State Museum must address issues: Masidi

Kota Kinabalu: The State Museum is facing several issues that need to be addressed immediately if it wants to stay relevant and useful to the society it serves.Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said while Sabah Museum has a solid history of establishment and collaboration and fulfilled its role, infrastructure, staffing and expertise and the conservation and preservation of Sabah's historical, cultural and natural heritage continue to be present challenges.

"Infrastructure is an immediate problem. The buildings in this complex that were constructed in 1984 are now cracking and leaking after 31 years of wear-and-tear and the collections have outgrown the Museum's repository.

"My ministry is committed to the proper renovation of the buildings in the complex, and the construction of a new, larger repository," he said.

Masidi said this during the launching of the three-day seminar and workshop entitled The Museum and Sabah Heritage – Past, Present and Future, here Wednesday. His speech was read by Assistant Minister Datuk Kamarlin Ombi. The problem of staffing and expertise is also a pressing issue, said Masidi, with many of the experts in historical, archaeological, cultural and natural heritage of Sabah having retired.

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Some of these include big names in the fields such as former Museum Director Patricia Regis who established the Heritage Village, ceramics expert Michael Chong, archaeologist Peter Koon and conservationist Tony Chong.

"Are there new younger experts ready to step into their shoes? I am sorry to say, there are only a few, and this may affect the future functions of the Museum," he said.

In this respect, Masidi said, he is happy that Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) had been sending its undergraduates to do practical training at the Museum and that some UMS researches are being done in collaboration with the Museum, partially filling the gaps in expertise.

He encouraged UMS academicians and researches to publish some of their research in the Sabah Museum Journal and the Sabah Museum Monograph and the Language Series, to present their research findings on Sabah to the world.

"Perhaps UMS could also consider establishing post-graduate degrees in the fields of Museum Studies and also Museum Conservation, engaging former Museum curators and directors with the relevant training and experience as consultants to assist them in the task," he said.

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Masidi said the conservation and preservation of Sabah's historical, cultural and natural heritage is becoming increasingly difficult as external factors, including regional security threats, international treasure hunters and natural disasters threaten Sabah's heritage.

"The recent earthquakes on Mount Kinabalu, which we once thought was indomitable, have shown us the true fragility of our natural heritage. "The subsequent destruction of the natural environment has adversely affected the lives and cultures of the villagers that have lived along its flanks and rivers for millennia," he said.

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