Returning to a More Glorious Era (NST 15/04/2000)
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15/04/2000 Returning to a more glorious era A. Hafiz Yatim THE Malacca Historic City Day celebrations today is certainly an occasion to remember and cherish forever. This is because the celebration is the first of its kind for the new millennium and serves to remind us of the State's glorious history. Malacca started from humble beginnings in the 14th century when a prince, Parameswara, opened-up the State which over the years transformed itself to become one of the major trading ports in Southeast Asia. Traders from India and China who plied through the busy Straits of Malacca soon made Malacca a major port of call - especially for the spice trade. From a major trading port, Malacca soon became a major empire in the region with most of the Malay Peninsular and certain parts of Sumatera falling under its rule. The decline of the Malacca Sultanate resulted in the Portuguese colonising the State in 1511. This was soon followed by the arrival of the Dutch and the English. The presence of these foreign powers resulted in the construction of several monuments and buildings which have remained to this very day. Among these buildings are the A Famosa, the Stadthuys, the remain's of the St Paul's cathedral and the St John's fort which bear testimony to Malacca's past. Even after Malaysia gained independence from the British in 1957, Malacca has remained one of the most historically rich States in the country. In the past, Malacca relied heavily on agriculture, but since the dawn of the 1980's the winds of change have swept the State. Now Malacca is emphasising on its industrial development and tourism promotion. This development has resulted in a major transformation of the State which used to be called the "sleepy hollow". Today, Malacca's economy records the highest Gross Domestic Product in Peninsula Malaysia after Selangor, Johor and Penang respectively. Recognising the need to emphasise industrial development, the State has set a target of being a fully developed State by 2010 - 10 years earlier than the Vision 2020 target set by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The State's eighth Chief Minister, Datuk Wira Mohd Ali Rustam, who recognised the fact that there is not many years left to achieve the objective, has called upon the people to adopt a more positive mind-set. Speaking in his address as the new Chief Minister, Mohd Ali called for a concerted effort by the people to help the State achieve its objectives. However, he reassured the people that, while the State Government will try hard to achieve greater development for Malacca, the poor will not be left behind. True to his words, a few months ago, Mohd Ali announced an increment of between 60 and 80 per cent in the monthly assistance given out to poor families. This has resulted in the State approving an allocation of more than RM500,000 in financial assistance for the poor during the recent State Legislative Assembly meeting. In emphasising the role of industrial development, Mohd Ali said at a recent meeting with leading Malacca industrialists and traders, that the State plans to open-up new industrial estates and expand existing ones to cater to the increasing demand for such areas. "Malacca will give greater emphasis to high technology industries where there is minimal labour usage and better returns," he said. With a population of over 500,000, Mohd Ali said emphasis had to be given towards industries which used higher technology rather than those which were labour-intensive. Besides this, Mohd Ali is also paying more attention to drawing a higher number of tourists to Malacca. "We hope to attract three million tourists this year and the State Government has arranged various programmes to draw their attention," he said. The focus on the tourism industry centres upon different sectors. These cover health tourism, culture, history, shopping, education, sports, recreation. Hence, Mohd Ali has organised several tourism fares, the most recent being the one held in Kuala Lumpur which was launched by Dr Mahathir. On April 24, the State Government will launch a tourism fare in Singapore, recognising the fact that the bulk of visitors arriving here are from the island republic. "We hope to attract them during the June school holidays and that is why we are holding this promotion earlier," Mohd Ali said. The dawn of the new millenium and the Malacca Historic City Day celebrations today provide renewed hope that the State will soon return to the glorious era of the Malacca Sultanate. (END).