Malacca became a great port 500 years ago because it welcomed traders of all races and religions. That was the source of its wealth and power.
Yet in the 21st century, the Malacca Islamic Affairs Department (Jaim) banned Christmas decorations at halal restaurants.
For a state that depends on tourism revenue, this doesn't seem like a wise way to usher in Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
Did Jaim fear that Muslims would get “confused”, which is the word often used, about their religion if they saw Santa Claus and his reindeer sleigh?
Yet when I go to malls around Kuala Lumpur, I see many Muslims happily posing for photos with the Yuletide decor.
Perhaps Malacca’s religious bureaucrats have more serious sins to address, such as smoking - which has been declared haram -drugs, the Mat Rempit culture and yes, corruption.
All that may be a wee bit more important than nitpicking over hotel Christmas decor.
Confusing clarifications
Rahmad Mariman, the Umno state exco overseeing religious affairs, “clarified” that Jaim’s circular didn't impose a “blanket ban” for Christmas decor in the whole hotel, but only to areas where food is prepared or served.
His “clarification” reminded me of the brouhaha over banning little “Merry Christmas” creamy squiggles on cakes two years ago.
At that time, there was also a “clarification” that the ban was only for cakes publicly displayed in the bakery, but if they were quickly whisked away in boxes for takeaways, that was allowed.
Fortunately, the Madani government of Putrajaya has now intervened, saying halal-certified eateries are allowed to display non-Islamic festival decorations.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Hasan explained that the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) already decided on this at the national level in 2023 after the Christmas cake controversy. So why did Jaim decide to contradict Jakim?
This is an unnecessary kerfuffle as public Christmas decor is already “sanitised”. Look carefully. Notice that malls never portray Jesus or Mary, but only “harmless” pine trees, candy canes and snow.
In other words, it's a Christmas without Christ. How can that affect the halal status of food?
Malacca invaded
Just before this controversy, Malacca was invaded, not by the Portuguese, but by 30,000 Yamaha motorbikes during a weekend event called “RXZ X 125 ZR Melaka Attack 2025”, which was also called “RXZ Members Ride Edition Melaka 3.0”.
Instead of Santa on his sleigh sharing friendly ho-ho-ho vibes, the town was flooded with vroom-vroom-vroom vexation.
Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong said the RX-Z event led to numerous complaints of late-night noise, racing and people feeling unsafe on roads.
I am all for two-wheeled tourism myself, but please do it in smaller groups, not a huge horde that overwhelms a town.
Rather than addressing these concerns maturely and rationally, our good doctor Akmal Saleh, who is a Malacca state exco member, diverted the topic to why DAP was silent on drunk drivers.
The Umno Youth chief has made his “name” on various issues, from socks and flags to bak kut teh and chicken ham. Does he want to add alcohol to that list?
But it's easy to answer him - because there haven't been hundreds or thousands of drunk drivers in one weekend.
Instead, some of the 30,000 RX-Z riders were “drunk” on speed and lawless behaviour, including running red lights and riding against traffic as seen in this video.
Akmal himself admitted this but claimed they were just a small “minority”.
But what would the poor patients at Malacca Hospital feel as bike exhaust blasted into their wards?
Noise, pollution and danger
Another video uploaded by Malacca Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh himself shows how dangerously close together the bikes are speeding on the roads. One mistake and many riders will tumble over with injuries or worse.
My tourist guide friend YF was leading her group in Malacca when the rowdy riders were there.
“There was noise and air pollution everywhere. Many bikes gathered around Dataran Pahlawan and the World Heritage town area. My foreign guests complained. I really felt embarrassed as a local guide.”
Another friend, JS, said he was on the highway to Malacca then.
“The bikers were acting like Mat Rempits, and no one stopped them. They swarmed a Petronas station in Ayer Keroh, and no car could go in or get out.”
In town, they were riding their noisy bikes up and down the streets every few minutes, disturbing the residents, he recalled.
“We heard a police siren once and thought action was being taken. But the police were only escorting some VIP,” added JS.
Another friend, EL, who lives in Malacca, said the bikes were “exceptionally” noisy and rowdy throughout the day, disrupting the peaceful town.
“I wonder if free t-shirts or food were given out by the state government for this? Is this the type of tourism we want?” he asked.
“Imagine guests staying in posh hotels only to be woken up by loud bike noise. When walking in the streets of old Malacca, the noise and unruliness leave them with a bad impression. Do you think they will return to visit?”
One mindset dominates
One does wonder if the Christmas controversy and rowdy riders would have happened in Sarawak or Penang?
Why did it happen in Malacca? Is it because the state is dominated by one worldview from one racial party?
In the last state election, Umno won a landslide of 18 seats, with MCA and MIC having consolation prizes of two and one seats.
While Umno and Pakatan Harapan work together in a “unity government” in Putrajaya, they do not in Malacca and Johor.
Instead of revving up a riders’ romp on the streets, the Umno-led Malacca government should think about rebuilding urban seaside recreation areas, which have been mostly destroyed by land reclamation.
This historic city has lost its marine charm as previous dubious land reclamation schemes, such as Melaka Gateway, have failed.
But the state is undeterred and wants to double down on an even bigger reclaimed Waterfront Economic Zone over 10117.141ha of land across 33km of the entire coastline. This will be an environmental fiasco, warned one NGO.
Malacca should remember the roots of its success 500 years ago - making all races and religions feel welcome upon its scenic shoreline, not nitpicking religious rules and rowdy riders.
Especially not for Visit Malaysia 2026. - Mkini
ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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