Public holiday in Johor tomorrow as thanks for voting

 The declaration was made with the consent of Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, said menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi at his swearing-in ceremony at Istana Bukit Serene in Johor Bahru this afternoon. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

A public holiday has been declared for Johor tomorrow in appreciation of Johoreans who turned out to vote in Saturday’s state election, menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced today after taking his oath of office.

He said the declaration was made with the consent of Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim as a gesture of appreciation to the people of Johor.

Earlier today, Onn Hafiz was sworn in for a second term as menteri besar. He said he was mindful that every decision made by the state government would affect the lives of millions of Johoreans.

Onn Hafiz, who is Johor Barisan Nasional chief, led his party to a landslide victory in Saturday’s state assembly election. BN won 48 seats in the 56-member assembly, while Pakatan Harapan won 8.

He was first appointed menteri besar in March 2022 after BN won 40 seats in the state election that year. Yesterday, he was re-elected as state assemblyman for Machap with a majority of 15,345 votes, more than double that in 2022. - FMT