Melaka and its Past

Despite the celebration and promotion of the creative economy, there is still a “dark” side to creativity. Creativity entails experimentation, chaos and failures. A creative space blends the aesthetics with chaos, sleek design with experimentation, and economic development with failed ideas. This case looks at the ambiguous and ambivalent interfaces of history in the historical city of Melaka (also known as Malacca) in Malaysia. History, by its definition, is a documentation of the past. Any historical documentation can be contested and revised. This case will not engage in the debate on revisionist history. Instead, it will show how history and heritage is negotiated and appropriated under present circumstances in the historic city of Melaka. The re‐interpretation and revision of history is part of the everyday creative response to changing circumstances. Such contemporary responses to the past, however unclear and acrimonious, are the essence of a creative place

National and local politics in branding the past

This paper critically examines the relationship between federal and local‐state level governments in interpreting and presenting the World Heritage brand at two Malaysian World Heritage sites, George Town and Melaka. The World Heritage status is internationally recognised. Although the World Heritage brand offers many advantages in tourism development and destination marketing, what and how the local heritage is conserved, interpreted and appreciated remains open. This article shows that the mechanisms of interpreting and presenting the WH status vary according to the agendas and needs of authorities. This working paper also shows that material heritage and heritage stories are highly politicized, and the World Heritage recognition has inevitably become a tool for further ideological intentions