KUCHING: Sarawak’s history should be documented from its own perspective to preserve the state’s identity, culture and experiences for future generations.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who represented Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg at the Premier’s Best Book Award, said this was increasingly important as Sarawak continued to undergo rapid transformation.
Awang Tengah said development should not be measured solely through physical infrastructure and economic growth, but also through the knowledge and thinking of its people and their ability to preserve their experiences and heritage.
“Therefore, we need to ensure that the story of Sarawak is written as well as possible.
“More importantly, it must be written from Sarawak’s own perspective,” he said at the award ceremony held at Raia Hotel and Convention Centre here on Friday night (Sept. 25).
He said there were still many aspects of Sarawak that had yet to be fully documented, including its development history, cultural heritage, language, arts, economy and community experiences.
“There are still many stories that have not been written. There are still many sides of Sarawak’s history that have not been recorded,” he said.
Awang Tengah said preserving such knowledge was particularly important as some younger Sarawakians were already losing familiarity with their own accents and dialects.
He said culture and history formed part of Sarawak’s identity and heritage, while books provided a way to preserve such knowledge for future generations.
Recalling his early involvement in politics in 1987, Awang Tengah said travelling in areas such as Lawas could take days, with people having to walk through mountains and cross rivers.
He said students travelling to SMK Lawas once had to walk through mountainous terrain and cross rivers, with the journey taking up to a week.
Although development had been carried out gradually, he said Sarawak had since made significant progress in physical infrastructure and its economic structure.
Awang Tengah said knowledge remained the foundation of such progress.
“Books are not merely reading materials, but a vehicle for shaping thought, recording experiences and building civilisation,” he said.
He described books as Sarawak’s intellectual treasure, saying knowledge documented in them could continue to grow in value from one generation to another.
Awang Tengah urged writers to continue documenting Sarawak’s history and culture responsibly.
“Write our history from our own perspective. Document our culture with great care, and record the experiences of our communities honestly,” he said.
