Albert (centre) exchanges the signed documents wth Wong (second right).
SIBU: The preservation and promotion of ethnic culture, extraction and sorting of historical materials on the Chinese in Sarawak continues to be expanded.
“This has been the goal of Sarawak Chinese Cultural Association (SCCA) since it was set up in 1990. During these 30 years, many of our important historical materials have been distributed while promoting more research and publication on Chinese culture and history in Sarawak,” SCCA president Albert Lau said at the signing of the association building expansion project costing RM2.6 million with managing director of WKH Construction Company Wong Kie Hung at Jalan Salim here yesterday.
SCCA honorary advisors Temenggong Vincent Lau and Datuk Tiong Thai King were present to witness the signing.
Albert said the building provides a permanent place to promote cultural affairs in the long term.
“The association is currently a representative Chinese group in Sarawak that collects historical materials, promotes academic activities and research besides publishing literature, history books and magazines.
“The work of this association is of great significance in the long-term for the posterity of Chinese history and culture in Sarawak,” he added.
He recalled the International Academic Symposium jointly initiated by the Association of Arts and Cultures and Jinan University in Guangzhou in 2005 which encouraged more foreign scholars to study the history of the Chinese in Sarawak.
At the end of 2018, he was really inspired when he attended the Fourth Borneo Chinese National Academic Seminar at Xiamen. Scholars from all over the world presented many papers which included Sarawak.
The association building’s expansion will solve the shortage of space to house historical collections.
“When completed, we plan to add a special collection room for old Chinese newspapers in Sarawak, manuscript room, a larger archive room, a data collation workshop, and several libraries for collecting books and periodicals donated by individuals.
“Since it opened, the existing building has never been renovated, improved or expanded.
“It is our important long-term plan to build the Cultural Association into a facility with rich collections.
The expansion project will commence after 2021 Lunar New Year for completion in one year for the association’s 30th anniversary celebration.
Albert appealed to the public and corporate sector to support fund-raising for the project.
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