What happened to simple ‘Selamat Datang’?

Tourism is big bucks for Malacca. So one would expect the state to be happy in welcoming tourists – local and foreign – with broad smiles and open arms.

Well that is what Malacca does – most of the time.

But somewhere in between the niceties and pleasantries, the state government somehow saw it right to slip in a  strange – for want of a better word – way  in greeting visitors .Perhaps “odd” is a better word. Anyway…

Coming into Malacca from the Ayer Keroh toll, one’s attention is drawn to miniature electronic boards along the road leading to the city centre. You know, the types usually hanging on lamp posts.

The miniature electronic boards are there for a reason i.e. to remind visitors “not to mess” with Malacca.

And nearer to the city centre stands one huge billboard screaming the same thing – “Don’t mess with Melaka”.

What “garang” way to greet visitors . Is Malacca welcoming or shooing them? I wonder.

As it’s in English, I assume the message is for foreigners. Probably the idea to have such a threatening message came about following the Mount Kinabalu incident some months back . Remember a bunch of Mat Sallehs stripping naked on the mountain top?

I can understand Malacca wanting to remind or should it be wanting to warn foreign visitors to abide by law of the land and be sensitive to local cultures and practices and whatnot.

A sort of “don’t do things we don’t like”. Kita orang timur sopan santun “genre”.

I won’t argue if the authorities were being “preachy” with a holier than thou attitude and implying all white folk are naughty .

The ‘Don’t mess with Melaka’ signboard seen after the Ayer Keroh toll. – Pic courtesy of Mohsin Abdullah, December 4, 2015. Might as well put the finishing touches to have a more “mean” message . Don’t mess with Malacca or else…

Let the visitors’ imagination work overtime, figuring out what the consequences would be .

But seriously , surely there other way or words to remind tourists – foreigners in particular – not to misbehave. If that is the intention in the first place.

Here’s a throwback – when the country enforced the death penalty for drug offences in the 1980s .There were signs at all entry points into Malaysia warning visitors that drug trafficking is punishable by death.

Yet warning signs put up then did not shout  – “bring in drugs, we will hang you”.  Instead the signs read “dadah is death”. Without sounding offensive but everyone understood the message. Loud and clear.

The “don’t mess with Malacca” message apart, there was the banner put up at a condo in Shah Alam. It was in the news lately. Still is, matter of fact.

The banner said boldly: “foreigners are not welcome to stay here.”

Apparently residents of the condo, predominantly Malay, are concerned foreigners might do things which go against local traditions, etc. Up went the banner at the entrance.

Were the residents right or were they wrong in doing so? I won’t go into that. I’ll keep my take to myself .For now at least.

But I’ll say this: must the words be harsh? Crude? Can’t a “this condo is for Malaysian citizens only” do the job?

Be it in Malacca or Shah Alam, for that matter anyway in the country, being tactful is the order of the day. Orang timur sopan santun remember ?

Like what Malays in the northern peninsula would say: “Awat kasak sangat.”

In Malaysian English that’s: “Why lah, so rough.” – December 4, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.