ACADEMICS and scholars are calling for a change in museum management that is free from colonial philosophy and influences.
At the recent Memerdekakan Ilmu archaeology colloquium held in Pekan, Pahang State Museum Corporation general manager Datuk Ahmad Farid Abd Jalal said that nations that had been colonised tended to view Western powers as extraordinary.
He said this was evident by the Malaysian mindset still being unable to escape from the British “cocoon” after 63 years of independence.
Ahmad Farid attributed this powerful Western influence to the effects of the Crusades and the Dark Ages in Europe that shaped their will to live a secular life based solely on logical thoughts.
“Excitement over the achievement, modernity and the progress of the West has clouded our eyes until we devalue our own capabilities, ” he said.
Ahmad Farid said the Malaysian museum institution should set up its own philosophy free from the colonial museum concept while also celebrating the various races in the country.
“It is time for us to re-establish our museum institution with philosophy and thoughts based on the Quran and Sunnah as well as local customs and cultures that do not clash with Islamic teachings, ” he said in his presentation.
To achieve this, Ahmad Farid said there needs to be a clear understanding of colonial academic theories that are negative abut the Malay race and Islam.
“Solid arguments are needed to rebuild the Malay race’s spirit to unshackle ourselves from baseless colonial academics’ claims.
“The museum is one of the institutions used by the Western colonial academics to plant their doctrines into the colonised community. Therefore, it is the responsibility of this institution to give a detailed explanation to refute the colonial academics’ claims, ” he said.
Museums Department director-general Datuk Kamarul Baharin A. Kasim, who launched the event, called for a review of ideas in managing Malaysia’s museum institution.
He said museums have a role in educating the public on the nation’s cultures and history without a political agenda.
“All this while also being inclusive of other races because they are part of our country’s history, ” said Kamarul Baharin.
However, he said this did not mean that Western thoughts and knowledge should be rejected outright as it had its own usefulness and benefits.
The event also featured talks by Associate Prof Dr Rahimin Affandi Abdul Rahim, Dr Mohammaddin Abdul Niri, Abdullah Bukhari Abdul Rahim, Prof Datuk Dr Mokhtar Saidin and Dr Goh Hsiao Mei.
Rahimin spoke about the concept and application of the Islamic museum while Abdullah Bukhari touched on archaeology references in the Quran.
Mohammaddin spoke on Islamic historiography trends in Malaysia, Mokhtar gave a presentation on archaeological and scientific evidence of early humans in Malaysia while Goh talked about archaeology in Pahang.
During the event, the Pahang State Museum Corporation also signed a memorandum of understanding with Universiti Sains Malaysia to cooperate and explore opportunities to develop, support and enrich the development of research and higher education in related fields.
The partnership will see support in projects such as joint research in archaeology and museum management, joint participation in collection management and conservation, and any other projects to be identified and agreed to by the university and the corporation.
