Nod for cultural street in JB

2009/10/05

By Ahmad Fairuz Othman

JOHOR BARU: The downtown area here may soon have its own "Cultural Street" and "Streets of Harmony".

Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman has agreed to the proposal which was mooted by the Johor Baru Tiong Hua Federation.

He said the idea encapsulated the 1Malaysia concept introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The Cultural Street is Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, which was named after a prominent figure in the Chinese community here.

Tan was the second leader of the Ngee Heng kongsi or company of Johor Baru, and was responsible for turning it into a bustling organisation of kapitans, kangchus and revenue farms.

Ghani said the state government had agreed to transform the street, located barely a kilometre from the Causeway into a centre for culture and heritage.

The proposal includes having a permanent stage in the street to hold multicultural shows.

"The state government fully accepts the proposal to turn Jalan Tan Hiok Nee into a cultural street," said Ghani during the launch of the Chinese Heritage Museum at the former Tiong Hua Federation building in Jalan Ibrahim here on Saturday.

The three-storey RM1.2 million museum houses more than 300 artefacts and almost 1,000 documents related to the history of the Chinese community here.

Ghani lauded the Johor Baru Tiong Hua Federation for developing the museum over the past two years.

"It is a meaningful project as it aims to document and exhibit the history of Johor Baru.

"The history of the Chinese community in Johor spans more than 200 years."

Ghani said the setting up of the museum augured well with plans to transform the downtown area into a melting pot of commerce and culture.

During his speech, Ghani also spoke about the "Streets of Harmony" -- Jalan Gereja, Jalan Trus and Jalan Duke.

There are two churches, a Chinese temple, a Sikh gurdwara, Hindu temple, Indian Muslim mosque and a mosque in these streets.

Pulai member of parliament Datuk Jazlan Mohamed, who attended the museum's opening, expressed support for the "Cultural Street" and "Streets of Harmony".

"These locations will be a boon to tourism in Iskandar Malaysia."