THE conservation and preservation works on the Sarawak Museum (Old Building) would reach completion in February 2021, said Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He told the august House yesterday that the exhibition content development workshop for the Sarawak Museum (Old Building) and the Natural History Museum, which took place last month, had gathered feedback from the participants including those from government agencies, non-governmental organisations, stakeholders, former Sarawak Museum directors and officers.
It was decided that the exhibition content would cover the history of the Sarawak Museum and its early collection, he said in his winding-up speech in DUN.
“Following this, the layout and content of the exhibition for these two buildings will be proposed,” he said.
The Sarawak Museum Complex, of which the construction works reached completion in August this year, would open its doors to the public in December next year, said the minister.
The next stage, according to him, would involve the fabrication and installation of over 6,000 square metres of exhibition space in the Borneo Cultures Museum.
“The Sarawak Museum Complex will be a repository centre, showcasing Sarawak’s rich cultural and historical heritage through its exhibitions,” he added.
Moreover, Abdul Karim said the new Sarawak Heritage Ordinance 2019 would allow a comprehensive protection and preservation of Sarawak’s heritage.
The Bill, he pointed out, would also enable the Sarawak Museum Department to exercise its roles and responsibilities in safeguarding Sarawak’s heritage assets more efficiently.
“Also included in the new Bill are the protection and preservation of underwater heritage. With the establishment of the Sarawak Heritage Council, it will definitely assist the government in matters of policies, strategies or plans of action to be taken relating to administration and management of heritage in Sarawak,” he said.