| Hakim Hayat |
MORE collective efforts are needed to identify and retrieve the vast numbers of ancient Malay manuscripts that depict the early civilisation, history and influence of Borneo dating back to many centuries ago, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports said yesterday.
These manuscripts, most of them are currently kept overseas, remain untapped and unexplored by experts, and it is essential to recover them to understand better Borneo’s history and help preserve the deep-rooted heritage of the different communities that thrive in Borneo today, Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohammad Yussof added.
The minister made this call in his speech as guest of honour while opening the inaugural Borneo Manuscript Research Seminar 2017 and also the Archipelago Civilisation Ancient Book and Manuscript Exhibition hosted by the Brunei History Centre in the capital.
Despite being well-known for its natural environment which is rich in bio-diversity, diverse cultures and attractive eco-tourism destinations, key aspects of Borneo’s history and civilization development are often overlooked, the minister noted.
“Borneo’s history is both directly and indirectly linked to Brunei. The Sultanate had a big role in the history of politics in Borneo. Apart from this, states and territories in Borneo that included Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan from 13th to 19th centuries had close political, socio-economic, linguistic and cultural ties that were centred in Brunei,” he added.
He stressed on the importance of studies on Borneo’s history, not just for the expansion of historical knowledge but also because of its contributions in preserving the historical and heritage treasures of the Borneo community, especially the Malay Language manuscripts that are still stored but not studied.
The minister extolled Malay manuscripts that are mostly handwritten in Jawi scripts in the Malay Language between the 16th and 19th centuries as the most valuable and important artefacts representing the heritage of a great civilisation that thrived here.
“Many of these manuscripts that depict the history of states and territories in Borneo are kept overseas including in European countries, including in the British Library, London and University of Leiden, Holland as well as public libraries, archives and higher education institutions in Europe, which forces researchers and experts in Malay civilisation to travel far to conduct their research.
“The high cost of travelling is one of the main impediments for these researchers to continue their work. Therefore, more aggressive efforts are needed to identify and trace the Malay Language manuscripts stored all over the world and assemble them together in the country,” the minister said.
He noted that states and territories in Borneo are actively studying, archiving and working towards preserving and assembling old Malay manuscripts to enable researchers and academics to conduct their research in philosophy, history, religion, medicine, literature and arts as well as on the identity of the Malay race back then.
“I believe some have already been studied and evaluated but maybe there are still more that has not yet been explored,” the minister noted, hoping that the seminar launched yesterday will aid in the work.
The two-day seminar, themed ‘Melestari Warisan Bangsa’ or Conserving National Heritage has gathered dozens of academics and researchers from inside and outside the region and is a follow-up event to the Borneo History Seminar that was hosted by the Brunei History Centre back in 2013.
It is a key project by the Brunei History Centre to make the Borneo Research Centre (PenBorneo) as a hub of research on Borneo history.
Through the seminar, it is hoped that invited speakers and attendees can share and learn from each other’s experiences and use it as a point of reference to pave way for further research. It is also envisioned to encourage history reviewers, researchers, academics and enthusiasts to do more research and instil awareness on the importance and the role of Borneo’s history in regional development.
The minister said the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports welcomes the Brunei History Centre’s initiative in hosting the seminar and exhibition which is hoped to prevent the treasured history and heritage from fading away.
“I hope this seminar will generate practical ideas that will help further boost efforts to preserve these treasured documents from diminishing with the tide of time, and what’s more important is the planning for its exposure to today’s generation, especially the youth, for them to carry on the nation’s glory,” he added.
The minister also called on those who are in possession of ancient manuscripts to come forward and make them available for public viewing.
“They will have a high value only if they can benefit the public at large.”
Meanwhile, the Archipelago Civilisation Ancient Book and Manuscript Exhibition, which was also launched yesterday, is hoped to give the public an opportunity to take a closer look at the treasured collections and use them as research material.
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