By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 20: The Melanau Welfare Trust Board received a grant amounting to RM193,006 from Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to support the development and operation of the Melanau Heritage Gallery located in Mukah.
According to a Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS) report, the grant was presented during a handover ceremony, which also saw the presence of Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here today.
Dalat assemblywoman Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said it is one of the Sarawak government’s initiatives in its ongoing efforts to preserve, conserve, and promote the cultural heritage of the Melanau community.
“The Melanau Heritage Gallery is a Projek Rakyat that has been completed through allocations from the Sarawak Premier and is now open to the public,” said Fatimah, who is also the Sarawak Minister for Women, Early Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development.
Apart from serving as an exhibition space for Melanau history and culture, the gallery also functions as an educational and tourism platform that benefits both the local community and visitors,” she told reporters after the ceremony.
She added that two phases of the gallery’s construction have been completed, with plans underway for the third phase.
“This phase will feature ten main components related to the customs and traditions of the Melanau community and local figures.
“We will also introduce interactive elements, including dance as well as traditional food and medicine workshops, to provide a more in-depth experience for visitors,” she said.
Earlier in the same ceremony, several other recipients also received grants from the Premier, including the Consultative Committee for Chinese Schools Sarawak, represented by Dato’ Jonathan Chai Voon Tok, chairman of the Association of the Boards of Management of Aided Chinese Primary Schools in Kuching, Samarahan, and Serian.
Other recipients were the Sarawak United Association of Private Chinese Secondary School Management Board, represented by the chairman of the Sibu Private Chinese Secondary School Management Board, Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau Lee Ming, and Tabung Jasamu Kebajikan Veteran Tentera Anak Sarawak, represented by Advisor to the Sarawak Veterans Association, Lt-General (R), Datuk Stephen Mundaw. — DayakDaily
