, are too caught up in frenzy photo snap shots and history is the farthest from their minds.
The Gateway or Porto De Santiago as it was coined originally is often mistaken for the grandeur A Famosa by tourism booklets and even history bluffs. Santiago and the ruins of St. Paul’s Chapel are the only remnants of a Portuguese fortress that once surrounded the hilly stronghold that loomed over Malacca river mouth.
Fate has never been kind to A Famosa and it suffered one cruel twist after another. The fortress served magnificently over a span of three centuries and endured large scale attacks from the Johorean, Bugis and Achenese armies before it fell into the hands of the Dutch in 1641.
The Strait of Malacca was constantly in turmoil with several masters clamoring for its reign but only for periodically. New ports and trade centers took shape elsewhere and soon contributed to the end of Malacca as a seafaring state. The rapidly silting of Malacca River the main artery where monsoon traders and sailors sought refuge also aggravated its dismissal.
By the late 18th century, Malacca and A Famosa lost most of its allure and was a distant memoir for many enthusiastic land grabbers. The cannons soon fell silent. The defensive walls crumbled due to neglect and Malacca faced real danger of having its struggling settlement forcedly evacuated.
Inquisitive visitors today are still rewarded with delightful architectural features similar to ones found in medieval Europe. Perched on the top right of the gateway is a guard post with gun holes. The zigzag cobble laid entrance reveals another deterrent gimmick to prevent would be invaders. The insignia craved above it tells the tale of Protestant Dutch proclaiming itself the new owner of what was essentially a Catholic Portuguese masterpiece.
Nearby, menacing cannons from an era long gone-by guard the gateway. A closer look reveals they are merely crafty duplicates made in time for Queen Elizabeth II formal visit to Malacca not too long ago. Visitors may have no qualms of the authenticity but with a clever imagination the cries of the fiery years where countless lives were lost defending the fortress still resonates.
Ironically the legacy of A Famosa is given a jump-start lately. Two previously buried bastions facing what was the coastal line of Malacca were uncovered when construction crew of state sponsored development projects stumbled upon the foundations. While excavation is painfully slow, the intriguing details of the magnitude of this ancient military complex have generated astonishing interest.
Built in mid 15th century, this single structure made of coral stones was part of a larger impregnable fortress that stood against countless invasions from European rivals and local warlords, all spoilt for a violent quest for Malacca’s strategic importance.
Despite its historical significance the site has evolved somewhat less graciously into a convenient photography opportunity for the busloads of tourists. Many, unfortunately, are too caught up in frenzy photo snap shots and history is the farthest from their minds.
The Gateway or Porto De Santiago as it was coined originally is often mistaken for the grandeur A Famosa by tourism booklets and even history bluffs. Santiago and the ruins of St. Paul’s Chapel are the only remnants of a Portuguese fortress that once surrounded the hilly stronghold that loomed over Malacca river mouth.
Fate has never been kind to A Famosa and it suffered one cruel twist after another. The fortress served magnificently over a span of three centuries and endured large scale attacks from the Johorean, Bugis and Achenese armies before it fell into the hands of the Dutch in 1641.
The Strait of Malacca was constantly in turmoil with several masters clamoring for its reign but only for periodically. New ports and trade centers took shape elsewhere and soon contributed to the end of Malacca as a seafaring state. The rapidly silting of Malacca River the main artery where monsoon traders and sailors sought refuge also aggravated its dismissal.
By the late 18th century, Malacca and A Famosa lost most of its allure and was a distant memoir for many enthusiastic land grabbers. The cannons soon fell silent. The defensive walls crumbled due to neglect and Malacca faced real danger of having its struggling settlement forcedly evacuated.
Inquisitive visitors today are still rewarded with delightful architectural features similar to ones found in medieval Europe. Perched on the top right of the gateway is a guard post with gun holes. The zigzag cobble laid entrance reveals another deterrent gimmick to prevent would be invaders. The insignia craved above it tells the tale of Protestant Dutch proclaiming itself the new owner of what was essentially a Catholic Portuguese masterpiece.
Nearby, menacing cannons from an era long gone-by guard the gateway. A closer look reveals they are merely crafty duplicates made in time for Queen Elizabeth II formal visit to Malacca not too long ago. Visitors may have no qualms of the authenticity but with a clever imagination the cries of the fiery years where countless lives were lost defending the fortress still resonates.
Ironically the legacy of A Famosa is given a jump-start lately. Two previously buried bastions facing what was the coastal line of Malacca were uncovered when construction crew of state sponsored development projects stumbled upon the foundations. While excavation is painfully slow, the intriguing details of the magnitude of this ancient military complex have generated astonishing interest.
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