M'sia joins panel on heritage

Serious about conservation: Maimunah showing the 'Candidate for the World Heritage Committee 2011' brochure.

GEORGE TOWN: A team of heritage experts — including two from Penang — will head to St Petersburg, Russia, next month to represent Malaysia at the gathering of the World Heritage Committee.

The team, headed by Commissioner of Heritage Prof Emeritus Datuk Zuraina Majid, will comprise deputy heritage commissioner Prof Ghafar Ahmad from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysian Academy of Sciences member Prof Abdul Latiff Mohamad from Universiti Malaya and Seberang Prai Municipal Council president Maimunah Mohd Sharif.

It is the first time Malaysia is attending this gathering as a candidate in the committee since the country ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1988.

The four experts will be in St Petersburg from June 20 to July 7 to discuss the conservation of sites on the World Heritage List as well as add new sites to the list.

Maimunah said Malaysia was selected as a member of the committee for a period of four years, from 2012 to 2015.

"Prof Ghafar, Prof Abdul Latiff and I are on the team with our own specialisation. We will be working with Prof Emeritus Zuraina. Prof Ghafar is an expert on heritage buildings while Prof Abdul Latiff is for natural heritage and, I am on the cultural heritage," Maimunah told a press conference yesterday.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state was proud that Malaysia was in the committee.

"We are proud that two of the members are from Penang with one of them (Maimunah) serving the state government," he said.