By Karen Bong
KUCHING, March 4: The newly opened Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM), which is the largest museum in Malaysia and the second largest one in Southeast Asia, costing RM323 million to be set up, should be seen as a long-term investment to boost Sarawak’s economy and that of Kuching in particular, as a gateway to the southern part of Sarawak.
Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg pointed out that the National Museum of China in Beijing and the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum received over 14.4 million visitors in 2018.
“These are undeniably strong pull factors in drawing tourists, thus boosting the city’s economic growth.
“The famed Bilbao Guggenheim Museum in Spain, opened in 1997, has created a tremendous effect that has become a stimulating environment for the entire city’s development,” he said at the official launching of the Borneo Cultures Museum by Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud tonight.
Abang Johari emphasised that the concept of using museums as a stimulus for growth of the cultural economy is a proven concept that has bred success, thus becoming more popular in developed and developing countries.
“These are the kinds of positive outcomes that the Sarawak government was aiming for when the Sarawak Museum Campus Initiative was approved in 2014.
“With its strategic location in the heart of Kuching, and increased accessibility with the forthcoming Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) system, I am confident that BCM will create the spin-off effects that it intends to bring about,” he added.
Among the guests present at the ceremony were Taib’s wife Toh Puan Raghad Kurdi Taib, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Dato Sri Nancy Shukri, State Secretary Datuk Amar Jaul Samion.
Meanwhile, the brand-new iconic museum building and Annex Building was built under the 11th Malaysia Plan as part of the Sarawak Museum Campus Project. The development of the BCM commenced in 2014 and the RM323 million project cost was fully funded by the Sarawak State government.
In the permanent exhibitions, state-of-the-art technology is used to showcase over a thousand artefacts that represent Sarawak’s amazing culture and history. It is the biggest development project in the history of the Sarawak Museum since it was established in 1891.
The museum will finally open its doors to the public on March 9 and visitors are encouraged to pre-book their visit as entry is limited to 500 persons at a time. — DayakDaily
