ARAB CITY MELAKA TO COST MORE THAN RM 1 BILLION

28th. April 2009

The first phase of Melaka Arab City has begun at Pulau Melaka. It will cost more than RM 400 million. The project at Pulau Melaka will consist of a shopping mall and shops which offer Middle-eastern products and services.

Besides the Pulau Melaka project, the investors will turn Kampung Jawa into an Arabic Bazaar. Currently, Kampung Jawa has a bazaar which dates back to 1960's. Hopefully, in the future, the whole area will be rejunevated to an exciting and vibrant bazaar with unique shops and specialist stores.

It is a pity that the Old Malacca Central Market was demolished in late 1980's. It the whole structure has been retained, it can be converted into a vibrant tourist market like the market in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam or closer home, the Central Market of Kuala Lumpur.

Time will tell if this project will benefit the people of Melaka.

2009/04/28

Arab City Melaka to cost more than RM1 billion
Bernama


MALACCA, TUES:

Arab City Melaka, the integrated commercial project in the state, will cost more than RM1 billion with construction expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year, its developer announced today.

Hesham Fathi Mohamed, Managing Director of Golden Corporate Heritage Sdn Bhd (GCH), the developer, said the project covering 46.9 acres, is located in three areas -- Pulau Melaka, Klebang and Kampung Jawa.

He was speaking to reporters after the ground breaking of Arab City Melaka, a joint venture between the Melaka state government and GCH, at the site in Pulau Melaka here.

Also present were Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and GCH chairman, Sheikh Saleh Mansor.

Hesham said the project which initially cost RM400 million, would be developed into an integrated and comprehensive development, which included shoppping bazaars, Arabic themed restaurants and cafes, Arabic health and beauty spas and an Arab village. -- BERNAMA

LET US PRESERVE & PROTECT OUR HERITAGE

th.April 2009

While I was back in Malacca for my annual Ching Ming (All Souls Day) at Jelutong, I had the opportunity to go to Majestic Malacca for a meeting.

Since I arrive early for the meeting, I took an evening walk along Melaka River opposite Kampung Morten.

What was noticeable were concrete piles being piled into one side of the Melaka River.If I am not mistaken, these piles are for the construction of a monorail along the Melaka River from Spice Garden to the front of Majestic Malacca. A monorail station is to be constructed here.

Located near here is the heritage site of "Church of Rozary" where you can still see the pillars of the old church.

However, to my horror on that night, a 4 meters piling machine was parked INSIDE the heritage site. One pillar of the old church was pushed down.

Piling machine parked inside Church of Rosary heritage site

As Melaka is now a World Heritage City - Unesco from July 2008,this act of parking a piling machine inside a heritage site is a blatant act of deviance of our Heritage.

The contractor must be penalised and fined for being disrespectful and ignorant. They should be sensitive to our heritage sites rather than treating the area as a construction site.

If we cannot even maintain and prevent unauthorised violation of our heritage sites, how can we invite world visitors to come and visit our heritage sites? As Malaccans in particular and Malaysians in general, we must protect and preserve what we have in hand and not destroy them.

Let us do more in protecting our heritage for generations to enjoy and reflect.

Webmaster


Tuesday April 7, 2009
Official: Protect Malacca ruins
By MARTIN CARVALHO

MALACCA: Heritage conservationists are upset over the lack of protection of the 17th Century Portuguese church ruins in Jalan Bunga Raya next to the Malacca River.

Although gazetted as a historical monument under the Antiquities Act 1976, the ruins have been left neglected with a piling machine used for the Malacca River beautification project parked in the compound.

The Ermida do Rosario or The Church of Rosary was a Portuguese chapel built on the site of the Church of St Lawrence.

It was either destroyed or allowed to fall into ruins during the first decade of the Dutch occupation in 1641 and was subsequently taken over by St Peter’s Church which was erected nearby in 1710.

Malacca Heritage Trust vice-president Michael Benerji described the situation as a lack of sensitivity and respect towards the protection of a historical monument.

Parking a crane in the compound of a state heritage site showed total disregard and disrespect, he said, hoping that the relevant authorities would order the contractors off the site and fence up the area to better protect the site.

State Tourism, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Seet Har Cheow said he would alert the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and request that it fence up the site to prevent unauthorised intrusions.

MELAKA BEATS 2008 VISITORS ARRIVAL TARGET

15th. February 2009

Yes, we managed to beat the 6.8 million visitors target for 2008.7.2 million visitors visited Melaka.

All Malaccans should be proud of this achievements BUT we must not rest our laurels. All of us did our small part. The Melaka Government, NGOs, web site promoters, hoteliers, tour operators, retailers and even Malaccans who show our kindness and hospitality to our visitors. For years ahead, we should continue and strive to reach 10 million visitors in the future.

On the ground, some hitches need to be rectified. My wife and I tried to take the Melaka River night cruise during the CNY recently. Lots of local tourists were also queuing up to buy tickets but the ticket sellers were not too helpful. Due to miscommunication, we were not able to buy our tickets for our boat ride. Besides, the ticket counter, it will be better for the boats to alight passengers on one pier and then go to the next pier to pick up the awaiting passengers. That night, only one pier is used where passengers need to climb one to two boats to get onto the third boat for their tour.

For the Eye of Malaysia, the surroundings need to be spruce up with more trees. Now, the area looks like a construction site which is dusty and not conducive to walking visitors. We want more visitors to Melaka to enjoy themselves during their stay but it is important that we constantly review and improve any shortcomings.

Traffic jams from Ayer Keroh to city centre can take 1 to 1.5 hours and authorities must take pro-active action.

Also, we can build a proper pier for cruise ships to embark and disembark. Due to lack of facilities, cruise ships are now by-passing Melaka from Singapore to Phuket or Penang. This is another loss of high worth visitors. A cruise ship can bring in 1000 to 2000 passengers at one time. A food for thought.

Also, do not encourage tourists to visit Banda Hilir area only. Other areas such as Melaka New Chinatown in Jalan Bunga Raya, Jalan Kee Ann, Jalan Jawa just outside the heritage zone have plentiful of sites and eating stalls.

We need to disperse and develop other tourist attractions outside the heritage zone. If not, traffic jams will continue and we will suffer from our own success in attracting more and more visitors to historic Melaka - World Heritage City.

TW Kang www.tourism-melaka.com

Thursday February 12, 2009 Malacca tourism beats target

By CHEN PELF YEEN

MALACCA: It appears that the global economic slowdown has not affected the state’s tourism numbers as arrivals have surpassed the 6.8 million target set for last year. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the state drew in 7.2 million tourists to the historic city in 2008.

“Domestic tourists made up 84% of the total, or six million visitors, with the remaining 1.2 million or 14% being foreign tourists,” he said here recently. He added that Singaporeans made up 19.3% of the foreign tourists followed by those from China (17%), Indonesia (9.4%) , Hong Kong (4.4%) and Saudi Arabia (4.3%).

He said that new attractions such as the Malacca River boat cruise, Menara Taming Sari and Eye On Malaysia were among the factors that helped the state maintain its high number of tourists. “We hope to attract more visitors this year with the addition of several new attractions,” he said, adding that the state aimed to attract eight million visitors by 2010.

Among the attractions were a water screen and aerospace dome next to the Eye On Malaysia to be ready by April and a monorail and roller coaster in Taman Rempah set for completion in September, he said.

He added that Mydin Hypermarket and Jusco Shopping Mall, scheduled for completion in April and December respectively, would also help lure visitors.

THE METROPOLIS OF KL, KLANG, SEREMBAN & MELAKA

In my opinion, we will see the cities of Kuala Lumpur, Klang, Seremban, Port Dickson and historical Melaka merged into one large metropolis where people and visitors can enjoy the different attractions of each city.

Melaka is already the World Heritage City where history lurks and has flourishing cultures living together for the past 600 years. She is a living heritage in her own right.

For Kuala Lumpur, the modern city with numerous restaurants and entertainment centres offer a different experience to locals and visitors alike. The Petronas Twin Towers are the international icon and symbol which people recognise as KL, Malaysia. Food and different cultures prevail.

For Klang and Shah Alam, we have the main port to Malaysia and near to Port Dickson, we have the KLIA and LCCT Terminal. Soon, we will have a newer LCCT complex at Labu, Negeri Sembilan. All these airports are located within the cities of KL, Klang, Seremban and Melaka which visitors can reach within 1 hour's drive.

For visitors who want to enjoy the sun and sea, they can either go to Port Dickson and Pantai Puteri/Pantai Bidara in Melaka.

Signs are there as we see development along the North-South Highway at Bangi, Nilai, Seremban and Port Dickson. Maybe in the next 25 years, we will see more development at Labu, Alor Gajah and surrounding areas towards Melaka. Time will be our witness.

A BRIDGE FROM MELAKA TO DUMAI, INDONESIA?

2008/12/24


A Bridge from Melaka to Dumai, Indonesia in the future?

It will be nice that we can drive across the Malacca Straits in our own car to Sumatra, Indonesia. We can have a relaxing weekend in Indonesia while Indonesians can travel over for their medical check-ups in Melaka.
From the engineering & civil construction of point of view, the bridge can be built as there are many high span bridges built around the world eg. in Japan, China and other countries. The only constraints will be the financial burden and political consideration between Malaysia and Indonesia. Being a mega project, a lot of details have to be worked out before construction can start. No point having an uncompleted bridge hanging over the Straits of Malacca if the works grind to a halt.
It is certainly an idea worth exploring for the future of Malaysia and Indonesia in fostering neighbourly ties and the coming together of the ASEAN countries into one trade grouping in the future.
Webmaster

Feasibility study first for bridge to Sumatra

MALACCA: The government will conduct a feasibility study on the suggested 52km bridge linking Malacca to Dumai in Sumatra, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said.
He said the study would determine the viability of the bridge, taking into consideration the cost, expected revenue and present economic situation."It may become a reality in the near future. But for now, I think the ferry service is sufficient.

"The Malacca government had earlier suggested the construction of the bridge which was estimated to cost US$11 billion (RM38 billion).Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam had said that the bridge would have great economic potential, considering the population in Sumatra had reached 70 million compared with Singapore with only four million.

He said the idea of the bridge had been raised in 1995, but was put on hold a few years later due to the financial crisis then affecting both countries."There are numerous factors to consider before we can embark on such a huge project. We will decide after a feasibility study is done." Najib was speaking at the opening of the Ninth Malay and Islamic World (DMDI) Convention here yesterday.

In his speech, he urged Malays in the region not to forget their roots and play their part in helping the community grow stronger and more united in facing challenges."Despite the changes around us, we must never forget our roots and should take all relevant steps to foster greater unity, understanding and cooperation among each other." In urging the community to master as many languages as possible, Najib reminded them not to neglect the use of their mother tongue, Bahasa Malaysia.

He also called on the Malays to reject all forms of extremism and the use of militant force to achieve political goals.Later, Najib launched the DMDI Finance House, which he said would begin with an initial investment of RM10 million and an authorised capital of RM1 billion.Ali, who is also DMDI president, said he hoped that if the bridge project was approved, it would be financed by the private sector."

I hope the idea will become a reality because the Malacca-Dumai bridge can not only boost economic development, but also strengthen ties between both countries."

He said the number of tourist arrivals from Indonesia had increased from 1.2 million in 2006 to 1.8 million last year.The number of Indonesian tourists who visited the Unesco World Heritage site here increased from 105,986 in 2006 to 128,057 last year, he added

NEW LCCT AT LABU, NEGERI SEMBILAN

It is heartening to read that the Malaysian cabinet has given approval to a private sector initiative by Sime Darby Berhad, AirAsia Bhd. and private investors, to set up a new LCCT terminal at Labu, Negeri Sembilan.

Covering 2,800 hectares, the LCCT terminal will be the hub to develop 5 townships for various industries. Moreover, the Express Rail Link and KTM Komuter, will be extended to the new LCCT when completed.

Located about 7 km from the North-South Highway near to Nilai/Labu, the new LCCT will be nearer to Melaka than currently. On the long term, with projection that AirAsia will bring in 30 million passengers by 2014, this figure can only benefit Melaka - World Heritage City. If we can get 2% of this projected traffic to visit Melaka, it will translate to 600,000 new visitors!!!

It is important that tour operators, bus companies and taxis that ply Melaka-KL and KL-Melaka routes, be creative in their routings. Long distance buses can use the LCCT terminal as a stop when travelling from Melaka or KL. For passengers who want to LCCT, they can also board on these buses at reduced fares. The key is that we provide accessibility to intending passengers, locals or foreigners, who want to visit Melaka.

In the future, we can certainly see the region of Kuala Lumpur,Klang, Seremban, Port Dickson and Melaka City becoming one large Metropolis whereby visitors can enjoy history, entertainment, shopping, beaches and food.

SHOP SIGNAGES SHOULD HAVE THEIR ADDRESSES LISTED

In order for us to make Melaka and Malaysia "friendly" to local and foreign visitors, the Melaka Historical City Council should implement shop sign boards with the shop addresses listed. Now, most sign boards are allowed to be displayed WITHOUT the addresses. Years ago in the 1960s and 1970s, our shop sign boards have their addresses listed. They are convenient and easy to be seen.

Shop front signboards without address.

By not implementing the sign boards with addresses, it makes it difficult to find a location or shop. Moreover, most of our road signs are either not prominent or have been stolen and not replaced. However, if the sign boards must indicate the address on it, it becomes a "directional finder". We can now see clearly which road we are in, the postcode and contact telephone number of the premises. If anyone is lost due to lack of road signs, we can still rely on the shop front sign boards.

When I was in Bandung over the last weekend, I was fortunate enough to have shop front signboards with their addresses listed. At least, they indicate to us the name of the road and we cannot get lost. Finding the right road can now be determined by viewing the shop front sign boards.

I do not understand why we took away this simple yet effective shop front sign boards. We do not need expensive Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to get us around. What we need is to re-implement back the simple signages with addresses on them. They will prove to be effective and useful to visitors and locals alike in finding the correct roads and shops. Incidentally, we should also implement these changes ALL over Malaysia again.