Multicultural event attracts around 300,000 spectators every year
DATUK Seri Najib Razak is expected to be the guest of honour at the annual Chingay procession here.
Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the prime minister would witness the parade on Feb 12, which has been attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators for 140 years. It is usually held at the city centre here.
Ghani was speaking at the Chinese New Year open house organised by the Johor Baru Tiong Hua Federation at Wisma Tiong Hua on Monday.
He also announced a RM500,000 contribution to the federation.
Held on the 21st day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the Chingay parade began as an annual "tour" of the five deities worshipped by the different dialect groups of the Chinese community.
It has since become a multicultural event that has been attracting around 300,000 spectators, including local and foreign tourists.
The colourful evening parade, to be organised by the Johor Baru Tiong Hua Federation, is marked by a float procession, flag pole performances, stilt acrobatics, lion and dragon dance performances and other activities.
On another matter, Ghani said the year 2012 was expected to be a turning point for big development projects in Johor.
He cited the redevelopment plans for downtown Johor Baru, including the RM200 million beautification of Sungai Segget, as one of them.
"In 2012, many big investments in Iskandar Malaysia will begin. This includes several universities, hotels and Legoland Malaysia.
Ghani said the state government had always used allocations for development in a transparent and efficient manner to benefit the rakyat.
"Johor Baru folks can see this. Since 2007, there have been upgrading works on many roads in Iskandar Malaysia. The people are able to enjoy the infrastructure."