We need many more museums in Sabah

Kudos to the Sabah Muzeum for launching the Keningau for having launched the new museum building in Keningau to exhibit Keningau history and culture. In fact it has been long overdue, knowing that the Keningau district is replete with important history and cultural heritage. It would have been right for such a museum to have been established there since the beginning of independence but as I know it the museum has always been considered a low priority, and never given substantial allocation for the state budget to do all its necessary work, especially in the area of documentary and archaeological research. There had not been enough emphasis on documentation and research in Sabah and this should be addressed immediately, especially by the political leaders.

 

The people of Keningau should be proud and happy with this new development because now they have another thing to be proud of, a place where visitors can view various aspects of the district’s history and culture. The district is wellknown for having had the famous Gunsanad brothers, the iconic Rumah Besar and of course the innumerable Gunsanad  descendants who now play important roles in leadership, professions and businesses. It is also famous for the erecting of the Oath Stone after independence, and as a district populated by, among others, Kwijau and Gana people. It has a wealth of cultural heritage which will make the museum a veritable attraction in the future.

 

I would hope that the new museum would emphasize on the uniqueness of Keningau, with the building design and its exhibits showing a difference that marks the significance of the district. From here we can realize that many other districts need to have their own museums because there should be no limit on the number of museums we should have. Museums are necessities, not luxuries or privileges. Note that in Melaka alone there are more than 30 museums, and Penang has 22 including art galleries. And just imagine Kota Kinabalu has only three – well four, if we are to include the Science and Technology Centre inside the State Museum! One website has to be apologetic and says “Kota Kinabalu is not awashed with museums…”! Kuala Lumpur has at least 12 major museums and galleries but the total number has been described as “innumerable.” From this we can see that Sabah, despite being the most culturally-diverse state in Malaysia, has been deprived of the numerous museums it should have had by now. Our leaders, especially Datuk Masidi Manjun, need to bring this up in meetings if we are serious about tourism and arts promotion in the state.

 

ART LOVER