SIBU, July 26: The Sibu Cultural Heritage Museum will be better managed if the Sarawak Museum authority takes over, says Sibu paramount Chinese community leader Temenggong Datuk Vincent Lau.
Lau believed that under the new management, the museum, which was set up in 2010, would see repair and maintenance works carried out.
“Eventually, we hope Sarawak Museum will take over to run the place. The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development under its minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah is also contemplating whether this place will remain under the management of the Civic Centre or Sarawak Museum,” he told reporters after visiting the museum today with Sibu Municipal Council chairman Clarence Ting.
Lau said there had been some discussions taking place to ensure that the museum could be run smoothly and properly maintained.
“This building belongs to SMC and it has an arrangement with a contractor to manage it. We need to do repair and maintenance,” he said.
Lau also shared the good news that the museum is now operating normally after being closed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It was reopened in April this year but only on an appointment basis for group visits. We felt that this was not satisfactory as we want people to be able to come here during regular opening hours,” he said.
He reasoned that as the museum is managed by the Civic Centre, and due to the shortage of staff, it could not open on a regular basis for the last couple of months.
“If it is open, we can have regular housekeeping by the staff. If we don’t do that the collections in it will be spoiled,” he feared.
The opening hours are from 9am to 4pm from Monday to Friday. As for Saturday and Sunday, it is only open by appointment.
The museum displays the rich cultural heritage of the various ethnic groups of the central region namely Orang Ulu, Iban, Malay, Melanau and Chinese. — DayakDaily
