Has Umno’s Melaka eroded the charm of old Malacca?

 

Do we call it Malacca or Melaka? The Malacca of old, the way the British spelt it, evoked harmony, as seen in a historic mosque, a Chinese temple and an Indian temple, all on a single “harmony street” in town. 

It’s doubtful if permits would be given for three prominent houses of worship on one road in a new township in today’s Melaka, which is the official spelling of the state today.

The current Ketuanan ideology of Melaka saw Umno giving only two seats to MCA to contest in the state elections, before Perikatan Nasional decided it wasn’t worth contesting two urban non-Malay seats and threw them back to MCA.

In contrast, diversity was what made the ancient empire of the Malacca Sultanate wealthy. Eighty-four languages were spoken here as traders from West Asia, China, India, and all of Southeast Asia converged on this bustling business hub.

Old Malacca was also more accepting of traditional culture. The Malays still celebrated the traditional Mandi Safar (ritual sea bathing) festival up to the 1970s, and ladies did beachside joget dancing in kebayas.

Environmental, historical destruction

For me, the worst part is that today’s Melaka not only has no C alphabet, but it has also lost its sea - to the greed of endless land reclamation. Why not instead develop the many inland areas and benefit existing landowners?

The Melaka Gateway reclamation project site, circa March 2023

In the 1960s and 1970s, Malacca folks could enjoy meals at the seaside stalls of Glutton’s Corner, but the sea was smothered with sand, and two malls now sit there. 

The Portuguese fort of A Famosa once stood guard over the port, but Malacca’s historical geography was destroyed with a bland transplant of Subang Jaya called Melaka Raya. 

What if some of A Famosa’s walls were partially rebuilt following existing foundations using the same laterite stone materials? 

Ah, but that would hamper “development”. Instead, a mall was built over antique fort foundations.

To see a historic Portuguese seafront fort today, one has to visit Galle in Sri Lanka or Essaouira in Morocco.

In the 1990s, there were still vibrant seasides at Tengkera Pantai and Klebang Beach, but both are now gone.

Land reclamation at the historic Portuguese Settlement was stopped only 100m away, and even then by protests (including with coffins), as The Edge reported.

In the past, fisherfolk could harvest tiny shrimps (udang geragau) just offshore to make the signature cencaluk or belacan.

But now the fertile fishing grounds have been turned into a muddy mess. Will the land reclaimers or politicians compensate for lost income?

In contrast, Penang has preserved its urban seaside charm at the Esplanade, Port Weld clan jetties, and Tanjung Tokong beaches.

Fishing boats at Pantai Gurney, circa 2021

Even when land has been reclaimed, care has been taken to create new seaside recreation areas, for example at Gurney Bay and the Waterfront Mall. Penang has not destroyed its tourism assets.

Sadly, Melaka under Umno has not provided seafront parks in newly created land. It is a seaside town without a proper seaside for residents or tourists.

Mass wastage and floods

People have to go ever further away to Pantai Puteri or Pantai Siring to enjoy the sea, but even these places will be destroyed in the mania of reclamation for the huge Melaka Waterfront Economic Zone (MWEZ).

Yet many reclaimed areas have become white elephants, so the MWEZ can be renamed the Money Wasting Economic Zone.

The plan to reclaim 25,000 acres of land across 33km of the state’s coastline will be a “most destructive” project, as Malaysiakini has reported. 

It will destroy fishing grounds and worsen floods, as previous reclamation projects had disrupted natural drainage to the sea.

Coastal land totalling 25 square km may be partially flooded by rising sea levels and global warming in Malacca by 2050, said Bersama’s state election manifesto launched on Nov 2, citing federal government statistics.

Floods in Malacca, crica 2022

But the Umno state government apparently has no plans to address this.

Even without rising seas, the reclamation plans don’t seem to account for the siltation of narrow channels.

For example, Pulau Melaka, where the dead Melaka Gateway sits, is supposed to be an island, but the channel with the mainland has turned into a muddy swamp.

Another so-called narrow “drainage channel” has been planned for new reclaimed islands at Tanjung Kling.

Residents fear that this too will be clogged up, causing the local river Sungai Lereh to flood its banks.

Heritage poorly managed?

Part of the MWEZ overlaps with a Protected Heritage Zone gazetted in 2022 and may cause Malacca to lose its Unesco World Heritage status, just as the city of Liverpool did in 2011 after waterfront development destroyed historical value.

Pakatan Harapan also plans to address issues of recurring floods, drainage, street lighting, and the upkeep of public facilities and tourist sites in its upcoming election manifesto, as The Star reported.

The French heritage activist Serge Jardin, who lives in Malacca, has lamented a string of abandoned projects, including:

• The cruise jetty, Harbour City, Arab City, and Wildlife Theatre on the reclaimed ghost town of Pulau Melaka were never completed.

• At the Melaka River, the floating market and Windmill Pink Market are closed.

• The old rusting monorail stands as a mocking monument of folly.

• The proposed dairy farm, golf course, and resorts at Pulau Besar are all closed.

Sadly, Umno’s political “empire” in Melaka looks like a mess of poor management and wastage.

• Jardin also listed 10 glaring mistakes in Tourism Melaka’s guidebook (in a Facebook post since taken down). For example:

• The Emperor of China bequeathed Hang Li Poh to Sultan Muzaffar Shah. No, she actually married Sultan Mansur Shah.

• The Portuguese ruled for 150 years. False; they ruled for 130 years, from 1511 to 1641. 

• Multiple mistakes about the Queen Victoria Fountain at Stadthuys

These sloppy, amateur errors suggest that incompetent people were chosen to do the official guide. 

Meanwhile, plants that threaten to crack and damage historic masonry are growing on the renowned Porta de Santiago (A Famosa gate) and also St Paul’s church.

Porta de Santiago, circa 2021

Malacca also met Melaka at the famous river cruise.

I first went on this back in 2003 when Bernard Goonting, a local Dutch Eurasian guy, was the guide. He was funny, warm, and knowledgeable about real history, both good and bad. 

But the current cruise has a lifeless, pre-recorded voice giving a sterile version of history, singing the glories of the state government. Instead of the current monopoly, why not allow others to run river cruises too?

The loss of seafronts, threats of floods, destruction of fishing grounds, sloppy work, and multiple white elephants make me sad about modern Melaka.

So please forgive me if I prefer the romance of old Malacca to the bumbling greed on display now. -  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