KUCHING: Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud received a courtesy call from a Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) delegation led by Rector of UiTM Sarawak cum head of Research Project Professor Datuk Dr Jamil Hamali at Demak Jaya on Tuesday (Feb 15).
A report on the results of the Wali Songo study as well as the history of Sarawak was submitted during the visit which Taib had commissioned UiTM Sarawak to carry out.
The visit was also aimed at obtaining Taib’s advice and consent on the establishment of the Sultan Tengah Chair at UiTM Sarawak.
Jamil later told the media that UiTM succeeded in producing three more books entitled The Development of Islam in Sarawak: An Unsung History; Islam in the Malay Archipelago: Government, Economy and Education; and History and Contribution of Wali Songo.
Studies conducted by UiTM covered findings in and outside the country, including an old map of the island of Borneo from the 16th century AD to the 19th century AD with sketch maps from European travellers about the names of places and the existence of old states in Sarawak in. the. past.
During the meeting with Taib, UiTM informed him about old manuscripts related to Sarawak obtained from the Sarawak State Museum Department, Brunei Darussalam National History Centre, National Library of the Republic of Indonesia in Jakarta, British National Archives in London and National Archives of Spain in Madrid.
Meanwhile, the establishment of the Sultan Tengah Chair aims to appreciate and reveal the role and efforts of the Sultan Tengah (Sultan Ibrahim Ali Omar Shah) in the development of Sarawak’s history.
Also present were Deputy Rector of Academic and International Affairs of UiTM Sarawak Professor Dr Firdaus Abdullah, Assistant Rector of UiTM Sarawak Mukah Campus Associate Professor Dr Saimi Bujang, Associate Professor Sharifah Anom Omar, Associate Professor Dr Abdul Razak Abdul Kadir, Associate Professor Dr Hadenan Towpek and Dr Mohd Syahiran Abdul Latif.
