Yayasan Undang Johol gives RM1 million to UKM to redevelop customary land

JOHOL, May 11 (Bernama) -- Yayasan Undang Johol (YUJ) today presented an endowment fund of RM1 million to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) to redevelop idle customary land and empower the children in the district through education.

Undang (Ruling Chief of) Luak Johol Datuk Muhammed Abdullah said the cooperation from the university was vital to transform thousands of acres of idle customary land in Johol and other districts in Negeri Sembilan, especially through their expertise in agriculture, livestock breeding and fisheries sectors.

“The initiative can help boost the local economy and increase family income, especially to the B40 target group so that they can get out of poverty, as well as creating job opportunities for rural residents,” he said at the presentation ceremony of the fund here.

Earlier, Muhammed also witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between UKM, represented by its vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Ekhwan Toriman, and Yayasan Undang Luak Johol, represented by its chief executive officer Md Ghazali Md Yasin.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ekhwan said the fund was an initiative to support the research and development activities that would benefit the people, especially those in Johol, and at the same time, improve the socio-economic status of the target group in a sustainable manner based on knowledge.

“It is also hoped the lure more investors to develop such idle customary land,” he said.

At the same time, he said the fund would also help empower the children of Johol through scholarships for them to pursue tertiary education or carry out research on the institution of Luak Johol and the Perpatih Custom in Negeri Sembilan.

-- BERNAMA