Continued from yesterday¦ In the foyer there is a brief biography about the prime minister and his wife. We knew the prime minister was a doctor who was instrumental in revolutionizing Malaysia from a country based on commodities to one based on industry. We knew nothing about his wife. She was one of the first female medical students in Singapore, one of the first female doctors in Malaysia, and the first female head of two state government departments relating to women’s and children’s health care. After her husband became Prime Minster, she became actively involved eight organizations geared at health care (physical and mental), family planning, rehabilitation of handicapped kids, and the like. In addition, she campaigned tirelessly for drug abuse control and adult literacy. And in between, she managed to bear and raise 7 children. Wow.

The museum was almost shocking. It is absolutely enormous and completely full of an eclectic assortment of items. They came from everywhere around the world, from governments and private individuals. They also came from within Malaysia, again from government agencies and from private individuals. The majority of the gifts were bowls and vases literally too many to possibly count. There were lots and lots of hanging art pieces, including Continue reading →