‘Memorial cross not moved’

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UNMOVED: The marble cross statue, despite facing the new building which will house a surau and a banquet hall, will remain at its original position. The retaining wall was moved two feet from the original plan to accommodate the statue.

BARRICADE: Boundaries of the cross and burial ground have been sealed to prevent trespassing which could lead to the graves or statue being damaged.

HISTORICAL: The white marble cross was erected by the second Rajah in memory of his three children who died at sea.

KUCHING: The white marble cross erected by Rajah Charles Brooke in memory of his three children who died at sea in October 1873 has not been moved nor tampered with, contrary to a recent online report.

Redha Services Sdn Bhd, the developer currently undertaking the construction of an administrative building and surau within the compound of the Astana, disclosed that they had received strict orders from the Astana and Public Works Department not to disturb the memorial cross and the graves of notable Brunei Pengirans who were laid to rest at the site.

The site of the burial ground where the cross stood was the home of Pengiran Mahkota, the governor appointed by the Sultan of Brunei long before the arrival of Rajah James Brooke in Sarawak.

“We never moved the cross (marble statue) nor disturbed any of the graves at this site which is adjacent to the construction area. The cross is still standing where it is when we first started our project. None of our workers even dare to touch the statue nor the graves.

“In fact, we had to make adjustments to the surau’s original planning. A retaining wall to be built near the surau had to be moved away from the cross by two feet,” a Redha Services representative told The Borneo Post when met at the construction site yesterday.

The 29-year-old engineer opined that the source of the online news report might have mistaken the location of the cross because of the soil relocation which took place at the site since the project commenced in July this year. The project, which also involves the building of an administrative building, guard house and walkways in the surrounding area, is expected to be completed in August next year.

An online news portal reported on Tuesday what was perceived as a shocking disrespect towards one of Sarawak’s most treasured historical figures that had come to light, with an image of a Rajah Brooke memorial cross supposedly plucked from its original position outside the Astana and “dumped in a junk heap”.

“We have a small space to begin with, considering the size of the project. We had to place some of our construction materials close to the cross and graves. However, we barricade the area to avoid the statue or the graves from being damaged or tampered with,” he explained.

The white marble cross had stood in front of the Sarawak governor’s administrative building as a memorial to three Brooke children; namely Chita, Harry and Clayton who died at sea in the ‘Hydaspes’. Erected by Charles and Margaret Brooke, it provided a poignant Christian symbol, with a phrase “suffer little children to come unto me” wrapped around its stem.

The company’s representative quipped that the strict orders to ensure the state’s historical heritage is not moved despite facing the building which will house a surau at the its first floor has provided further proof of the strong religious tolerance of the multiracial society in the state.