Chow with representatives of the many houses of worship at the Streets of Harmony opening ceremony at Bayan Baru here on Sept 28, 2024. – Bernama
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government plans to establish more 'Streets of Harmony' across the state to promote and strengthen unity among the people, says Chow Kon Yeow.
The Chief Minister said there were currently four "Streets Of Harmony" on the island. These "Streets of Harmony" are where houses of worship for various religions are situated nearby.
There are in the Kapitan Keling Mosque area in George Town, Seberang Jaya and Bukit Mertajam and the latest one is in Bayan Baru.
"We are also planning to have one in Ampang Jajar, Butterworth," he told reporters after opening the Street Of Harmony at Bayan Baru near here on Saturday (Sept 28).
The Street Of Harmony in Bayan Baru houses six houses of worship, namely the Serpent Temple, Surau Al-Ubudiah, Seri Visvanather Sri Visalatchi Temple, Penang Charismatic Church, Gurdwara Sahib Bayan Baru and Than Hsiang Temple.
Chow said the state government is always committed to promoting harmony and has allocated RM1.3mil to Penang Harmony Corporation (Harmonico) for the purpose.
An aerial view of Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling in Penang where several houses of worship are located within few hundred metres of each other. Seen here are Kapitan Keling Mosque (foreground) and the Sri Mahamariamman Temple (diagonaly across the street in the background). – ZAINUDIN AHAD/The Star
The state government, he said, has also developed eRibi, a database for non-Muslim houses of worship, serving as a one-stop centre to connect the state government with these communities.
This system aims to ensure a more systematic and organized management process, he added.
As of today, nearly 1,500 non-Muslim houses of worship in the state have registered under eRibi. – Bernama
Streets Of Harmony, Penang, Houses of Worship, Chow Kon Yeow, Unity, Religion, eRibi
