(Front, from right) Dr Hazland and Abdul Karim accompany Nancy during a tour inside the new Arkib Negara Sarawak building. — Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (Nov 15): The archival institution must be protected in view of its role as the custodian of the nation’s documented heritage, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said should such institution collapse, all the archived materials consisting of evidence and memories of any human civilisation would be lost.
“When we look at history, there were some archival institutions that were destroyed such as those in Liberia, Rwanda and Iraq during the 1990s and the 2000s.
“The current Russo-Ukraine War has not only destroyed archived materials, but also books, monuments and historical artefacts.
“Natural disasters that often occur in our country can also give a direct impact, contributing to the destruction of records.
“Hence, any loss of archived materials must be taken seriously as it could affect the sustainability of our national treasures for the future generations,” he said at the opening ceremony for the National Archives of Malaysia (Arkib Negara) Sarawak branch’s new building at Jalan Diplomatik in Petra Jaya here yesterday.
The Premier’s text-of-speech was read by Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Adding on, Abang Johari also called upon all state and federal public offices in Sarawak to keep all valuable records.
In this regard, he said all state public records should be handed over to Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, while those related to the federal government should be given to the Sarawak branch of Arkib Negara.
Moreover, he also said all efforts to detect, identify and acquire archived materials, including those outside the country must be increased to close the information gap in the country’s history and heritage.
Meanwhile, in a statement released by Arkib Negara, the construction of the five-storey building here commenced on Dec 22, 2017, and reached completion on April 1 this year.
It is informed that the building in Sarawak is Arkib Negara’s fifth in Malaysia.
“The Arkib Negara Sarawak currently houses 246,026 archive materials.
“Among the interesting and earliest collections in its possession are the records of the Sarawak Regional Broadcasting Department in 1923, the records of the Royal Malaysian Customs and Excise Department of the State of Sarawak in 1924, the earliest Sarawak Gazzette of 1939, the newspaper ‘The Vanguard 1970’, documents on the Establishment of Malaysia 1963, and a collection of records from the Rajang Area Security Command (Rascom),” said Arkib Negara director-general Dato Jaafar Sidek Abdul Rahman.
Among those present at the event yesterday were caretaker minister of tourism, arts and culture Dato Sri Nancy Shukri, and Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Sarawak Dr Hazland Abang Hipni.