JOHOR BARU: Johor's oldest church, the Immaculate Conception has received an allocation of RM300,000 from the Johor government for repairs and renovations.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said he was approving the amount requested by church officials.
Addressing the people in the church hall, he said it is his duty to develop Johor and make it a vibrant city.
He said he was happy to note that this is a historic building in town.
"We want to develop and make Johor prosper. To do this, the only way is by putting our differences aside and work together as a team," he said.
Onn Hafiz said he was delighted to see all races coming together as one big family.
During his speech he also announced that the state government would be allocating the amount requested by the church for its upgrading and other repair works.
"This building has a heritage value and also located in the heart of the city and is the oldest church in Johor," he said.
Onn Hafiz said he was also delighted to know that he is the first Menteri Besar to visit a catholic church which was also just a stone's throw from his residence.
In his welcome address, organising chairman S. Aruldas said it was an honour for the catholic church to have the Menteri Besar's visit.
"As the Church marks its 139 anniversary there is much to rejoice with the various communities comprising the Sabahans, Sarawakians and the Eurasians who are like one huge family," he said.
He said the visit by Onn Hafiz will go down in the annals of the history of the church for making his maiden visit to the oldest Catholic church in Johor.
The Menteri Besar also visited the Gurdwara Sahib temple during which he mingled with the people and said that the state government would allocate a sum of RM600,000 for the purpose of beautifying the Gurdwara.
Onn Hafiz said he was pleased to see the Sikh community united as a family.
Temple secretary Manjeet Singh said the entire Sikh community was enchanted to welcome the Menteri Besar.
"Sikhs of Johor congratulates the state administration and appreciate its efforts in maintaining stability and unity among Bangsa Johor," said Manjeet.
"The allocation granted will definitely be used for the upgrading and beautifying works in the Gurdwara," he said.
Datuk Onn hafiz is the third Menteri Besar to have visited the 101 year-old Gurdwara temple.
Earlier, he also visited the Holy Light Presbyterian Church in Jalan Gertak Merah during which he announced an allocation of RM100,000 for repair works of the children's playground.
Present also during the goodwill visit were Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, the former member of parliament of Pulai, Datuk Mohd Noorazam , the Mayor of Johor Baru and other government officials.