From Brian Bridges
I live in Melaka, and as a non-Malaysian I cannot vote in the upcoming state election. But, as a resident who cares about my new home, I think the voters need to know clearly where the various candidates stand on the mega-scale development, the Melaka Waterfront Economic Zone (MWEZ).
The MWEZ is going to involve thousands of hectares of new land reclaimed from the sea. Melaka is a Unesco heritage city with a strong maritime history. Yet, it is the sea which is now under threat.
When the MWEZ concept was first floated, it was expected to cover 22km from Umbai to the Tanjung Bruas port, but in the final version announced in April this year, it has been extended further north to cover 33km in total through to Sungai Udang. Most of the zones will involve additional reclamation from the sea, despite a record of failure for most previous reclamations.
The Melaka coastline is littered with “dead” areas of empty reclaimed land: the once “iconic” Melaka Gateway project has been abandoned uncompleted and Melaka’s unique Portuguese settlement community has suffered major disruption to and degradation of its maritime culture.
Just before the four local assemblymen defected from the ruling coalition, they voted in favour of the MWEZ plans. The subsequent reactions from two of them suggest that they did so with reluctance.
One, a former chief minister, has come out with accusations about corruption in the sand supply for previous reclamation projects, which the MACC is now investigating. The other, presumably well aware of how unpopular this plan was with his constituents (his constituency covers the part of the coastline that would bear the brunt of the initial phase of reclamation), publicly broke down in tears when discussing the issue.
No city can stand still and certainly coherent and sustainable development should be allowed, But, for the sake of Melaka’s future, all candidates should state their views on whether the MWEZ should continue in its present form or whether better use could be made of the existing reclaimed land.
Voters need to know what the candidates think. It is time for the voices of citizens to be heard and the Melaka government to stop planning yet more “white elephants” that only destroy the state’s marine eco-system.
Brian Bridges is an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.