PICTORIAL EXHIBITION ON TUNKU

24th. September 2008

There will be an important photograph exhibition on Malaysia's founding father - Tunku Abdul Rahman in October 2008. Restored photos unseen will be exhibited for all Malaysians to view for free. As Malaysians, these photos are part of our Malaysian Heritage.

24th. September 2008 “TERIMA KASIH TUNKU!” PICTORIAL EXHIBITION OF TUNKU

From MALACCA HIGH & MAHSOPA PHOTOS

Come October 2008, be sure to view a fascinating exhibition on Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, Al Marhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj at Gallery 2, Department of Museums Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.

YB Datuk Seri Hj. Mohd Shafie bin Hj Apdal, Minister of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage will officiate the opening on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 at 4.00pm.

This exhibition is organized by the Department of Museums Malaysia in collaboration with Canvas Art Sdn Bhd. On display are 222 pictures of the Tunku, including many from private collections. These rare pictures cover the period when he was a young schoolboy to a retired but active former Prime Minister.

A team of experts in Canvas Art painstakingly restored all the images. They took more than eight years to source the old photographs from private individuals and government institutions. Some have never been viewed in public before. The images have been carefully restored and reproduced on artist canvas or fine art paper of international archive standard and quality, with captions in Bahasa Malaysia and English.

The Tunku was like a father to all Malaysians. He knew our hearts and minds. Although his struggle to gain independence was not without sacrifice, he was able to free his beloved country from the yoke of colonialism without shedding a single drop of blood. This is the freedom we now cherish.

This pictorial presentation offers a glimpse of the Tunku’s long and historic journey along the path to Merdeka and beyond. It is important for the younger generation to appreciate the nation’s struggle for independence and the critical role played by great leaders who strived tirelessly to unite our multiracial society. It is only through harmony among the races that we can form a truly united and prosperous Malaysian nation.

In 1957, the Tunku said “Our great aim must be to make Malaya a haven of peace, harmony and happiness. We must strive for this with all our strength. We must be brave, we must be fair and we must be just, so that, come what may, we shall be ready as a united Malayan people to meet it.”

“ It is my daily prayer that all the different races in the country will continue to live together in friendship … Independence could never have been achieved without the unity of the various races” he said on his 80th birthday in 1983.

We hope Malaysians everywhere will have the opportunity to view this exclusive collection of photographs of the Tunku and his priceless legacy. Robert Lim Fung Wang Managing Director Canvas Art Sdn Bhd

NOTE - Reception is from 4pm to 6pm at Gallery 2 of the Department of Museums Malaysia, 7th October 2008. - Invitation list includes family and friends of Tunku, retired Ambassadors, Ambassadors of SEA countries and the United Kingdom.

PERANAKAN CULTURE IN MELAKA

5th. September 2008

Do you know that the Peranakan ( Baba and Nyonya ) heritage and culture began in Melaka?

The culture of the Peranakans is a community which began when Chinese traders in the 17th century moved to Malacca. They settled down in Malacca and adopted local customs and traditions.

The community of Peranakans subsequently moved on to Penang in the late 18th century and to Singapore in the early 1900s. Though Melaka has a vibrant Peranakan heritage and has a private museum to highlight the Peranakan heritage, Singapore has opened two impressive museums that feature the Peranakan heritage.

In April, the Asian Civilisations Museum steered the opening of the $12-million Peranakan Museum in Armenian Street and today, the National University of Singapore opens its $4-million Baba House in Neil Road. Both the museum and the house are stocked with artefacts, both tell the story of the Peranakans.

It is about time that the Baba and Nyonyas of Melaka pool their resources to preserve the uniqueness of the Peranakan culture.

It has been reported that the Melaka Peranakans will be hosting the "21st. Baba Convention" from 5th. to 7th. December 2008.

Peranakans from all over the world will converge into Melaka for this convention. It is expected Peranakans from Penang, Singapore, Phuket and overseas will meet up in Melaka for this historic event.

May we wish the organisers well for organising this event and wish them all the success in hosting this convention. As Melaka is now a World Heritage City, we need to preserve our unique cultures such as Malay, Chinese, Indian, Peranakan, Chitty, Portuguese and Dutch alive for generations to come.

Kamsiah.

NO BUS SERVICE FROM MELAKA TO KLIA

5th. September 2008

A traveller from Penang wrote to the newspapers complaining that there are no direct bus services from Melaka to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. We wonder why. There are buses travelling from Melaka Sentral to Kuala Lumpur but not one makes a detour to KLIA/LCCT at Sepang. This problem can be easily solved by having some bus services to call on KLIA/LCCT while enroute to Kuala Lumpur.

Also, some bus services while travelling from KL to Melaka can call on KLIA/LCCT as well.

We want to make Melaka, now a World Heritage City to be accessible to all visitors - locals and foreign travellers. A direct bus link will be good for the industry. We hope some bus companies will see this as a business opportunity not to be missed.

Below is the letter written to some national newspapers.

"While there are frequent services to Kuala Lumpur, other Klang Valley locations and Seremban, it appears to be quite inconvenient, especially for first-time visitors to Malaysia, to have to haul their entire luggage from bus to bus in order to reach Malacca.

This is exacerbated by the decentralisation of interstate bus services, most notably in Kuala Lumpur.

Further problems arise when one has to catch a flight from Malacca: having to change buses means that around twice the time of a direct journey, if not more, needs to be allocated in order not to miss one’s plane.

Interestingly, there are direct, albeit less frequent, bus services to Ipoh – a good 100km further away from KLIA compared to Malacca!

It would seem that only those who can afford a taxi or better can enjoy a direct ride to Malacca from the airport.

Given the promotion of Malacca as a premier tourist destination, it reflects poorly on this country that not enough seems to be done to facilitate the journey of both locals and foreigners to the recently-listed Unesco World Heritage Site.

The constant flow of tourists, not to mention locals, second-home owners and university students, should provide enough demand for a reasonably frequent direct bus service from Melaka Sentral to either KLIA, LCCT or both."

NEOH JOON KEE,
Penang.