National Library to Launch Database for Master Catalogue of Malay Manuscripts Next Year

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) – The National Library of Malaysia (PNM) will launch the database for the Master Catalogue of Malay Manuscripts next year in a bid to uplift the status and provide intellectual evidence of the greatness of Malay civilisation, said PNM director-general Nafisah Ahmad. She said this would be the first database in the world in which thousands of Malay manuscripts collected from across the globe would be compiled. “The database can be easily accessed by the public because we want to highlight every discovery of Malay manuscripts that we have collected so that the community will benefit from the knowledge about Malay legacy and civilisation. “For example, among findings which the people should know are those related to the human origin that has been scientifically studied through Mitochondrial DNA and the results have proven that the Malay race was not originally from Taiwan or Yunnan, but had existed from the Malay archipelago itself.” Nafisah said this to reporters after the opening of 2017 International Conference on Malay Manuscripts at the PNM Auditorium here, themed ‘Upholding the Malay Heritage, Placing Importance on National Civilisation’ which was officiated by Malaysian Historical Society executive committee chairman Omar Mohd Hashim. Also present were cluster head of History, Heritage and Socio-Cultural of National Professors' Council Dr Zainal Kling and about 200 participants comprising academicians and students of higher learning institutions. Nafisah said the manuscripts should be explored as scientific reading materials by every level of society to foster awareness on the nobility of the Malay race. “We now have a collection of almost 5,000 Malay manuscripts and through these manuscripts it is clear that Malay civilisation has its own wisdom in various branches of knowledge, including arts and culture, language, administration and statehood, science and technology, traditional medicine and architecture. “We should change our perception of looking to the west. The old manuscripts of native intellectuals have proven that Malay civilisation was as glorious as Greek and Egyptian civilisations which had also been proven based on previous manuscripts,” she said. Nafisah said that the conference would be an annual event for PNM in setting momentum and creating continuous awareness on the origin of Malay civilisation among society. She added that the PNM and the National Centre of Malay Manuscripts were trying to gather about 20,000 Malay manuscripts still available around the world despite facing various challenges especially financial constraints. -- BERNAMA