The Star Online: Metro: South & East
The Star Online: Metro: South & East |
- Sultan Ibrahim declares Bandar Maharani as Johor’s first royal town
- Johor offers compensation following land acquisition award hearing
- Johor ruler urges all communities to be united to build state’s economy
| Sultan Ibrahim declares Bandar Maharani as Johor’s first royal town Posted: 25 Nov 2012 05:08 PM PST MUAR: The town, once regarded as a sleepy hollow, has become alive with a hive of activities in conjunction with the five-day birthday celebration of Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar. The celebrations, which began on Nov 21 with the Tahlil and thanksgiving prayers at Masjid Sultan Abu Bakar, ended with a dazzling fireworks display along Sg Muar late Sunday. The highlight of the celebration was when Sultan Ibrahim declared Bandar Maharani here as the state's first royal town. Other events include a mammoth tea party, which was attended by thousands and an array of water spot activities along the Muar River. The celebrations were not only during the day but even at night with float processions and concerts performed by local Johor-born artists. Sultan Ibrahim, accompanied by his consort Raja Zarith Sofia Sultan Idris Shah and their children, including the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim were present at most of the events. Many locals were dazzled and marvelled with all the various activities and described the celebrations as the grandest ever held in Bandar Maharani. Visitor Kamariah Aripin, 23, said she was impressed with the cleanliness of the town with all the pre-war buildings painted with a fresh coat of paint along with newly resurfaced roads. "This made the town look vibrant," she said, adding that her whole family came to Muar to take part in the festival. Grandfather Jumat Salleh, 64, who came with his three grandchildren, said he would take his grandchildren to see the Sultan whenever there were Royal functions in town. "They have to know who is their Ruler and are happy to be here during his historic event in Muar," said the retired soldier. Meanwhile, prominent politician Tan Sri G. Pasamanikam regarded the celebration and the declaration of the royal town as appropriate and timely. He said the late Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Sultan Ibrahim opened Bandar Maharani more than 125 years ago and it was among the most "well planned" town in the state. He said the town had many beautifully designed old buildings such as the Sultan Ibrahim building, the Muar High School, the old police station, the old Muar courthouse and the post office. At the mammoth tea party at the Stadium Sultan Ibrahim on Thursday, thousands flocked to catch a glimpse of the ruler together with members of the royal family. Local and foreign dignitaries including Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's wife Ho Ching were present at the event. Also present was Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman and his wife Datin Paduka Prof Dr Jamilah Ariffin. The crowd was entertained by various cultural dances, band performance by the police and other performances. There were also about 60 stalls serving various kinds of local delicacies and even fast food. |
| Johor offers compensation following land acquisition award hearing Posted: 25 Nov 2012 03:44 PM PST JOHOR BARU: The state has compensated RM204.86mil to landowners who have been forced to relocate due to the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC) project here so far following the land acquisition award hearing. Local Government, Housing, Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Ahmad Zahri Jamil said there were a total of 434 owners who attended the hearing and were handed a compensation award and a "Borang H" which details the amount of compensation offered to the landowner and other related parties. "If the owner agrees to the offer made, he only has to return the "Borang H" to the Land Office and his compensation will be handed out within 14 working days of when the form was returned. "So far, 72 owners have accepted the offer completely while 144 accepted the offer but with objections during the hearings in September," he told a press conference at Kota Iskandar here recently. Ahmad Zahri said those who accepted the offer with objections had the option of filing an appeal at the high court to negotiate higher compensation for their land. "So far, only six owners have filed appeals in court while the rest have six weeks to decide before the award is automatically passed," he said. He added that the positive response from residents proved that they were happy with the compensation offered by the state government. "Not even one applicant refused the offer totally. In fact, many are quite happy and have surrendered their Borang H. "The minimum compensation amount handed out is about RM100,000 but most of the residents are receiving much more than that," he said adding that he could not divulge the actual amount given to them as it could lead to social ills. Ahmad Zahri said so far, 33 cheques amounting to RM13.7mil had already been given out to land owners. "Owners have been given a time limit of six weeks or 42 days (from the time that the award was decided in court) to return the Borang H and the cheques will then be sent out in batches," he said adding that the compensation involved residents in Kampung Sungai Kapal, Kampung Langkah Baik, and Kampung Teluk Empang. Ahmad Zahri said to facilitate the whole process, the Land Office in Pengerang will extend its operations to Saturday and Sunday to make it easier for land owners to collect their cheques and hand in their Borang H. The PIPC project will be built on 19,768.4 acres (8,000 hectares) of land and involves the relocation of 28,050 residents in the area. The mega project is part of the state's efforts to transform Pengerang into a sizable force in the oil and gas (O&G) industry worldwide. |
| Johor ruler urges all communities to be united to build state’s economy Posted: 25 Nov 2012 05:09 PM PST JOHOR BARU: The Sultan of Johor has called on the Chinese and non-Chinese community to be united and work together to build the state's economy. Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar said the Chinese should have partnership with other races to strike a balance and strengthen ties within the community. "There is no doubt that the Chinese are a strong force in the local business sector and I want other races to have joint venture with the Chinese. "However, the Chinese must be willing to share their economic knowledge and at the same time, other races should learn from their counterparts and not just be a proxy or sleeping partners," he said in his decree when attending the Johor Baru Tiong-Hua Association charity dinner at The Zone Hotel here recently. Sultan Ibrahim added that he also wanted better relationship between races and cultures in Johor. "The inter-racial ties in Johor have been strong for the past 150 years under the rule of my forefathers so why should that change now?" he said. Besides that, the ruler told the Chinese community leaders to come up with more ways to maintain harmony among the local people in order for Johor to develop. "It is important that the younger generation understand and cherish our nation's history but do not bring up sensitive issues as we have to work together to ensure unity for the nation to progress as a whole," he added. Meanwhile, the association's president Lim Ik Kim thanked the Sultan for his presence and assured the ruler of the loyalty from the Johor Chinese community. "The relationship between the Johor Chinese community and the royal family is still going strong because Sultan Ibrahim and his ancestors had always been caring towards the community," said Lim. During the dinner, a birthday cake was presented to Sultan Ibrahim in conjunction with his upcoming birthday celebration on Nov 22. He also handed over mock cheques to six charity bodies such as The Spastic Children's Association Johor, Johor Area Rehabilitation, Johor Baru Alzheimer's Disease Support Association (JOBADA), National Stroke Association Malaysia Johor Baru Chapter, Befrienders Johor Baru and Malaysian Red Crescent Community Service. |
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