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| The team from GDTJ with a photo of Tuanku Ja'afar (left photo) and royalty from YLCO Museum |
A delegation
from the Royal Gallery Tuanku Ja’afar visited the Perak Academy and YLCO Museum
in early May. It was led by Mohd Khairil Hisham, the Curator and accompanied
with Research Officer Cik Nur Amira and her colleague Aina. They were greeted
by Perak Academy’s Chairman Adib Vincent Tung Abdullah and Vice Chairman Chan
Chee Keong.
The trio
were in Perak for the last two weeks visiting museums in Perak such as the
Kinta Tin Mine Museum in Kampar, Antong Coffee Mill,Taiping which was the
historical home of Chinese revolutionary Dr. Sun Yat-Sen and his lover, Chen
Chuifen and Lat’s Gallery in Batu Gajah and enjoyed it. However the team was
disappointed as the Gopeng Museum was closed.
Their
purpose was to view the link between the Federated Malay States, a straight
forward treaty which the British signed with the Sultan of Perak and agreeing
to accept a British Reident. Unlike in Negeri Sembilan due to its unique
structure had 6 treaties with 6 British Residents signed between 1874 till
1888.
According to
Khairil the Gallery Tuanku Diraja Ja’afer (GDTJ) is a privately funded establishment
under the Tuanku Ja’afar Foundation. It has a staff strength of eight including
2 from marketing. They have three halls including a multi-purpose hall, all
available for rent. The Gallery has 4 progammes / exhibits a year which is presented
to the board a year in advance. As such ”we are very busy throughout the year”
said Khairil.
The Chinese
in Seremban loved Tuanku Ja’afar the son of Tuanku Abdul Rahman and that is why
we collaborate with the Chinese. Chinese account for 50% of our visitors each
year. That is the reason our gallery brochures are printed in Bahasa Malaysia
and Chinese.
A Brochure of the Gallery printed in Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese
The Negeri Sembilan
Royal Family and the Kuomintang (KMA, the Chinese Nationalist Party founded by
Sun Yat-sen in 1912) were very close. Tuanku Abdul Rahman who was Malaysia’s 1st
Agong kept a bodyguard who was from the KMA. He was a target of the communist due
to his closeness with the KMA.
A major
incident occurred in 1951 when Tuanku Abdul Rahman was retuning to Seremban
from Singapore by train. He was attacked by communists at Tampin resulting in
12 persons killed. It was reported in the Singapore daily was not in Malaya.
In fact GDTJ
has a collaboration with all the Chinese museums ie Selangor, Johore, Penang
and Negeri Sembilan. We have a cultural exchange with 2 Chinese museums in
Negeri Sembilan belonging to the Chinese Chambers in the dialects of Hakka and
Teochew.
After a
fruitful discussion the delegation visited the YLCO family Museum. Curator
Ignatius Chew greeted Mohd Khairil and proceeded to showed them the family
museum. The team posed with Malaysian Oscar winning actress Tan Sri Michelle
Yeoh.
The The team from GDTJ pose with 'Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh" ...... | ||
Ignatius Chew shows the team around the museum
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Ignatius showed them a photo of Tuanku Ja’afar the Yang DiPertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan with the Sultans of Perak, Pahang and Perlis together to which they immediately showed interest. The photo was from the file of Yeoh Cheang Lee, the chairman of the Perak Turf Club at its inaugural opening ceremony on 26 Februay 1971.
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Yeoh Cheang Lee at the inaugural opening of the Perak Turf Club on February 1971. In attendance (l/r) Tuanku Ja'afar Yang DiPertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan , The Sultan of Pahang and his consort Che Puan Maria, The Sultan of Perak, Raja Perempuan of Perak, the Raja of Perlis and Tunku Abdul Rahman 1st Prime of Malaysia
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What a
coincidence for Mohd Khairil could take home a souvenir from YLCO Museum.
JAG
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