Life of Johor’s first MB on stage

05 July 2010 , By The Star

A stage play on the life of Johor’s first Mentri Besar Datuk Jaafar Mohamed titled Bumi Berlantai Permata will be performed today and tomorrow at the main stage in Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim, Bukit Timbalan.

The musical is presented by Johor Society Performing Arts, Alpha Industrial Consult and the Johor Government, with tickets priced at RM5, RM25 and RM30.

Yayasan Pelajaran Johor’s (YPJ) Sahruddin Manas is directing the play which is part of the Johor Baru Arts Festival 2010 programme.

“The play is about the history and glory days of the Johor Government during the time of Jaafar,” he said.

He said the musical tells the story of Jaafar’s struggles in defending the sovereignty of Johor from the British.

“Among Jaafar’s contributions was the mandating of British officials who served in Johor to wear the state’s official uniform and ensuring that the Union Jack flew lower than the Johor flag,” added the theatre director.

Sahruddin said Jaafar released Johor from the clutches of the British by ensuring all letters from Queen Victoria were addressed to Sultan Abu Bakar directly and not through Singapore.

He added the former Mentri Besar also made Bahasa Malaysia the official language for government correspondence in Johor.

For tickets, call 019-716 9900 or 019-713 9900 or visit www.jbartsfest.com