JOHOR BARU: Promoting racial integration will be one of the key factors that can ensure the city’s continued prosperity, says Johan Arifin Mohd Ropi.

The Barisan Nasional candidate for the Johor Baru parliamentary said that close cooperation among the races in the city has always been the pillar that have laid the foundation of the district and will always be its winning formula.

“Only by working together can we continue to bring our beloved city to greater heights,” he said to reporters after a meet-and-greet session with the Chinese community leaders here on Wednesday (Nov 9).

Johan Arifin shared that, as a start, he plans to organise a multiracial school activity programme that can promote racial integration.

“It is not a school competition, but a programme on sports and academics, that brings representatives from different races from each school as a team.

“Take for example, the Bandar Baru Uda area, where we have SJKC Foon Yew 4, SK Bandar Uda 2, SK Kompleks Uda, and Sekolah Tasek Utara, all running on their own without any integration effort.

“So if we can create a programme such as this, I believe that we can have a better future for Johor Baru,” he said, adding that this will nurture friendship among the kids.

The Johor Baru Umno committee member also planned to introduce a new regional park near the city if he is elected as the MP.

“This will be my gift to all of the people in Johor Baru because we need a place to clear our minds from our hectic days and a place to mentally and physically relax,” he added.

Johan Arifin also plans to have more micromobility initiatives.

“This can be done because once we have the Rail Transit System (RTS) in place, people will still need to continue travelling to where they want to go.

“So if we can have more micromobility options in the city, not only can we reduce the daily expenses, but we can also generate the local economy better,” he added.