JAN 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced on the sixth day of Chinese New Year that the government had decided to gazette the Penang chingay and Johor Baru Parade of Deities as national heritage.
We were happy to hear that.
However, it brought a new question: According to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, countries and cities on the list of the world heritage will receive funding and technical support. Does it mean that after being gazetted as national heritage, the Penang chingay and Johor Baru Parade of Deities will as well receive a greater attention and support from the government?
The term “national heritage” is not new to the Chinese community in Johor. The high-poles lion dance, represented by regular award-winner Muar Kun Seng Keng lion dance team, as well as the 24-season drum created in Johor Baru and introduced to the world, have also been gazetted earlier as national heritage.
However, neither the lion dance team nor the 24-season drum team has received any better treatment from the authority, except for getting an official status. They receive no official funding or technical support. All efforts to promote the heritage were initiated and done by themselves.
It seems that being gazetted as national heritage is of symbolic significance rather than a substantial meaning. The efforts to pass down, promote, enrich and develop the heritage still depend on the Chinese community.
Nevertheless, the title still undeniably implies a certain degree of spiritual significance and economic value. It plays an important and a far-reaching role in strengthening the pride, confidence and cohesion of the Chinese.
Local religious and cultural education activities have been facing the pressure of singularisation for a long time. And under the huge pressure, these activities have shown us their spirit to compete and fight for a more equal treatment and respect. I sincerely hope that the national heritage title is not just meant to serve political needs, but also a big step towards a more open, progressive and internationalised status.
National culture is the soul of a nation, while cultural heritage is the carrier of national culture. Mutual respect and equal treatment are the prerequisite to conserve the diversity of national heritage. Hopefully, the Johor Baru Old Chinese Temple gate demolition incident took place at 3.07am on December 29, 1991 will never happen again! — mysinchew.com
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