by DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 5: A total of 30 additional heritage items are set to be gazetted as National Heritage, bringing the total to 69, as the government steps up efforts to safeguard the country’s cultural treasures amid ongoing development.
According to a TVS report, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Chiew Choon Man, stated that the initiative reflected the government’s continued commitment to safeguarding the country’s cultural and historical assets through legal recognition and preservation measures.
He said the declaration of National Heritage was a legal mandate under the National Heritage Act 2005 (Act 645), with each item undergoing research, evaluation and technical screening by the Heritage Commissioner before a declaration decision was made by the Minister.
“Recognition is not merely bestowing a title; rather, it is the Federal Government’s highest recognition of the value and importance of a particular heritage item to the nation,” he said while speaking at the 6th National Heritage Declaration Ceremony 2026 in Putrajaya today.
Chiew said the declaration would provide legal protection and prioritise preservation efforts involving heritage sites, buildings, objects and intangible heritage.
He stressed that development must go hand in hand with preservation, warning against allowing historically and culturally significant treasures to disappear in the pursuit of progress.
“Development must proceed hand-in-hand with preservation; however, we must not let treasures handed down through generations be lost in the name of development without considering their inherent value,” he said.
He added that safeguarding national heritage required collective responsibility involving the Federal Government, state governments, local authorities, asset owners and communities to ensure preservation efforts were carried out comprehensively.
Beyond their cultural and historical significance, Chiew said cultural-heritage assets also played an important role in strengthening Malaysia’s tourism industry, as visitors increasingly sought experiences centred on lifestyles, traditions and culture of local communities.
To date, 39 heritage items have been declared National Heritage, with the additional 30 expected to further strengthen the country’s efforts to preserve its heritage for future generations. – DayakDaily
