CM: Seri Bendahara may become a hotel

Major attraction: Thousands including foreign tourists have visited Seri Bendahara, formerly the official residence of the Melaka Chief Minister, in Ayer Keroh.

MELAKA: Seri Bendahara, which is open for public viewing, may accept guests for stays.

The new state government is mulling a proposal to turn the once official residence of the Melaka Chief Minister into a guest house or boutique hotel.

Chief Minister Adly Zahari said a decision would be made soon after the public viewing exercise closed on June 14.

The number of visitors has crossed the 10,000 mark since the spacious facility was opened to the public after the May 9 general election.

The visitors included busloads of tourists from China.

Adly revealed that he will be using the Peringgit government quarters in the city centre as his official residence.

“Seri Bendahara will no longer be used by my administration,’’ he told reporters yesterday.

Adly had previously said that Seri Bendahara was opened to the public to show them the lavishness of the previous Barisan Nasional administration.

He said Seri Bendahara would continue to accept visitors despite a claim by Melaka PAS commissioner Kamaruddin Sidik that severe damage had been caused to the building.

“Seri Bendahara is government property and as such it belongs to Melakans. I don’t think any right thinking person would go around destroying the property,” he said, adding that so far only broken flowerpots had been reported.

Kamaruddin had complained that the toilets and furniture inside were damaged by visitors.