GEORGE TOWN, Jan 31 — Penang needs to look into its pre-colonial history and promote it as another facet of the city’s rich history, said former deputy chief minister II P. Ramasamy.
The United for Rights of Malaysian Party’s (Urimai) interim council chairman said a focus on the ancient history of Penang might provide an important window to explore and observe the splendor of its history.
"What is needed in Penang is the development of independent research institutions with funding from various sources including the private sector to sustain research and publication interest in ancient history,” he said in a statement today.
He said George Town may have the Unesco world heritage city status but there is more to it than preserving what remains of the British colonial history.
He said it does not serve any purpose to point at one or two examples and use these to justify that "much has been done in Penang”.
"Even the colonial history needs a different kind of approach in complementing the architecture of buildings,” he said.
"Much needs to be done in promoting ancient history of Penang,” he added.
When Ramasamy was the deputy chief minister II, he coordinated the move to engage archaeologists in Universiti Sains Malaysia to uncover the history of the pre-historic Neolithical site in Guar Kepah at Seberang Perai Utara.
"The archaeological diggings by the team of experts that discovered the skeletal structure of the "first Penang woman” more than 5700 years ago,” he said.
Early last year, he led a state delegation to the Netherlands to retrieve the bone fragments of the Neolithic period that were kept in the museums there.
"These bone fragments are to be sent to Penang to be displayed in the Guar Kepar Gallery that is being built with the financing assistance of the federal government,” he said.
He said very little is known about the ancient history of Penang, especially the pre-colonial era, aside from the findings of Guar Kepah.
"Lack of interest in pre-colonial history, non-availability of funds, and others are constraining factors in understanding and appreciating the full history of Penang,” he said.
He pointed out that the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) Singapore organised and published books on the Chola Voyages that took place one thousand years ago.
"I don’t see why Penang cannot delve into the marvels of its ancient history,” he said.
He said even in Kedah, there was a lot of research into its ancient history and the history of the Sri Vijayan Kingdom before the arrival of the Cholas.
"I am sure Penang shares the same pre-colonial history with Kedah, before the formation of the present-day states,” he said.
He said Penang tourism should not only rely fully on shopping, recreational areas, and tourist attractions.
"There is a small but growing tourist population that is eager to explore the ancient history of Penang,” he said.
He said Penang does not have a tourism niche that is different from other tourist destinations so it could focus on its ancient history as a niche.
