Photo : Porta de Santiago (A Famosa)

History

Malacca, officially spelled as Melaka by the Malaysian Government today, is founded in 1400 by Parameswara. According to Hikayat Melayu (Malay Annals), he was a young Hindu prince from Palembang who fled a Javanese enemy at his homeland. Initially, he established himself as a king in Temasek (present day Singapore) but he was driven out of Temasek by the Siamese soon after.

With a group of followers, Parameswara set out along the west coast of the Malay peninsula in search of a new refuge. The group first settled at Muar in Johor but they found the place unsuitable for them and moved on.

One day, Parameswara witnessed a strange phenomenon during his quest for a new settlement. It happened during a hunt near the mouth of Sungai Bertam. He saw a mousedeer kicked one of his hunting dogs.

Taking what he saw as a good omen, Parameswara asked his advisor for the name of the tree under which he was resting. His advisor claimed that it was a Melaka tree. Parameswara then told his followers to settle down at the very spot as he would build his empire on the sacred land that he called Melaka.

Under Parameswara's guidance, Malacca soon grew to become a great port and centre of trade between the east and the west. It was also the centre of the great spice trade within the Malay and Indonesian archipelagos, hence the title 'Fabled Spice Islands' by spice merchants. Incidentally, Parameswara was the first Malay prince to become a Muslim and subsequently, Islam became the religion of Malays in the Peninsular (now West Malaysia).

At its peak, there were traders from India, Arabia, China and Siam meeting up at this great bazaar bringing in tea, cotton, silk, silver, porcelain, ivory, Persian carpets, brassware, perfumes, pearls, incense and opium. Even the Chinese Emperor sent his emissaries to pay homage to the ruler of Malacca and vice versa.

Some 60 years later, the State's wealth and fame caught the attention of Europeans especially the Portuguese and the Dutch. The Portuguese, under the command of Alfonso de Albuquerque, arrived first, conquering Malacca after a sustained bombardment in 1511. For the next 150 years, the Portuguese with its massive fortification of A Famosa or Porta De Santiago, controlled the city.

Then in 1641, the Dutch took over Malacca from the Portuguese after an eight-month siege and a fierce battle which left the city in almost complete ruin. Over the next century and a half, the Dutch rebuilt the city and turned it into a military base to control the Straits of Malacca.

In 1795, when the Netherlands was captured by French Revolutionary armies, Malacca was handed over to the British to avoid capture by the French. Although they returned the city to the Dutch in 1808, it was soon given over to the British once again in a trade for Bencoleen, Sumatra. From 1826, the city was ruled by the English East India Company in Calcutta, although it experienced Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945.

After World War II, anti-colonial sentiment bred in the country among the nationalists, the results of which the proclamation of Independence by Malaysia's first Prime Minister, the later Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, at Padang Pahlawan (Warrior's Field) in Bandar Hilir, Malacca on February 20, 1956.

Economy

The State of Melaka is currently on course of rapid economic growth and development. Its State Government has set a vision to turn the state into a 'fully industrialised state' by the year 2010.

The economic growth will mostly be centred on the manufacturing section with private investment growing at an average rate of about 10% per annum.

Overall, Melaka's economic growth averaged around the rate of 8.4% in 1997. It is expected to grow around six per cent yearly up to the year 2020, which is significantly higher than the overall growth target for the whole country.

Melaka has succeeded in restructuring its economic development. The agriculture's share of the State's GDP declined from about 19% in 1980 to about 5% in 1998. The share of secondary sector in the State's GDP (industry) increased from about 26% in 1980 to about 46% in 1998. Meanwhile the share of the service sector increased from about 22% in 1980 to 32% in 1990 before decreasing to about 18% in 1998.

The Melaka State Government is also confident that the per capita income will be increased by about 50 per cent in 2010. The per capita income is expected to rise from RM5,000 in 1985 to an estimated RM9,000 in 2010.

Geography

Being the second smallest State in Peninsular Malaysia (after Perlis), Melaka boasts an approximate coverage of 1,650 sq kms (1.3% of total land banks in Malaysia).

Climate

Warm, sunny days and cool nights all year round with occasional rain in the evenings. Temperature ranges from 23°C to 33°C. Humidity usually exceeds 82.3%. Annual rainfall is 3,218 mm.