BANDUNG, 14 October 2015 – Preservation and conservation of the local indigenous knowledge, which is facing erosion due to modernisation, has become a priority for Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) to benefit future generations, and is currently being implemented via collaborations with various authorities.

Chairperson/Convenor for the International Conference on Local Knowledge 2015, Associate Professor Dr. Salasiah Che Lah said in an interview, the conference which is to be held annually, gathers scholars to seek for the best approaches in disseminating the information on local knowledge to various levels of society.

The International Conference on Local Knowledge 2015 is being held from the 14 October 2015 until 16 October 2015, with the participation of more than 150 attendees which include those from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Russia.

"This conference, which is held at the international stage for the first time, is hoped to identify the means and solutions towards expanding the scope of understanding on local knowledge, which have been passed down from generations throughout the region, and it is also my hope that, USM would be able to collaborate with the institutions of higher education within ASEAN and even Asia to preserve the repository of valuable knowledge for future generations," said Salasiah.

The USM scholar in Sociolinguistics, who has done numerous researches specialising in endangered indigenous languages, was grateful for the collaboration reached upon by the three universities at the conference in advancing the field of local knowledge.

"This collaboration would focus on the researches and publications relating to the advancement of local knowledge, raising such efforts to higher levels and would even lead to establishing global partnerships in the future," she added further.

Universities which participated in the collaboration with USM were Universitas Pasundan (UNPAS), Universitas Langlangbuana (UNLA) and Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB).

Such a collaborative effort would be increased from time to time to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and expertise to fulfil the needs and expectations.

Salasiah was of the opinion that globalisation and modernisation beyond boundaries have resulted in the local knowledge gradually becoming lost in time, due to the current and excessive focus on technology, without aligning them with indigenous routines which should be preserved and practised.

"This factor has led to the knowledge vanishing amidst the surrounding development activities, whereas in actuality, local knowledge is able to provide a strong base for various cultures such as the Malay culture to be the pillar in strengthening the society’s sense of worth," she further said.

Due to that, the setting up of a Local Knowledge Secretariat since 2011 in pursuing this agenda further, need to garner the support of all parties, especially the institutions of higher education."

We are aiming for this collaborative effort to be extended further to Vietnam and Thailand in championing local knowledge in this region," said Salasiah, who is also hoping for younger researchers to be introduced to a conference such as this, for the continuation and improvement of the aspects of local knowledge within this region and also throughout the world. 

Text and Photo: Mohd Azrul Mohd Azhar

Translation: Mazlan Hanafi  Basharudin