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JOHOR BAHRU: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said that Johor appreciates the role played by the Chinese community in the development of the state since the beginning of the Johor Sultanate in the 16th century.
The Royal Press Office, in a statement issued on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, stated that Sultan Ibrahim considered the hard work and resistance of the Chinese community in modernizing Johor as significant and formidable, hence the need to recognize them for his outstanding contributions.
According to Sultan Ibrahim, the Chinese were invited to Johor as “guests” by their ancestors to help develop the state.
“My ancestors had the foresight to forge a unique relationship with the Chinese. They are not ‘pendatang’ (immigrants). They were invited to Johor to open our land and cultivate plantations.
“They are the ‘Bangsa Johor’, like the Malays, Indians and others, who are all Malays,” he stressed.
Tracing the history of their arrivals, Sultan Ibrahim said that it was Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim who first invited Chinese from China to come to Johor in 1844 to help open large-scale pepper farms and players.
Since then, it was also the Chinese who helped put Johor on the world map, he said, adding that by 1850 the state was the largest producer of pepper and gambier, with subsequent active activities such as leather tanning and fabric dyeing. gambier.
“The Sultanate of Johor and the Chinese have a special relationship. They have played a key role in the development of Johor. We appreciate your contributions ”, he emphasized.
