In honour of this year’s Chinese New Year, the Johor state government has set aside almost RM17 million for the Chinese community, which will be used for celebrations, schooling, culture, and development.
Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced that RM1 million would be allocated to Southern University College (SUC), RM3.27 million to ten Chinese independent secondary schools, and RM1.3 million to 219 national-type Chinese schools (SJKC) for teacher facilities, including parent-teacher associations (PIBG).
“RM1.5 million has been set aside for the Maju Johor lion dance programme, while RM2 million will be given to non-Muslim houses of worship and Tiong Hua non-governmental organisations.
“We are also providing RM3 million through Bantuan Kasih Johor for Chinese new villages,” he said at a Chinese New Year dinner and fellowship event held at Che Ann Khor Yong Peng.
An extra RM4.36 million has been allocated to support events that are held in conjunction with the celebrations, such as the distribution of ang pow, according to Onn Hafiz.
The allocation, he said, is the largest the state government has given in recent years and is partly due to increased state revenue and economic performance, including investments related to the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).
The state government is still dedicated to protecting the well-being of all communities, irrespective of their race or religion, and fostering unity through the spirit of Bangsa Johor, Onn Hafiz continued.
