Light up the night: Trishaw riders gathering in front of Christ Church in Bandar Hilir.
MELAKA: Blasting “dangdut” music on flashy trishaws will not help boost tourism, says a state exco member.
Tourism, heritage, art and culture committee chairman Datuk Abdul Razak Abdul Rahman said there were complaints from tourists over the matter.
“I urge trishaw riders not to play the dangdut music so loudly that it makes tourists uncomfortable.
“There are many other soothing songs that can be played by riders,” he said to some 300 trishaw riders during the Visit Melaka Year 2024 (TMM 2024) event in Jalan Kota in Bandar Hilir here yesterday.
Abdul Razak said the selection of the right kinds of music would be made as part of the criteria for the renewal of trishaw riders’ licences.
He said the state government was ready to provide the riders with a pendrive containing suitable songs to be played for tourists.
Dangdut is a genre of Indonesian folk music that is partly derived from and a fusion of Hindustani, Arabic, and, to a lesser extent, Javanese, Malay and local folk music.
Separately, Abdul Razak advised trishaw riders not to overcharge tourists.
He said there was feedback from tourists that some of the riders charged exorbitant prices in spite of there being a standardised fee structure introduced by the state government.
“I hope there are no longer complaints about overpriced trishaw rides in the future,” he added.
