Johor Bahru, Malaysia | Asia Samachar | 20 April 2015
The Johor state government is looking into requests to return the land behind the Gurdwara Sahib Johor Bahru (GSJB) back to the gurdwara and also to include Vaisakhi open house in the state tourism calendar.
These were among the promises made by Johor menteri besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin when he attended the Vaisakhi celebration organised by GSJB at a school hall in Johor Bahru, yesterday.
The state government also presented cheques as part of its allocation for the Sikh community. GSJB received a cheque for RM100,000, Gurdwara Sahib Kluang (RM30,000), Gurdwara Sahib Pontian (RM30,000) Gurdwara Sahib Segamat (RM20,000).
“The MB has never failed to impress us. We are working closely with his office on our requests. The state had also agreed to sponsor this Vaisakhi event,” GSJB committee president Manjeet Singh told Asia Samachar.
Representatives from all the other gurdwaras in the state of Johor, except Muar, were present at the evening function.
Batu Pahat gurdwara was represented by its committee secretary Harmail Singh. The other gurdwaras were represented by their respective gurdwaras committee presidents, i.e. Jagjit Singh for Segamat, Randhir Singh for Pontian and Gurvinder Singh for Kluang.
Muar representatives were unable to attend as the Johor Sultan was having a coronation program in the town on the same day.
Also present were Johor Bahru MP Shahril Abdul Samad, and Johor state executive committee members Tee Siew Kiong and R. Vidyananthan.
At the function, GSJB recognised Sikh students who excelled in the national board examinations. They had also recognised the leaders of the Johor Bahru Istri Satsang (ladies congregation) which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.
On the land matter, Manjeet said the gurdwara’s land used to extend all the way until Sungai Segget, with the entrance being on another side. In the 1970s, the Sikhs had agreed to the local municipal council’s request for Sikhs to surrender the land for some proposed development.
“Since no development took place, we are now requesting for part of the land to be returned back to the gurdwara. We need the space to extend the Guru-ka-Langgar [communal kitchen] and setting up of the Punjabi school,” he said.
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JOHOR STORIES:
Sole turbaned Sikh at Sultan Johor coronation (Asia Samachar, 23 Mar 2014)
Johor state has been supportive of Sikhs: Manjeet (Asia Samachar, 9 Dec 2014)
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