Melaka may move capital to MWEZ once completed, says rep

MELAKA: Melaka may be getting a new capital, according to an assemblyman.

Kota Laksamana assemblyman Low Chee Leong said that the probability of a new state capital is high after Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf hinted this when responding to his motion of thanks for the speech of Melaka Yang Dipertua Negeri during the state assembly on Thursday (March 7).

Low said Ab Rauf had told the assembly that the Melaka Waterfront Economic Zone (MWEZ) is expected to be named as the state's new capital once the project is completed.

"The state government came up with its own corridor project to drive the state’s economic growth and there is a chance the state's capital to be shifted in the future," he said in an interview on Saturday (March 9).

The MWEZ project was launched in April 2021 and includes an iconic MWEZ tower, a “welcome” gate, 22 bridges at a cost of RM216mil, MWEZ Sky Wheel, chalets on the water, dozens of luxury offices and condominiums and a Venice-style water canal.

The mega project is the largest land reclamation project in Malaysia, spanning 25,000 acres across 33km of Melaka’s coastal area.

MWEZ is to be constructed on reclaimed land, stretching from Umbai to Tanjung Bruas, here.

Ab Rauf had earlier said that MWEZ would allow investors to receive incentives, including special incentives related to tax exemptions from the Federal Government due to its status as a national project.

Ab Rauf said the results of studies by various parties on the MWEZ development along the Malacca Straits had the potential to become a deep sea port.

However, in May 2022, Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong urged for various “white elephant” projects under the Melaka Waterfront Economic Zone (MWEZ) to be cancelled.

He was also concerned over the environmental impact caused by sea reclamation for MWEZ and hoped that MWEZ would not proceed, in order to preserve Melaka’s natural uniqueness and cultural heritage.

In 2021, Tanjung Kling residents lobbied for Putrajaya to intervene and prevent MWEZ from proceeding, with an online petition garnering more than 20,000 signatures.