Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, the Minister of Higher Education said that Malaysia is synonymous with diversity, especially from the perspective of ethnic diversity, that is, the Malays, Chinese and Indians.
Thus, the Peranakan Collection is an appropriate step to enhance awareness and the sensitivities of the society to other ethnic groups that have existed and are still in existence in the country.
“As a storehouse of knowledge, USM has proven its uniqueness and its superiority in contributing towards the growth of knowledge by taking into account the heritage and history of the nation. This is in line with the efforts of the government to appreciate diversity and at the same time, enable students to gain greater knowledge on the background history of the other ethnic minorities who also form part of the Malaysian society,” he said.
He said this at the press conference after launching the Peranakan Collection of Southeast Asia, the most current collection in the Malaysiana and Archives Division of the USM Hamzah Sendut Library, here, today.
Among others, the collection contains information and the background history of the Peranakan in Southeast Asia including the Straits-born Jawi, the Straits-born Chinese, the Straits-born Indians (Chitty) and the Straits-born Siamese (Sam-sam).
Also present at the press conference were the Heritage Commissioner, Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture, Dato’ Professor Emeritus Zuraina Majid; USM Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak as well as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Development), Prof. Omar Osman.
Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled added that when students are exposed to this kind of diversity, it will indirectly instill mutual respect and acceptance of the various races in Malaysia.
Thus, he said that it will enable the students not only to face challenges that may arise as a result of this diversity but also to seek the best solutions to resolve these issues.
“The university is the best place to show this diversity because it is here that the different races co-exist. These ethnic groups not only have the same roots but they also form part of an international community of students,” he explained.
He went on to say that USM has the potential to become a world-class referral centre and expand its international network on research and publications by local universities.
“The Ministry is very hopeful that this collection will become a new niche area for USM, which will not only help in consolidating the quality of national higher education in Southeast Asia and internationally,” he said.
