By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, April 27: Efforts to document Sarawak’s historical struggles and rich cultural heritage must be intensified to ensure they are preserved for future generations, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof.
According to a report by Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS), Fadillah noted that much of the State’s history, particularly outside Peninsular Malaysia, remains undocumented and requires collective effort to record.
“There is still a lot of history that has not been documented. This is where all of us, especially those with experience, must come together to record past events and stories,” he said when officiating the launch of the book titled “Secebis Kisah Perjuangan Bangsa: Ikhlasnya Pengorbanan Indahnya Kemerdekaan” at Tanahmas Hotel in Sibu last Saturday (April 25).
Fadillah, who is also Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation as well as Petra Jaya MP, stressed that documentation efforts should go beyond the struggle for independence to also include the State’s diverse cultural heritage and ethnic backgrounds, which underpin social harmony in Sarawak.
He called on agencies such as Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), as well as cultural, language, and graduate associations in Sibu, to work closely with universities in conducting more in-depth research on local communities.
Among those present were his wife Datin Amar Ruziah Mohd Tahir, corporate figure Tan Sri Bustari Yusuf, Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development I Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee, Daro assemblyman Safiee Ahmad, DBP director-general Hazami Jahari, Sibu Resident Abang Mohamad Porkan Abang Budiman, and representative of the late author’s family Madina Hamdan. — DayakDaily
