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Chief Minister: Get our approval before using 'Malacca' name

MALACCA, July 4 - Anyone who wishes to use the name “Malacca” in anything must now first get the green light from the state government.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said that the state’s name was not something that anyone “play around” with as Malacca was a sovereign state.

“Malacca is the state where Malaysia’s history started and it is a civilised and developed place. We are the pride of the country and also known on the international platform,” he told newsmen after chairing the exco meeting here Wednesday.

The Chief Minister was commenting on a reader who wrote in to a newspaper saying that instead of protesting, the state government should be proud of the name “Melaka Virus” as it involved a lot of research to discover it.

“Who suggested it? Ask him to use his name. Simply using the state’s name means disrespecting the state, so if the person wants it so much, use the person’s name,” said Mohd Ali.

He said the state executive councillors had already recorded their disappointment that the name Malacca had been used in such a way, but thanked Health Minister Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek for his willingness to have the name changed.

“I have suggested the name virus kelawar (bat virus),” said Mohd Ali. theStarOnline