Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi says he will be taking over the state tourism portfolio , which could indicate a reshuffle of the Johor executive committee.
During a Chinese New Year gathering with Chinese leaders at his official residence here, the Johor Mentri Besar told the crowd that he would be taking over the tourism portfolio.
"We just made slight changes to our portfolios. After this, I as Mentri Besar, will take care of tourism," he said in his speech on Wednesday (Feb 7).
This was met with applause from some 70 attendees which included community leaders, association representatives and business leaders.
He added besides major developments such as the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, the state government wanted to focus on tourism.
Onn Hafiz previously held the tourism, youth and sports portfolio before he was sworn in as the 19th Johor Mentri Besar.
Tenggaroh assemblyman K. Raven Kumar is the current state tourism, environment, heritage and culture community chairman.
During the 2024 Johor Budget announcement on Nov 23, Onn Hafiz also announced plans for Visit Johor Year 2026.
On Tuesday (Feb 6), Johor Regent Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim received an audience from Onn Hafiz and state secretary Tan Sri Dr Azmi Rohani.
Photos of the meeting were posted on Tunku Ismail's Facebook page, saying that various state-related matters were presented and discussed.