MALACCA is making the news again, and for all the wrong reasons.

First, historian Ahmat Adam criticised Malacca Chief Minister Rauf Yusoh for wasting state funds on a trip abroad to verify a manuscript about the mythological character of Hang Tuah.

Then, there was the controversial appointment of Chinese actress Fan Bing Bing as the ambassador for Visit Malacca Year 2024. A mural of her was painted on a wall in iconic Jonker Street.

Did the state use funds meant for the preservation of World Heritage Sites to hire Chinese artist Ren DaChen for Fan’s mural?

The governance issues don’t end there. French historian Serge Jardin recently rebuked Tourism Malacca for factual errors in its guidebook, which he highlighted in a Facebook post.

Following Jardin’s criticism, Tourism Malacca recalled the error-ridden guidebooks but did not explain how such mistakes kept occurring.

Jardin listed numerous inaccuracies, revealing that he had already flagged these issues in 2020, but Tourism Malacca remained indifferent.

Was it laziness, ignorance, or indifference that led to these repeated mistakes?

The errors are embarrassing. The guidebook claimed European colonists invaded Malacca in the 14th century when they actually arrived in 1511 (16th century). It also stated Malacca is 750 years old, though it has existed for about 624 years. Another blunder was the assertion that the Malacca Club was built post-independence when it was actually built in 1912. Additionally, it mistakenly claimed Princess Hang Li Poh married Sultan Muzaffar Shah instead of Sultan Mansur Shah.

Jardin, who settled in Malacca in the 1980s and authored several books on Malaysia and Malacca, has earned a reputation as a historian and geographer of the state.

Same old mistakes

Tourism Malacca apologised for the mistakes, halting distribution of the guidebooks and promising a review.

“We view the matter seriously,” Tourism Malacca told a local daily, saying a show-cause letter would be issued to the publisher.

Jardin was unimpressed, pointing out that he had previously alerted Tourism Malacca to these errors in 2020 but no action was taken.

“Thank you for your reactivity. For your information, I (had) already corrected the same mistakes, on the same page, the fourth edition, dated 2020, (but) no action was taken,” Jardin responded.

Tourism Malacca has not explained why these mistakes have been repeated since 2020.

The chief minister has also remained silent on the matter.

Malacca received Unesco World Heritage status in 2006.

In February, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced an allocation of RM238.7 million for the maintenance of the state’s World Heritage sites, an increase from RM233.6 million last year

Last year, Kota Laksamana assemblyman Low Chee Leong criticised the poor condition of the three-century-old Stadthuys building in Bandar Hilir. Despite assurances from the state government, the famous red building was not maintained.

“Hopefully, there will be some efforts to restore the Unesco World Heritage Site,” Low said.

The Stadthuys was built by the Dutch in 1650 to serve as offices for the governor and deputy governor.

Malacca Historic City Council (MBMB) Mayor Shadan Othman disagreed with Low, stating that the maintenance of the Stadthuys was the responsibility of the Federal Land Commission, not the local government.

“MBMB, through its Building Control Department, wrote to the federal government on December 20 about the need to maintain and restore the site. However, there has been no response to date,” Shahdan said.

It seems both the federal and Malacca governments have no interest in preserving Malacca’s historical sites. So, what did Anwar set aside an additional RM5 million for? – July 17, 2024.