KUALA LUMPUR: The Malay Civilisation Board (Adab) fully supports the creation of a ‘Dunia Melayu’ (Malay World) area in the federal capital as proposed by Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim.

Its chairman Datuk Dr Ghazali Mohd Yusof said the designated area would attract foreign visitors coming to Malaysia for business purposes or official government affairs thus allowing them to get to know the country ‘more easily, quickly and meaningfully’.

“Tan Sri Dr Rais’s description of the Dunia Melayu area refers to an area that displays cultural arts, music, carpentry, cuisine as well as life with high cultural value.

“It (the proposal) is highly appropriate as the Malay community has a high civilisation and culture, which is often not recognised, even by some of the Malays themselves,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Last Friday, Rais suggested that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) designates a Malay World area which contains all elements reflecting the richness of Malay culture and heritage.

Ghazali said he hoped that the area could be alive with the spirit of Malay civilisation and further stimulate the knowledge of Malay culture in this country.

“In supporting the United Nations’ sustainable development goals by affecting human development in terms of material things, happiness and getting out of poverty as well as having gender equality, DBKL also needs to ensure the preservation and sustainability of native culture as part of the wealth of humanity,” he added.