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Words uttered to order our favourite dish reflects Malaysia’s heritage of various origins – and such a diversity should be embraced by all and celebrated beyond the upcoming National Unity Week, experts say.
FROM the colonial buildings in Malacca and George Town, Penang, to the vibrant patterns of batik textiles to the myriad food, Malaysia is a country full of heritage and culture, drawing from its varied history and people.
However, recent discourse about the New Villages and bak kut teh has sparked debates about what should be considered Malaysian heritage.
Experts say there are many ways to define what is considered heritage but most importantly, we should embrace the diversity of the country’s peoples and their unique history as a source of national heritage, rather than picking and choosing from a narrow perspective.
USCI University Islamic architecture expert Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi says he disagrees with the view that only things shared by everyone in the country should be seen as national heritage as he says Malaysia has a unique position of being made up of various ethnic groups.
“When we formed Malaysia in 1963, all the ethnic groups, including in Sabah, Sarawak and the Tanah Melayu, all of them, in a sense, automatically became our national heritage.
“Some people say, no, it cannot be, we should have something common to all (as heritage). Why should we have something common to all?
“It is the nature of heritage to be different. That’s why you have the different races and so on.
“All ethnic heritage is our national heritage,” Tajuddin says.
Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin questions how to classify the archaeological remains in Lembah Bujang, believed to be over 2,500 years old, if heritage is only viewed through a narrow lens.
Never deny your past
Even things with colonial origins should be accepted as national heritage as they are all part of the country’s past, says International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) Malaysia president Tiong Kian Boon.
He believes there is no need to try to whitewash or deny colonial history.
“There is no need to reconcile (with colonial history). Just accept it as fact.
“Never deny your past because whether you like it or not, your past is your past. Instead of trying to blame people for your past, accept it.
“There is no need to seek forgiveness. Just talk about it and don’t go down that path again,” he says.
Just accept colonial history as part of our heritage as there is no need to deny our past, says Tiong. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star
Meanwhile, Tajuddin says the narrative that only Malay culture should be recognised as national heritage is also something that we as a country need to change.
First of all, he says, the current narrative of Malay heritage has become too narrow because the country has linked Malayness with only Islam.
“That has negated the inheritance of the past Malays, who were once Buddhists or Hindus or believed in animism, and that’s why you have groups of Malays only wanting to protect one heritage.
“They have mixed up culture with Islam,” he says.
Even what we usually consider to be Malay architecture is debatable, he adds.
“What is the architectural heritage of the Malays? Everyone says that it is the wooden kampung houses, except for me.
“Let me ask you, if that is the case, what do we do with the 2,500-year old Lembah Bujang architectural remains?
Whose heritage is that? Is it Malay or Indian heritage?”
Evolving heritage
Tiong also agrees that heritage is something that is constantly evolving.
“There is no one shoe that fits all. Just look at food for example.
“When I was growing up, no Malay would think of eating chicken rice. Now it’s also a Malay thing,” he says.
He also believes that the definition of national heritage should be more inclusive, rather than focusing on the heritage of any one race.
“It is very insulting to the people of Sarawak and Sabah when you do that, not to mention the Chinese and Indians,” he says.
Orang Asli activist Amani William-Hunt Abdullah, also known as Bah Tony, reminds that Malaysia is a multicultural, multiracial country, and as such, our heritage should reflect this reality.
“Malaysian heritage should include other races including Orang Asli,” he says.
Just like every other ethnic group in Malaysia, Amani says the fact that the Orang Asli has contributed to nation-building should be recognised.
“The Orang Asli have their own culture, own belief traditions, traditional dances and particular history.
“We have also contributed towards Malaysian nation-building. This fact should not be sidelined but included.
“We should recognise the position of the Orang Asli and declare the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on Aug 9 as a public holiday,” he says.
Heritage and development
One of the most important heritage to the Orang Asli people is the forest, says Amani, so more work should be done to preserve the forest.
“They are so connected to the forest, it has to be preserved, it is something that should not be seen as a source of income,” he says.
Unity in diversity: Orang Asli’s contributions to nation-building should also be acknowledged as part of the country’s heritage, says Amani. — Ronnie Bahari
Malaysia currently has two natural world heritage sites listed under Unesco that are the Gunung Mulu National Park and the Kinabalu Park.
Heritage sites often have very strict regulations surrounding development in the area.
While heritage is often seen as antithetical to development, Tiong says heritage should be seen as a resource instead.
“Heritage pushes a different discussion of development and opens up the conversation to better development design,” says Tiong, an architect by profession.
After all, he says, the most basic building blocks of cultural heritage are the people.
“Then the expression of that heritage, whether it is the townhouse, the statue in the middle of the road, you should look at them as resources,” he says.
A prime example was the redevelopment of the Battersea Power Station in the United Kingdom, he says.
The redevelopment project took into consideration the famed turbine halls and chimneys of the building and converted the power station into a mixed retail and residential space.
Unfortunately in Malaysia, he says, development tends to start from scratch, without considering the existing infrastructure.
Tajuddin says part of the reason is because our graduates are too “industry-based”, without enough knowledge about heritage and community.
“They need to have a closer connection to what I call the dignity of the community, society and individuals,” he says.
English (US) ·