KUALA LUMPUR – The Housing and Local Government Ministry is always open to suggestions regarding the nomination of any village as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Its minister, Nga Kor Ming said the Madani government’s approach is to always welcome traditional Malay village nominations.
This includes those in Sabah and Sarawak as proposed Unesco World Heritage sites, provided they meet the stipulated criteria.
“If there is an application from the International Council on Monuments and Sites of Malaysia, the Local Government Ministry, together with the National Heritage Department and the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry will consider and scrutinise the proposal.
“However, this matter will be coordinated by the Rural and Regional Development Ministry since traditional Malay villages come under its jurisdiction,” he said when winding up the motion of thanks for the royal address at the Dewan Negara sitting today.
Nga said Unesco had stipulated six criteria for World Heritage Site nomination.
They comprise the need to represent human creativity, exhibit an important interchange of human values, bear a unique testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilisation which is living or which has disappeared, architectural and technological aspects that illustrate significant stages in human history, human interaction with the environment, and associated with events, beliefs or artistic and outstanding literary works.
“To nominate any village as a Unesco World Heritage Site, the location must have outstanding universal significance and meet at least one of the six selection criteria,” he said. – March 25, 2024