THE slogan "Don't Mess with Melaka" may sound offensive to some, and send shivers down the spine. But, it is not targeted at tourists, it is for the locals and those who come to the state with ill intentions.
"Don't Mess with Melaka" started off a campaign against littering, to ensure the state remains one of the cleanest in the country, but now it also includes combating crime and social ills.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron said aside from promoting cleanliness and landscaping, the slogan was also to create a crime-free environment for the people.
"It's a message of warning to Mat Rempit, robbers, burglars, snatch thieves and the like to stay away from Malacca.
"We want these criminals to know that our enforcement officers are ready and action will be taken against those who try to harm the state and the people," he said.
In April, the public was reminded to think twice before littering in Malacca because they could be fined if caught in the act.
Idris said local authorities had been instructed to issue "affordable fines" against those caught littering despite the offenders being liable to a RM250 fine under existing bylaws.
He said the proposed compound was between RM5 and RM10, which must be paid on the spot.
The amount of the fines was seen as adequate to remind litterers not to repeat the offence and hoped that this would make the people be more responsible in keeping Malacca clean.
The idea to introduce the slogan, also available in Bahasa Malaysia (Jangan Kotorkan Melaka) was to find alternative ways to run cleanliness campaigns effectively using catchy words.
The campaign was launched after the state government received reports that Malacca's cleanliness had deteriorated from 81 per cent to 76.9 per cent.
However, the slogan, emblazoned across T-shirts and billboards around the historical city, targeting litterbugs and snatch thieves, drew flak from many as it seemed that the campaign encouraged gangsterism.
Despite this, Idris did not budge from the decision to go ahead with the campaign, modelled after the highly successful "Don't Mess With Texas" campaign.
"Don't Mess With Texas" was launched by the Texas Department of Transportation in 1986 to reduce littering on Texas roadways.
It was reported that the campaign managed to reduce litter on Texas highways by about 72 per cent between 1986 and 1990.
"Only people who are always thinking about fighting would regard the 'Don't Mess with Melaka' message as inviting a fight. One should not compartmentalise it with only one meaning."
He also said it meant that Malacca folk had a responsibility to ensure cleanliness in the state as well as keeping it crime free. The people are the eyes and ears of the authorities and must report any crime, illegal dumping of rubbish, breaking of traffic laws and other wrongdoing.