JOHOR BAHRU, March 5 – Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, graciously inaugurated the Bangsa Johor Bahagia (BJB) Container Library in Kangkar Pulai on Monday.
In a post uploaded on the Facebook page of Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, Her Majesty expressed hope that the initiative could be expanded to other areas.
“I hope to be able to expand this container library initiative to low-cost flats in Kuala Lumpur as well as other areas in Malaysia in order to cultivate the habit of reading useful materials in the community,” said the Queen.
Her Highness Che’ Puan Mahkota Khaleeda Johor also graced the ceremony.
Also present were the wife of the Johor Menteri Besar, Datin Sharmin Fazlina Mohd Shukor, the wife of the Johor State Government Secretary, Puan Sri Dr Noor Azizah Abdul Latiff, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Fauzi Ismail.
In the same ceremony, Her Majesty graciously handed over a donation worth RM50,000 from Yayasan Raja Zarith Sofiah Negeri Johor (YRZSNJ) to Kenari Flats residents committee chairman Rosli Othman for the use of the BJB community at the flats in Kangkar Pulai.
The construction of the library funded by the Johor State Government in collaboration with Yayasan Sultan Ibrahim Johor (YSIJ) and YRZSNJ is intended for the use of the local residents.
The Queen and Che’ Puan Mahkota also visited the BJB Chili Fertigation Site to pick the produce cultivated by the BJB community as well as meet with some of the residents before departing.
According to the post, the Bangsa Johor Bahagia Programme is the brainchild of Her Majesty which began in 2019, to improve the quality of life of urban poor communities by involving people of various ages in community activities, while also preventing social ills.
“This pioneering programme is supported and funded by YSIJ and YRZSNJ, and implemented in collaboration with UTM, the Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) and the local residents.
“Among the achievements of the BJB Programme is that the Kenari Flat Community in Kangkar Pulai won the short video competition organised by MBIP in conjunction with the National Day in 2021, and was recognised in the Green Neighbourhood Awards by the Department of Town and Country Planning (PLANMalaysia) in 2020.
“In addition, the programme also achieved international recognition when it was named the winner of the Planning Achievement Award by the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), for the success of the Community Farming Project at the Kenari Flats,” read the post.
