Beautification project a flop

The promenade in Lorong Hang Jebat is beautifully decorated and fitted with street lights for the public and tourists to walk through. However, traders and residents are using the backlane to dry washed dishes and clothes.

MALACCA: The Malacca Government’s ambitious project to beautify the back lane of Lorong Hang Jebat at the heart of the Unesco core heritage zone as a tourism product has become an eyesore.

The promenade, which was completed two years ago, has failed to lure tourists to stroll through on their way to historic icons and also Jonker Walk, Jalan Kampung Kuli, here.

During a check by StarMetro on late Monday night and Tuesday afternoon, the back lane was unlit and had been turned into a washing area, blocked with flowerpots and planks.

Not a single tourist was seen using the alley while a handful of locals walked by.

The pathway was also unkempt and overgrown with shrubs along one stretch close to the exit to Jalan Kampung Kuli.

Malacca Historic City Council (MBMB) officials said that their hands are tied as the back lane is more of a residential area.

Mayor Datuk Zainal Husin acknowledged that the MBMB face a tough time in maintaining the pathway.

“Our objective was to encourage tourists to take a stroll along the back lane, away from the traffic but it has not received the support of residents,” he said when contacted.

He added MBMB is continuing to discuss the matter with residents so more tourists willl use the pathway.

“We don’t want to blame them, it’s their home and they want privacy but we are trying to persuade them to not block the pathway,” he said.

Zainal said the newly established Heritage Trust of Malacca, an alliance between historians and tourism industry players, will continue to convince the residents to clear the pathway.

He said a plan is in the pipeline to turn the whole area, including Lorong Hang Jebat, into a living museum by reviving traditional professions like locksmiths and tinsmiths.

Hence, Zainal said those living along Lorong Hang Jebat will also be roped in to be part of the living museum.