Shared legacy boosts MalaccaIndonesia ties
MALACCA: Arts and culture serve as a bridge connecting the Malacca and Indonesia legacy that needs to be preserved to strengthen the relationship between the two governments, said Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh.
He said the cultural sailing mission “Jalur Rempah” (Spice Route), which is aimed at reviving the legacy and the importance of spice routes by the Indonesian government, was the best approach to achieve the objective and that the Malacca government plans to continue the initiative.
“A delegation from Malacca will be sent via Phase Two of the Jalur Rempah cruise to Indonesia to continue with the initiative,” he said on Monday at a dinner in conjunction with the “Muhibah Budaya Jalur Rempah Melaka” programme, that was also attended by Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Datuk Hermono and State Tourism, Heritage, Arts and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Razak Abdul Rahman
The voyage, using the Indonesian naval ship KRI Dewaruci, made a port call at the historic state as Malacca was once one of the famous ports on the East-West Spice Routes.
The warship departed from the Tanjung Priok Military Sea Command port in Jakarta on June 7, making port calls at seven points that were parts of the spice routes, starting from Jakarta, East Belitung, Dumai and Sabang before sailing to Malacca.
It arrived at Tanjung Bruas Port, its first port of call outside the republic last Sunday and will leave tomorrow to continue the journey to Tanjung Uban, Lampung and Jakarta.
The sailing mission has been conducted since 2020 as part of Indonesia’s National Priority Programme in the cultural sector.
It aims to engage youth as cultural ambassadors while strengthening international diplomacy through shared heritage. – Bernama