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Sunday December 16, 2012

Portuguese Settlement folk finally get a chapel
By ALLISON LAI
allison@thestar.com.my

Christmas cheer: Residents of the Portuguese Settlement can finally hold their Christmas Eve mass in their very own chapel at the village in Ujong Pasir, Malacca.

MALACCA: After five years of waiting, about 1,400 residents of the Portuguese Settlement in Ujong Pasir here can finally look forward to holding their Christmas Eve mass in their very own chapel at the village.

Village Regedor (headman) Peter Thomas Gomes was thankful that the chapel was finally ready for use by the community members here.

“The construction work was completed late last year and the priest spent some time designing the altar while we were busy furnishing the chapel.

“All work was done by February and we have been holding weekly mass services there since,” he said after attending the Wanita Barisan Nasional Christmas celebration at the village yesterday.

Also present were Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Wanita MCA chief Datuk Yu Chok Tow, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and several other state women leaders.

The community had previously sought funds to build a church at the village.

The chapel has a seating capacity of 450.
The request was approved by the Government and included in the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

During the national-level Christmas celebrations at the village two years ago, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim personally delivered a RM480,000 cheque to the village to convert a hall into a chapel.

The chapel which has a seating capacity of 450 is named Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception.

“The chapel project was completed with prudent spending monitored by the village committee,” said Gomes.

He said more than 1,000 villagers and their families were expected to gather at and around the chapel on Christmas Eve.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ali said the completion of the chapel marked a significant achievement for the village which was set up some 80 years ago.

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“This is another good example of the Government giving priority to what the people need,” he said.

Parts of central Kuala Lumpur will soon be given a makeover to better reflect Malaysia’s cultural heritage. Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said his ministry was in discussion with the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to put together a proposal to be presented to the Cabinet for approval.

“We already have a Little India in Brickfields and a Chinatown in Petaling Street which does well to represent the Indian and Chinese cultures respectively. We hope to transform some areas in KL, such as the stretch from the KTMB building to the Sultan Abdul Samad building, to better reflect other cultures which are also part of our national heritage,” he said, adding that the makeover would include Jalan Melayu to better portray Malay culture.

Dr Rais said he hoped the initiative would instill patriotism and greater appreciation for the nation’s cultural heritage, especially among the younger generation. The minister said this while officially declaring 154 National Heritage items, including nine living persons at the Sultan Abdul Samad building here yesterday. Among the nine recognized for their contributions to the country as a part of our national heritage are Nyonya Tan Abdullah for her dondang sayang, Eyo Hock Seng for his work in wayang kulit and mak yong practitioner Mek Jah Deris.

The other items listed are iconic buildings, archaeological and natural sites, traditional games, martial arts, traditional cuisine, local arts and craft, dances, as well as traditional medical practices. At the event, Rais also witnessed the official flag-off of the Jejak Warisan (Heritage Footsteps) Program which was participated by 450 students from schools in KL and Selangor. The minister said programs such as these were important to ensure the country’s heritage is not forgotten by the younger generation. “Our heritage is our identity as a nation. We need to pass on the stories, the arts and culture which makes us who we are, to the generations after us,” he said. Source: Thestar.com.my