Bugis Museum a crowd-puller

Owner and curator of Museum Bugis here, Abdullah Ahmad giving a personal tour to visitors and explaining to them the history behind the artifacts he has collected over the years.

PONTIAN: The town has been in the spotlight for the past few weeks, with political bigwigs making their presence felt for the by-election.

Small business owners are enjoying brisk sales as many, including members of the press, political parties and police personnel, flood the place to keep a close eye on developments for the by-election this Saturday.

Besides the shops, homestays and restaurants, museums are also attracting the crowd.

One such place is the Bugis Museum in Taman Rekreasi Sungai Rambah here.

It has been here for over four decades.

Its owner and curator, Abdullah Ahmad, said visitors have been coming since few days before nomination day.

“Normally, I will get a lot of visitors during school holidays or weekends but of late, I am seeing new faces.

“Many are curious about Tanjung Piai and its history and I share with them as much as I can, ” he said.

Abdullah (right) giving a personal tour to visitors and explaining to them the history behind the artefacts he has collected over the years.

Abdullah, 76, said he started collecting historical and cultural artefacts of the Bugis people when he was just a teenager.

His interest in such items led to frequent visits to Indonesia, especially Sulawesi, where he met and married Andik Husni Andik Abdul Latif.

“I used to travel to Sulawesi almost every month to look for items depicting the history and culture of the Bugis people.

“I met Andik there and as she shares my interest in history, we clicked, ” he said, adding that they have five children and 17 grandchildren.

Abdullah said he used to operate four other museums to showcase his collection of historical artefacts but later decided to focus on only the Bugis Museum.

He said he once lost hundreds of invaluable historical pieces when one of the museums was robbed.

“I lost items that I spent years collecting.

“What made this worse was that I was forced to sell some of my artefacts to raise money and refill the museum that was left empty after the robbery, ” he said.

Admission to the Bugis Museum is free. It is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm, except on Hari Raya Haji and Hari Raya Puasa.

Schoolchildren and university students visit the museum regularly and Abdullah said he enjoyed talking about the history of the Bugis people and enlightening them on South-East Asia.

“I want everyone who walks in here to learn about the past, besides the artefacts and its history.

“My efforts to collect and preserve these artefacts will be in vain if no one appreciates its historical value, ” he said.

Normally, I will get a lot of visitors during school holidays or weekends but of late, I am seeing new faces. Abdullah Ahmad