Nature Museum proposed in Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: Senator Datuk Yong Wui Chung has proposed to establish the first Nature Museum of the country in Sabah.
He said Malaysia was one of the 12 megadiverse countries in the world, where a wide range of flora and fauna, including rare and yetto-be-identified animal species were found.
However, he said Malaysia was the only one among the 12 aforementioned countries that has yet to have a Nature Museum.
“Some countries who are not recognized or possess rich biodiversity like Malaysia have established Nature Museums.
“Even saddening is the fact that many animal and plant specimens from our country have been sold and acquired by other countries, including Singapore museum,” he said in the Dewan Negara when debating the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah’s speech during the opening of Parliament.
Yong said there was potential to introduce our rich biodiversity to foreign tourists.
Hence, he asked the government, namely the Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Economic Planning Unit and Ministry of Finance, as to when the first Nature Museum in the country would be built.
“Is the government prepared to provide allocation to the National Museum Department to expedite the process of erecting the Nature Museum in effort to save hundreds or thousands of species which have been brought out of our country?”
He added that the museum would also benefit from expertise in this field. Since Sabah and Sarawak are renowned for rich biodiversity that have attracted tourists worldwide, Yong proposed for the Nature Museum to be set up in Sabah.