Historic city or funfair?

I AM writing in to bemoan the current state of tourism in Melaka. My parents and my family currently live in the heritage area of Melaka where we run a tourism-related business. We have lived here for over six years now and we have seen how over-commercialisation has changed this historic area for the worse.

I recently showed my friend, who was visiting Melaka for the first time, around the historical area. We walked from the A Famosa fort up to St Paul’s hill and saw a row of stalls selling souvenirs lined up the staircase with some even placed just outside St Paul’s church. Walking down to the area commonly known as Dutch Square, we saw the lower floor of the Stadthuys building lined with more shops.

Melaka’s previous Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Idris Haron (“CM raises concern over historical sites”, StarMetro South And East, The Star, Jan 14, 2017) raised concerns about how commercialisation has started to erase the site’s historical value. These buildings are arguably some of the oldest and most historical places in Malaysia so it is sad to see how the image of the buildings is ruined by the sight of these stalls.

If you want to rile up the feelings of the residents in this area, just mention the trishaws that ply it. The cartoon decorations and blinking bright lights make them look like Disneyland rides. Considering that they tend to linger around the historical sites mentioned earlier, they add greatly to the area’s already sore sight.

But the part that people cannot stand is the blaring loud music that is played by every trishaw. It makes the whole area very unpleasant, much like a very noisy funfair. Not to mention their blatant disregard for traffic rules and obstruction to traffic.

My other concern is how high rental rates are driving out the original businesses in the areas surrounding Jonker Street. The streets are now lined with souvenir shops, boutique hotels, and cafes that do not add to the historical value of the city.

It’s the same with the famous Jonker Walk night market, which does not present much local content and has become no different from other night markets all over Malaysia.

It is also an open secret that many of the buildings here have been renovated and modified without approval from the city council. One does not have to walk much to see continuous works being carried out that is clearly being done in haste to avoid detection by the authorities. Furthermore, many of the businesses here are operating without a licence.

Other issues include the traffic congestion during weekends and holidays and the lack of public transport and car parking areas. The authorities seem to be more interested in issuing summonses to illegally parked cars instead of getting to the root of the problem. A large parking lot outside of the city centre with a regular shuttle service (bus or river taxi) might be a possible solution to both the congestion and parking woes.

Also just as important is the lack of walking paths: With the roads already almost too narrow for vehicles to pass, it makes it very dangerous for pedestrians, especially those pushing baby strollers and wheelchairs. Cars parked on existing walking paths compounded with shops placing their own items on the paths make the already precarious situation more difficult and dangerous for pedestrians.

Declaring the area a Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) World Heritage site has been a double-edged sword. Instead of preserving the very reason why this area was declared a world heritage site, everybody is rushing in to get a piece of the tourism pie, with almost no regulation and control.

Melaka is now at a critical crossroads. It is time for the people and government of Melaka to decide which path it wants to take, before it is too late. It can either be a place to offer tourists an unforgettable experience rich in history and culture, or a place that is nothing more than a congested shopping mall cum funfair.