FCAS says eager to set up Chinese Museum
Published on: Thursday, January 04, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) President Tan Sri TC Goh said the association is willing to undertake the setting up of the Chinese Heritage Museum in the State."We believe it will not only benefit the Chinese community in the State but also the entire State, as besides restoring and preserving Sabah history, the Chinese culture and traditions, a Chinese Heritage Museum has great potential to become yet another major tourism attraction for Sabah," he said in a statement, Wednesday. "This will essentially create more job opportunities for the people of Sabah across the board, besides boosting the State's revenue.ADVERTISEMENT "In addition, it will also lead to further enhancement of the existing long-established Sino-Malaysian relations through historical and cultural exchange programmes between Sabah and China, subsequently."Goh said this while welcoming the call by Kapayan Assemblyman Dr Edwin Bosi urging the Government to turn the burned-down old building next to Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) here, where the historical transfer of the colony from the North Borneo Chartered Company to the Crown took place in 1946, into a Chinese Heritage Museum.In a statement on Monday, Bosi said a museum for the Sabah Chinese community will go a long way to recognise them for their contributions to the development and wellbeing of the State.He was also confident that the museum will be a big hit among Malaysians, especially Sabahans and the thousands of visitors from all over the world, especially from China and Taiwan.ADVERTISEMENT Goh believed Sabah has plenty of interesting and colourful historical tales on the diaspora of Chinese immigrants, who are later known as the overseas Chinese that are still waiting to be told or need to be better presented to the world. Citing the heroic tale of Albert Kwok, a leader of the "Kinabalu Guerrillas" and the initiator of the so-called "Double Tenth Revolt", he said it should be better told to the world in honour of his sacrifice against the Japanese invasion and occupation of Sabah (North Borneo at that time) during the Second World War.
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"Historical record had it that with the assistance of an estimate of 300 guerrilla fighters, Kwok launched an attack on the Japanese troops on the eve of Oct 10, 1943, which resulted in more than 60 Japanese troops was killed."However, Kwok along with several of the movement leaders were forced to surrender themselves to the Japanese when the latter threatened to execute 400 civilians in Shantung Valley, near here, if the group did not surrender. "Kwok together with four other leaders – Charles Peter, Tsen Tsau Kong, Kong Tze Phui, Li Tet Phui – were later executed by the Japanese army."The Petagas War Memorial in Putatan was then built as a memorial for Kwok along with other innocent victims of Japanese executions."We also hope that one day Kwok's martyrdom can be made into a box office action movie like that of the 'Wolf Warriors' series, which we believe would help generate substantial publicity for Sabah, its tourism industry in particular," Goh suggested.He also thanked Bosi who is also a native rights advocate cum Parti Anak Negeri (PAN) Penampang Chief, for recognising the contributions of the Chinese in the development of Sabah, even long before the formation of Malaysia. According to Prof Dr Danny Wong Tze Ken, director of UM's Institute of China Studies, historical records showed that Chinese began to arrive in Sabah as early as 1846, after the establishment of British rule on Labuan.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Goh also concurred with Bosi's view that the establishment of such a museum may facilitate the Sino-native in Sabah in tracing their ancestry in China or Taiwan.Bosi noted that there were arguments over the root of the Kadazans, Dusuns and Muruts whether they are from China or Taiwan because of some close resemblance in the culture especially in the costume.