'Ronggeng' dance not Malacca culture, state opposition chief tells CM

Summary

• Malacca opposition chief pans state government’s plan to revive “tari ronggeng”, claims it has no roots in Malacca.

• Dr Yadzil Yaakub likens “joget lambak” to a public nightclub scene, insisting it won’t attract tourists who are more interested in historical heritage and traditional food.

• He suggests that traditional dance could be documented, filmed, or adapted for learning in schools or interactive museums instead of literally repeating old forms of entertainment.

Malacca opposition chief Dr Yadzil Yaakub has hit out at the state government’s plans to revive the art of “tari ronggeng” or a cultural dance with shared Malaysian, Indonesian roots.

Taking to Facebook, Yadzil (above) questioned Malacca Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh’s reported remarks that the state intends to promote tari ronggeng as a new tourist attraction.

“In the current economic situation where the state and its people are under pressure, the allocation of funds for this programme is seen as wasteful and brings no benefit to the people of Malacca.

“There are many other issues that could be resolved with the available funds,” said the Bemban assemblyperson.

As part of the state’s Visit Melaka 2025 campaign, Tourism Melaka had announced an international “Rentak Bertandak” programme from July 2 to 6, featuring a series of cultural events, including a “joget lambak” session that highlights the ronggeng dance.

Earlier today, Bernama quoted Rauf as welcoming the idea to revive the dance, so long as it “does not go against Islamic laws.”

Waste of funds

Yadzil claimed “tari ronggeng” has no roots in Malacca and likened “joget lambak” to a nightclub scene, but carried out in public.

Yadzil, who described the programme as a waste of funds, also insisted there is no evidence that tourists will come to Malacca just to watch the dance.

“Tourists are more attracted to the uniqueness of Malacca’s historical heritage, traditional food, and architecture - not mixed-gender entertainment.

“There are many other tourism products in Malacca that could be promoted,” he said.

“Reviving arts and culture doesn’t mean we have to literally repeat every old form of entertainment.

“Traditional dance can be documented, artistically filmed, or adapted for closed learning in schools or interactive museums,” he said further.

On social media, critics of the event had cited alleged sensitivities over the chosen location for the joget lambak programme, said to be close to a surau.

Other activities lined up by Tourism Melaka include a Rentak Bertandak fun-run this Sunday.

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