By Puteri Balkish
KUALA LUMPUR, 2 March 2018 – The Malay Archipelago needs to preserve its culture and should not be overwhelmed by the cultural influences of the West and the Middle East that have penetrated the Malay culture, the President of IIUM, Tan Sri Dr. Rais Yatim said recently.
Speaking during the ISTAC Inaugural Global Premier Lecture on Monday (26 February) titled ‘The Malay World Within Islamic Civilisation: The Need for High Culture’, Tan Sri Dr. Rais said, “Preservation of cultures in the Malay Archipelago requires more emphasis as the penetration of the Western and Middle Eastern cultures in the local practices are surpassing the authenticity of our ingeniousness.”
“Regarded highly as the main virtue of a culture focusing primarily in the arts, at the threshold of a new era, underlies the need for the exercise of high culture and the capability to interact with differing communities by the populace of nations like Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and others in the Malay Archipelago.”
Tan Sri Dr. Rais Yatim, who is also the Special Advisor to the Malaysian Government on sociocultural matters, said, “The Malay society must learn to shape a bamboo from its shoots.”
He believes that values and beliefs are moulded from a young age. “The Japanese and Koreans are said to be prime global examples of the practice of high culture, despite being thwarted by technological progression.”
Tan Sri Rais said, “Instilling the need for a loving society, putting a high esteem for parents, teachers and knowledge, culturally inhibits indiscipline in their lives as civic issues like cleanliness are institutionalised and taught from young.”
“Through regional cooperation in producing Muslim thinkers and scholars, the exploration of vast opportunities and doors of knowledge will gravitate other countries to make the region a centre of reference.”
“Western Orientalists to not continue the monopoly of the inception of knowledge in the terrain,” Tan Sri Rais pointed out.
In conserving the resident culture, lingo and moral values, learning centres centralised on Malay studies have been urged to highlight the graveness of the Malay civilisation by conducting activities to spark interests among the youth.
Tan Sri Rais said, “IIUM, as an Islamic university is obligated to prioritise civilisational research and is beholden to the people a duty to translate relevant knowledge into practical ambits that would change the life of the Malaysian community for the better.”
The lecture, held at the International Institute of Islamic Civilisation and the Malay World (ISTAC), IIUM Kuala Lumpur campus, saw some 300 people including ambassadors from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Ministry officials from Malaysia, students, IIUM academics and staff, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and cultural activists graced the lecture with their attendance.
Also present at the lecture were the Director-General of Immigration Department Malaysia, Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali, IIUM Rector, Prof. Datuk Seri Dr. Zaleha Kamarudin and other IIUM officers.***
