Conservation work on national monument Tugu Negara, the world's tallest freestanding grouping of bronze sculptures, is expected to start next week and is scheduled to be completed before Aug 31, 2027, according to Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK).
A grant from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation will support the site’s preservation and restoration efforts.
"Our (UMK) role focuses on documentation, research and knowledge transfer, particularly in relation to conservation and restoration techniques," said UMK Vice-Chancellor Datuk Prof Dr Arham Abdullah during the recent launch of the US-supported US$250,000 (approximately RM1.1 mil) Tugu Negara conservation initiative in Kuala Lumpur.
"The project will also provide opportunities for workshops, public knowledge-sharing sessions, academic visits and scholarly publications,” he added.
UMK is providing hands-on technical training to more than 50 Malaysian conservation students and heritage professionals, strengthening long-term local capacity for monument stewardship.
Arham said the project will also incorporate a series of public engagement initiatives, including exhibitions, educational materials, public workshops and a documentary showcasing the conservation process and the longstanding cultural ties between Malaysia and the US.
Meanwhile, US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Cate Dillon said the conservation initiative of the national monument will strengthen the 69-year-old diplomatic ties between the US and Malaysia, particularly in the areas of education and culture.
She said the US$250,000 grant from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, in conjunction with the US’ Freedom 250 anniversary celebrations, aims to preserve the monument ahead of Malaysia's 70th anniversary of independence next August.
"Tugu Negara was sculpted by an American artist, Tan Sri Felix de Weldon, who also sculpted the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia," said Dillon at the launch, which was attended by US Embassy in Malaysia Chargé d’Affaires David H Gamble Jr.
"The United States is proud to launch this partnership with Malaysia to preserve our shared heritage and help make sure Tugu Negara will continue to stand for generations to come,” she added.
According to Dillon, the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation will also facilitate the exchange of vital expertise between the two countries’ heritage conservation practitioners.
The conservation project addresses critical needs resulting from more than six decades of tropical weathering, among other factors.
Conservation specialists from the US National Park Service will work closely with UMK conservators and the Department of National Heritage to stabilise the sculpture, repair structural seams and apply specialised protective patination.
Tugu Negara's origins can be traced back to 1960, during an official state visit to Washington, DC, by Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.
Deeply moved by the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, Tunku Abdul Rahman envisioned a similar monument in Kuala Lumpur to honour the servicemen who gave their lives during World War II and the Malayan Emergency.
He commissioned De Weldon, the master behind the Marine Corps War Memorial, to design the monument, which was completed and dedicated 60 years ago, in 1966. – Bernama
