KUALA LUMPUR: Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah believes Malaysia could do more on preserving heritage craft, although she agreed that the government had done quite well in doing so.

Speaking to the media today (March 28), she said preserving craft can be done in many ways, including by teaching the subject to the younger generation in school.

"Even though we have private groups (companies or NGOs) that sell heritage products from certain ethnics, what I want also is that (the crafts art) should be preserved because we are now in a situation (where) young people are not keen to learn arts and craft although there is a demand in the global market.

"So by teaching them in school for example, I believe they would appreciate it more as much as the older generation because they know it is not an easy process to come out with craft,” Tunku Azizah added when met at a press conference at Istana Negara.

On another note, Tunku Azizah, who is also the patron of Yayasan Tenun Pahang Diraja, shared that they have been given land by the Pahang government to pursue their initiatives to build Perkampungan Ehsan of Sultan Abdullah.

"Perkampungan Ehsan of Sultan Abdullah is a 'perkampungan' where all the ex-prisoners with craft expertise in 39 prisons (nationwide) will be offered a job to produce craft upon their release.

"We will build houses for them so that they can bring along their family to stay, and we will provide all the workshops so that they can continue the craft (making skill) that they had learnt in prison, and later, we would help them to sell the product,” she said. - Bernama