Malaysian institutions responsible for preserving the country's historical documents and artifacts, especially of leaders, should move quickly and aggressively in gaining rights to such documents and artifacts.

Information Communication and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim said this was to ensure that historical documents and artifacts of the country did not go abroad.

Expressing sadness that some documents and artifacts had gone abroad rather than kept in the country, Rais however said it is "the right of the family and we cannot go against them."

He said this to reporters when asked to comment on moves by HS Lee's family to hand over his papers to the Institute of South-East Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore.

Lee, a founder of the Malaysian Chinese Association was part of the independence team led by the country's first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman to London in 1956.

The country's first finance minister who represented MCA in constitutional talks was the only Chinese signatory to the independence agreement concluded in London in 1956.

Rais said in future, Malaysian institutions need to be aggressive and take the initiative to preserve documents and artifacts, especially of prominent leaders, for the benefit of the country.

On Lee's papers at ISEAS, Rais wondered why Malaysian institutions did not approach Lee's family before the documents were handed over to a foreign institution.

"I must question the audacity of our institutions who might not have approached them. The kind of relationship might not have been that cordial," he said after presenting certificates of appreciation to contributors in the coffin exhibition being held at National Museum.

180,000 of Lee's papers indexed

However, he hoped that families of Malaysian leaders past and present could hand over important documents on the country to the National Archives or local research institutions rather than handing them over to foreign organisations.

"I think they (ISEAS) must have had a very good relationship with the givers or family of the deceased leader. The linkage might have been based on friendship. Of course we feel very disappointed but what to do.

"Perhaps we should go to Singapore one day and have a look. We must also put (it) on our wish list," he said.

More than 180,000 of Lee's papers had been indexed and archived by ISEAS, which is also custodian of papers and documents belonging to former MCA president Tan Cheng Lock and former deputy prime minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman.

On the coffin exhibition, Rais said the ministry would publish a book on coffins which form an important part of the community.

Some 50,600 people have visited the coffin exhibition from April 1-June 20.

- Bernama