Chinese province eyes Malacca as twin city

MALACCA, Malaysia - Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron said the province saw Malacca as a state that had cultural and geographical attractions for local and foreign tourists.

He said Guangdong was impressed with the development of the manufacturing and services industries in the state, despite Malacca's lack of natural resources.

"We have no natural resources, but have done well in the manufacturing and services industries. This has drawn their interest."

He said this after receiving a courtesy call by secretary of the Communist Party of China, Guangdong province, Hu Chunhua, and 20 delegates at his official residence in Seri Bendahara here yesterday.

Idris said the Malacca City Council would be requested to hold talks with the Guangdong authorities regarding the matter.

Later in the day, he said the state government had issued a warning to a contractor, who had failed to comply with specifications set for the construction of riverside stalls in the state.

The stalls are part of the second phase of the Sungai Melaka conservation and beautification project, which is scheduled to be completed by June.

Idris said the contractor had been instructed to carry out remedial works in the affected areas.

However, he said, the state government would not take action against the contractor for failing to perform work in accordance with its contract.

"As the project has yet to be handed over to the state government, we will not initiate any action against the contractor.

"However, the contractor has been directed to carry out the required repairs," Idris said after launching the "Hello Komoditi" programme at Dewan Tun Ali in Bukit Katil here.

He said he would closely monitor the progress of the RM285 million project.

Idris had recently revealed that a contractor, who was supposed to install a three-phase electrical cabling system for the riverside stalls, had installed a single-phase system instead.