KUALA LUMPUR: The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) has approved the first portion of allocation amounting to RM20.25 million to 103 museums under state governments this year.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri today hoped the allocation would assist state museums to repair and maintain infrastructure as well as tourist facilities so that they are in conducive condition to receive visitors.
“This is to ensure the people who visit museums to learn about the country’s history especially the younger generation would help promote the nation through digitalisation,” she said.
Speaking to reporters after launching the National Museums Policy and Back to Museum campaign here, she said on the overall, there are 236 museums in the whole country with 22 of them under the administration of the Department of Museums Malaysia (JMM).
Nancy said museums should be agents of change and development and its survival is seen as very important as an instrument of development according to the flow modernisation and globalisation.
She hoped the service of museums and the items on display are on par and in line with explosion of information technology and the old notion of seeing museums as a reflection of events and old buildings to keep antique, should be changed.
Meanwhile, Nancy said the National Museums Policy and JMM Guidelines launched today is a comprehensive document created to streamline the direction of the country’s institution of museum in line with the standard of the International Council Museums.
The policy would be a guideline to complete the Museums Act which is being formulated so that it is dynamic with professional governance as new branding to attract bigger crowds in future.
It contains four core pillars involving guidelines and procedures on establishing museums, collection management operations, conservation management and museum security.
At the same time, JMM is targeting 1.5 million visitors to museums under its administration this year.
She said the government has taken the initiative to hold the Back to Museum campaign to promote museums in the country to attract more visitors to stimulate domestic tourism via the Domestic Targeted Tourism Bubble. – Bernama
