Conservation and Establishment of Fort Alice Museum, Sarawak, Malaysia: A Testimony of Public and Local Community Partnership

Sarawak, located on the island of Borneo, is the largest state in the federation of Malaysia which was formed on 16th September 1963. Prior to this,Sarawak was ruled by the Brunei Sultanate (before 1841), the Brooke Dynasty (1841-1941), was under Japanese Occupation (1942-1945), became a British Colony (1946-1963) and presently, Malaysia (since 1963). During the Brooke regime, several forts were built as administrative and defensive stations to keep law and order in the then turbulent days where the local communities, especially those who opposed the Brooke rule, needed to be pacified or punished accordingly. This paper will present the challenging efforts faced by the Sarawak Museum to conserve and establish the Fort Alice as Muzium Warisan Sri Aman (Sri Aman Heritage Museum) and to demonstrate how the public and private (consultants, NGOs and local communities) sectors could collaborate to restore and put to good use a famous historical landmark. The Fort Alice Museum was officially opened by the Chief Minister of Sarawak on 18th April 2015.