PETALING JAYA: It will be a long and arduous process to bring back Malaysia’s historical items, but the focus will be on the long list of manuscripts that are currently abroad, says National Unity Minister.
Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said it was important for Malaysia to expedite its effort to secure the copyrights of the country’s ancient manuscripts.
“We welcome the efforts to increase more allocation to enable Malaysia to reclaim its historical items and manuscripts abroad.
“The move highlights our attention on the importance of acquiring the copyrights to the historical documents and manuscripts.
“This includes both digitalisation and original format of the manuscripts. But we need the original manuscripts for safekeeping,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Elaborating further, Aaron said the National Archives has the facilities to store the ancient manuscripts that are found in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, among others.
The list of the manuscripts, he said, would be identified by the National Archives.
“It is important for us to retrieve the original Malay manuscripts, among others, because it will provide us insights to the historical background of the Malay sultanates and other important historical facts. When the manuscripts are successfully retrieved then it can be displayed to the public,” he added.
The widest collection of such manuscripts in Malaysia presently belongs to Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), which was granted in an agreement with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 2018. The collection is accessible to the public.
The copyrights were agreed on the digitised version of the Light Letters, or the Malay Archipelago Correspondence Collection, which included writings and notes from old Malay sultanates, Malay dignitaries and prominent figures, English traders as well as Francis Light, the British East India Company officer who founded the British trading post in Penang, written between 1768 and 1794.
While the original manuscripts are still housed at SOAS in London, United Kingdom, USM has the responsibility to preserve and maintain the digital collection of the Light Letters as per agreed terms.
National Archives director-general Datuk Jaafar Sidek Abdul Rahman said the ongoing acquisition of materials could serve as evidence in matters involving delineation, national sovereignty and the verification of historical facts that required resolution.
“A comprehensive archive collection can strengthen the national identity and foster a sense of pride in historical heritage,” he said in a press statement.
