The Penang DAP government should not bring culture and heritage into politics, Deputy Information Communication and Culture

Minister Senator Maglin Dennis D'Cruz said today.

He said the state government should do better in promoting activities ppp supreme council pc maytower 111208 maglin d cruz which enhanced heritage and the arts.

"We hope they (the state government) don't bring politics into heritage. Heritage is independent and it is for our future generations," he told reporters in Georgetown.

D'Cruz ( left ), when asked for his response to the state government's insistence that the ministry show proof that Melaka was better at promoting the arts, culture and heritage, said the ministry just wanted Penang to do better and be more committed.

"Our minister (Rais Yatim) did not say that Melaka was doing better and Georgetown was doing lesser. He just wanted Penang to do a better job in terms of promoting heritage and the arts," he said.

rais yatim pc 020709 01 It was reported on Monday that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had asked Rais to provide evidence to back the claim that Melaka was better than Penang in promoting culture, heritage and the arts.

Earlier, D'Cruz launched the International Conference on Preservation and Promotion of Heritage, with participants drawn from various countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Hong Kong, Nepal, Palestine and Thailand.

He said the government was very serious about heritage as heritage belonged to each and everyone who lived here.

He also said that in 2005, Parliament passed the National Heritage Act and this was followed by the establishment of the Department of National Heritage in March 2006.

"In the five years since its establishment, the department has conserved more than 100 buildings, entered more than 800 heritage items in the National Heritage Register, been involved in archaeological excavation together with the Centre for Global Archaeological Research, organised awareness programmes throughout the country, and notably placed our heritage on the world map," he said.

- Bernama