The revamped Malay Heritage Centre is mediocre at best.

By Hidayah Amin

I visited the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) last week with friends from Malaysia who had travelled to Singapore specifically to visit the revamped museum. I was full of expectations of a rejuvenated MHC led by a new team under the National Heritage Board. The open, well-landscaped courtyard hinted at a fresh outlook. Sadly, the MHC lives up to the Malay proverb, "indah khabar dari rupa", ie, the reality does not match the pomp, glory and hype the opening ceremony exuded.


As someone who enjoys going to museums around the world, and having set up a private museum (Haji Yusoff Memorial Museum) in Kampong Gelam, I am disappointed with the latest revamp of the MHC. I am surprised that the narratives started only around 1819; there was scant mention of Sang Nila Utama and Singapore's history prior to Sir Stamford Raffles.


Interestingly, nobat instruments are displayed in proximity of a footnote that made mention of Raffles unilaterally proclaiming Tengku Hussein as Sultan of Johore. It thus gives the falsified impression that Sultan Hussein's ascension to the throne was legitimate, since the nobat was played exclusively during a king's coronation.


There are no clear themes, exhibits couldn't get any messier accompanied by terse, unhelpful annotations, not forgetting the overall curation vibed uninspiring. Where, pray tell, are the crucial bits about Singapore being the pilgrim hub that linked us to the rest of the world? Or about Singapore being the publishing hub of Southeast Asia? Who exactly were those Malays being heralded as prominent figures onsite? I still remain unsure as to how they had contributed to the community, apart from excelling in their professions. Why are only contemporary books by Malays authors being highlighted? The Malays of the past were entrepreneurial and intellectual, yet there was absolutely no expounding on this. The storylines proffered within the museum came across as rather disjointed, where each felt like it existed in a silo.


The MHC is situated in Kampong Gelam, a historic quarter of Singapore. A visitor to the MHC would, at the very least, expect an introductory writeup of sorts about Kampong Gelam. Yet that was virtually nonexistent. Tourists who visit museums do so because they are genuinely interested to learn about the history of the country/place, alongside the tangible and intangible heritage of the peoples. Museum researchers as well as curators are responsible for the information put up as the visitor would usually 'accept' them as facts. If museums exist as a form of cultural dialogue, then I am afraid that conversations about the MHC would be as superficial as some of the artefacts being displayed.


The revamped MHC is mediocre at best. I shudder at the amount of taxpayers' moneies that were used to fund the "much-anticipated" revamp.


This first appeared as a post on the Facebook page of Hidayah Amin on 25 June 2026. Do join in the discussion over there if you have thoughts to share.


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