Save My Heritage
Love MY Heritage
Badan Warisan Malaysia’s Love MY Heritage campaign aims to discover, collect and archive Malaysians’ valuable memories, which include personal, social, and historical, with the aim of sharing them with the world and thus promoting the idea of shared heritage. Everyone has their own version of heritage that they hold on to. It would be riveting to learn, hear and read the people’s stories and how they see heritage as part of their lives.
Love MY Heritage intends to invoke nostalgia and memories of heritage within individuals or groups that happened in the past either the heritage still remain until now or it’s been demolished, abandoned or faded. Heritage can be tangible or intangible, tangible refers to things that we can store or physically touch, for example, traditional clothing, tools, buildings, artwork, and monuments. Intangible heritage refers to things that are not physical items but exist intellectually, for example, oral traditions, rituals, beliefs and skills to produce traditional crafts.
This campaign focuses on Malaysian Heritage, parallel with its name where ‘MY’ is the abbreviation of Malaysia and as indication that the heritage is “ours”. Heritage is inclusive of features belonging to our diversified culture, such as traditions, languages, or buildings that were created in the past and still have historical importance. Heritage is the sum total of our memories, experiences, records, artifacts, and traditions that we have inherited. Heritage has brought together people from different levels and diverse backgrounds; Malaysia has been and continues to be a melting pot for diversity.
We invite you to participate and share the stories of your Malaysian heritage with us by submitting digital photos with a caption via the designated online platform. Selected entries will be shared on our online and social media platforms; featured photos that receive the most number of likes will receive a prize.
PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES
- Follow Badan Warisan Malaysia on Instagram and/or Facebook (Like & Follow).
- Submit the photo(s) with details that must include:
- Date of photo (e.g. year or MM/YYYY or c1960 means circa 1960)
- Location of photo (e.g. town & state)
- Description or story of photo (e.g. what is in the photo, what is it about, who is in it)
- Name (full name of participant)
- Participant’s IG handle (if any)
- #hashtag suggestion (one only)
- Pictures taken at any time are welcomed – No limit or specific period of time
- Each photo /series of photos MUST be accompanied by an anecdote or story or just a few sentences about the photo and/or the individuals/place within the image.
- Each photo must have a minimum resolution of 400 dpi in JPEG or PNG format.
- Unlimited entries per participant allowed.
- Submit your entries HERE.
Click HERE to read the Terms and Conditions. By submitting entries in this campaign, participants confirm that they have read, understood, and agree to the terms and conditions.
If you have any enquiries, please email lovemyheritage@badanwarisan.org.my.
#LoveMYHeritage #HeritageMalaysia #OurHeritage #OurStories #BadanWarisanMalaysia #Malaysia #Nostalgia #Memories
UPDATE:
Love MY Heritage is now an ongoing campaign and we no longer limit entries to photographs taken before the 1980s, so pictures taken at any time are welcomed!
Turtle Tales Talk & Exhibition
Turtle Tales: Talk & Exhibition at Badan Warisan Malaysia is in conjunction with World Turtle Day! The exhibition will be on going for 1 month from 13 May to 13 June 2017 whereas the talk will be on 21 May 2017.
About the Exhibition
This month long exhibition features paintings and drawings from the book ‘ I love Sea Turtles’, a collaboration between sisters Yi Xuan, 15, the writer of the book and Yu Jing, 11, the illustrator of the book.
The paintings and book were created after the sister’s witnessed the sea turtles laying eggs, which then ignited the sister’s passion and dedication in helping to save these sea creatures. The sisters will be at Badan Warisan Malaysia on 21 May to share their experiences and talk about their adventure and future projects.
About the Talk
The talk will take place on 21 May 2017, given by the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia. The talk will feature a presentation of the different species of sea turtles found in Malaysia, their conservation status, feeding habits and threats that they face.
Audiences will also get to know TCS, their objectives, the research, conservation, education and awareness programmes that have been conduct.
The talk will also focus on the two critically endangered species of fresh water turtles in Malaysia that TCS is focused on.
Architecture & Nation Building: Multiculturalism & Democracy
The talk focuses on how architecture can contribute towards the creation of an ‘imagined community’ called ‘Malaysian’ through a discourse of multiculturalism and democracy as the main reference points of design. Historically, the call for a national architectural identity was received with great interest by Malay architects who produced many traditional revivalist buildings and also by non-Malay architects with emphasis on climate and local materials. Neither of the two extremes had taken multi-culturalism and democracy into their design approaches and discourses. What we find are either simplistically interpreted post-modern attempts and at the other extreme we find literalist modernism products with a number of architects engaging in regionalism using climate and material in a more daring manner.
Although the regionalist in Malaysia has a better edge in terms of a more creative and meaningful design, their approach would be most inspiring if the aspects of multi-culturalism and democracy were integrated. Many architects either seemed too frightened of political backlash or they are uncertain how these two aspects can be used in architecture. I will concentrate on these two aspects of multi-culturalism and democracy in my criticism of housing, mosques and administrative buildings in Malaysia by reinterpreting the rituals and values within a more inclusive view of politics and society and the early modernist framework of design.
About the Speaker
Professo
r Dr Mohamad Tajuddin Mohamad Rasdi is a prolific writer in architecture, politics, social issues, religious matters and education. Prof Dr. Mohamad Tajuddin was educated in the USA at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee where he obtained his Masters and Bachelor of Science in Architecture.
He was Professor of Architecture at UTM for 10 years and now at UCSI University. Professor Tajuddin has authored and published 40 books to date on architecture concerning Islam, the mosque, housing, community building and planning of administrative centres. He was a columnist for several years with the Utusan Malaysia and with The Star. Prof Tajuddin is also responsible for writing hundreds of articles in architecture for the encyclopedia of architecture published by the national publication.
He has written many articles in the media concerning various issues of architecture, democracy, multi-culturalism and education. He is also frequently interviewed by online media news like malaysiakini and Freemalaysiatoday on national political and social issues.
The Secret Atlas of Greater KL by Cha-Ly Koh
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Koh Cha-ly is currently the CEO of Propertypricetag.com, a data company that cleans and analyses large amounts of city data, through its proprietary algorithms. Trained in city planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA, Cha-Ly hopes to harvest intelligence from BIG DATA to help governments, city planners, corporations and urban dwellers to shape better global cities.Heritage Matters- Carcosa Seri Negara
I was invited by YAM Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin who is Chairman of the Council of Advisors of Asian Heritage Museum Sdn Bhd (AHM) to visit Carcosa Seri Negara on Friday last week (31 March 2017).
I was glad to see that apart from an air of neglect – because the buildings have been left vacant for the past few few years – overall both Carcosa and Seri Negara were in relatively fair condition. Without doubt there is cleaning and repair works which need to be carried out to bring these buildings back into excellent working order in keeping with their standing and status as gazetted National Heritage.
Where this may involve any change in use, repairs or new accretions on the site, it is crucial that the guidelines and conditions set by the owner and regulatory authorities must be rigorously complied and to ensure that the integrity and heritage values of the property are maintained.
As an organisation which has been involved in promoting heritage conservation for the past 35 years, Badan Warisan Malaysia stands ready to help in any way we can to ensure the protection and rehabilitation of this national heritage asset. It is imperative to retain and enhance the heritage significance of the property and its setting, so that it can be visited and enjoyed by all, both Malaysians and others, not only as a memorial of the history of Malaya but in a way which also generates values to today’s society.
Elizabeth Cardosa
President, Badan Warisan Malaysia
Historical Buildings in Disrepair
Statement from Elizabeth Cardosa, President, Badan Warisan Malaysia
It is the responsibility of building owners to ensure the maintenance, management and care of their properties so they are in good condition, safe, comfortable to use and habitable.
We have many laws and guidelines which regulate this and there are penalties which can be imposed if uninhabited buildings are left to ruin, potentially raising concerns of public safety.
In the case of buildings such as the former FMS Survey Office which has been gazetted as “heritage” on the National Heritage Register, there may be additional regulations which are imposed by Jabatan Warisan Negara who are custodians of this Register.
Section 42 of the National Heritage Act 2005 states that it is the duty of the owner of a heritage site to keep it in a state of good repair and that the National Heritage Commissioner can take steps to ensure that this is complied to, and in keeping with the heritage values of the building.
While we may want to know who is responsible, or how this sad state of affairs has come about, it is more pressing to have an urgent action plan to bring the relevant parties together to stop further deterioration and put the building back in good repair. It would be timely for the responsible authorities to work with heritage NGOs and other stakeholders to initiate a management regime to prevent this from happening to other heritage buildings, especially public/government owned buildings.
Statement by Badan Warisan Malaysia on the Revocation of Heritage Site status of MaTIC by Jabatan Warisan Malaysia
The notification in the NST on 28 December 2016 from Jabatan Warisan Negara (JWN) to revoke the designation of the “Old Building of Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTIC)” as a heritage site raises many concerns and issues.
Law does not Provide for Revocation of Heritage Site Status
First, the section 31 (2) of the National Heritage Act 2005 (Act 645) which was cited in the Notice describes the process for designation of a heritage site. It does not deal with revocation of a gazetted site. And we understand that this site which comprises Lots 45 and 139 (Section 58) and part of Lot 158 (Section 57) was gazetted (Gazette Number P.U. (B) 290) as “Warisan” on the National Heritage Register on 16 June 2016. The criteria for listing specified in documents from JWN refers to its historical importance as well as its architectural and aesthetic character.
The National Heritage Act (NHA) does not have any provision for revocation of gazettal of a heritage site. Therefore, it would appear that unless the NHA is amended to allow for this, it is questionable if the Commissioner has the power to revoke a site which has already been gazetted; i.e. is this revocation ultra vires the Act?
Significance of the Heritage Site
So what can we find on Lots 45, 139 and the part of 158 which is identified in the Notice as MaTIC?
Lot 45 is used as a car park which services the tourism centre.
There is a modern five storey building housing the KL Tourism Office on the part of Lot 158 which has been gazetted.
Lot 139 is by far the largest lot. There are several other buildings on this lot, including the house of wealthy business tycoon Eu Tong Sen and the Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman. In keeping with the social standing of the owner Eu, many social activities were held in this house from the time it was built (1935) until the start of World War II. During WWII, it was used by the British, and then the Japanese army as a war office. In 1956, it was acquired and renovated by the government of Malaya, and in 1957, the installation of the first Agong was held there. In 1958 a conference hall, the first air conditioned hall in Kuala Lumpur, was added at the rear of the building.
In 1959, the first meeting of Parliament of the independent Malaya was held there. Following the building of the new Parliament House, by the early 1970s the original house and hall were converted to house the National Art Gallery for the next decade or so. In the 1980s and 1990s several new blocks were added; these include Saloma Bistro and retail stores serving visitors and tourists. In the mid 1980s, the conference hall was converted into a theatre. This ensemble of buildings that has served as the Tourist Information Centre for over 20 years is now known as MaTIC.
NHA and New Development Initiatives on a Heritage Site
Then there is the issue of new development on a heritage site. It is important to note that there is nothing in the NHA which precludes new development. As in the case of all applications for planning permission, owners will have to comply with guidelines and conditions imposed by the local authority – in this instance it will be Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL). When it comes to gazetted heritage sites however, there will be additional guidelines and conditions imposed by JWN in line with provisions found in paragraphs 40, 41 and 42 of the NHA, all of which could potentially affect the scale and nature of the proposed development. This would include the provision of a 200 meter “buffer” from the site boundaries for any new development to mitigate against any (negative) impact on the heritage values of the gazetted building and/or site.
One could speculate that this revocation is to redress the fact there are no heritage buildings on Lots 45 and 158, and therefore the gazettal should not have covered these two lots, only Lot 139 which has heritage properties. If this were the case, it would also beg the question why the Gazette in June 1026 included all three lots.
One would definitely expect a high level of rigour as well as resources in all endeavours to undertake the gazettal of any heritage site. The NHA provides for the process to include notification to the owner/s, an objection period, hearing and eventually, the decision to, or not to, designate a heritage site; and all along the way, there are clear steps to ensure the public are notified of these decisions in the printed press. This process takes time, and it has been our past experience that JWN does not take this responsibility lightly.
Badan Warisan Malaysia believes it is critical to understand the implications and legal ramifications of this Notice to revoke the designation as heritage of MaTIC.
Due process of the law has to be followed for the future protection of heritage sites in Malaysia.
Elizabeth Cardosa
President
Badan Warisan Malaysia
30 December 2016
#KebayaKulture, The Gift Shop @ No.2 Stonor
We have some pretty pre-loved Kebaya Nyonya on sale at The Gift Shop @ NO.2.
These Kebayas have been made in Penang, by the exclusive Kebaya Maker, Kim Fashion.
This traditional Peranakan top is suitable for any occasion, casual or formal, like a wedding, graduation or dinner. Mix and match with a sarong and even jeans.
Come visit us to try on these beautiful designs!
Some garments come with defects. We have listed the condition of each piece and its measurement for your convenience.
The Bugis Way of Life by Pn. Zuraidah Ghani
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