July 13, KUALA LUMPUR — After it was discovered that the guidebooks contained numerous factual mistakes regarding the state, Tourism Melaka is returning them.
Frenchman Serge Jardin posted a lengthy list of errors he discovered in the guidebook on Facebook.
Among these claims is that the European invasion occurred in the fourteenth century when the European colonists first appeared in 1511 or the sixteenth century; another claim dates Melaka to the year 750, although it has only existed for around 624 years.
The guidebook also claims that Hang Li Poh married Sultan Muzaffar Shah rather than Sultan Mansur Shah. The Malacca Club was constructed in 1912, only a year or two after the country gained independence.
In the 1980s, Jardin worked as a tour guide and tour operator in Malaysia before relocating to his wife’s native Melaka. He wrote several books about the region, including Malaisie, Uncertain Regard, and Malacca Style, which helped him establish a reputation as the state’s historian and geographer.
In response to the Facebook post, Tourism Melaka issued a public apology, said it would stop the handbook distribution right once, and said it would review the information therein.
The tourism organization also stated to The Star, “We view the matter seriously,” and it affirmed that it will summon the guidebook’s publisher and send a show-cause letter demanding an explanation.
Jardin’s answer to the statement is intriguing, though: “I appreciate your quick response. For the record, no action was taken after I fixed the identical errors on the same page in the fourth version, dated 2020.
As of the time of publication, Tourism Melaka had not reacted to the criticism – Malaymail
