by KT Leong
The Peace Gallery was officially opened last Sunday on 5 October. Located at 29A, Jalan Leong Sin Nam, 30300, Ipoh; the gallery holds a collection of articles which highlight local history from Malaysia and around the world, which emphasizes peace by acknowledging dark events of the past, and learning the value of peace through that acknowledgement.
Those attending the opening included the guests of honor, Their Excellencies, Hennadii Nadolenko, the Ambassador of Ukraine and Krzysztof Dobrowolski, the Ambassador of Poland, along with special guests, including Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid (Lat), Dr. Idris Nordin, Mr. Daniel Teo Tong How, Dato Irene Lee and Datuk Karu Selvaratnam.
Both ambassadors expressed their support for the Peace Gallery, which is devoted to fostering peace and understanding through culture, memory and dialogue. Their Excellencies spoke on the importance and preciousness of peace, for H.E. Hennadii Nadolenko, the Russian-Ukrainian War showed that what’s here today, can be gone tomorrow, as bombs tear down cities and communities. While H.E. Krzysztof Dobrowolski, being from Poland, has a great appreciation for peace, as not only was Poland invaded and partitioned between Germany and Russia at the beginning of World War 2, which saw millions of Poles enslaved and millions more executed in death camps like Auschwitz, but even after World War 2, it was placed under a repressive communist regime, had multiple mass protests and was even placed under martial law.
The founder of the Peace Gallery, Professor Gary Lit Ying Loong, was born in Kampar and is a retired academic from Nanyang Technological University and author of the bestselling book, “If the Sky were to Fall…”, which follows the story of the Lit family during the turbulent years of World War II and the Emergency period.
As he put it, “The moment you’re born into this world, you’re making history. Big or small, right or wrong, good or bad, you’re part of history”.
Professor Lit’s an active heritage storyteller of the Kinta Valley region and an expert in weaving its historical events into a fascinating tale. As he shares the histories of the region to ensure that the past is not forgotten, he also makes sure that it is remembered accurately. Warts and all. He doesn’t shy away or gloss over the violence and outright atrocities that have happened.
This led to a journalist by the name of Jin Hirakawa, from the prestigious Asahi Shimbun publication in Japan, to speak to him about the history between Japan and Malaysia (then still Malaya), during World War II. Their dialogue lasted 6 hours, and while the journalist was initially in disbelief about the atrocities that happened, he would be convinced when Professor Lit showed him to the various sites and explained the histories of the atrocities that occured. These events would be acknowledged in Asahi Shinsho 1007, which is part of a series of paperback books published by Asahi Shimbun Publishing.
But the ultimate goal is to foster peace, not hold on to old grudges. Professor Lit would go on to say that “The past should not be forgotten and for peace, there should be forgiveness. But how can forgiveness be given, when the wrongs are not acknowledged?”
He expressed his respect for the journalist, as well as for a major publication like Asahi Shimbun for having the open-mindedness and courage to acknowledge and publish such uncomfortable histories, and hopes that the Japanese government will also one day acknowledge these past events as well.
The Peace Gallery and its founder are a fascinating place to visit and a person to meet. While the Peace Gallery is open to the public, visits should be done by appointment only. Contact him at garylit33@gmail.com to arrange for a visit.
