Residents of this district proudly present the Jong boat game which is popular among fishermen living in Tanjung Piai here to the Tunku Mahkota of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
The Jong boat game, a traditional race by the coastal Malays, is usually played when fishermen do not go to sea, was performed for Tunku Ismail and the Johor Royal family when they stopover at Sungai Rambah Recreation Park here today in conjunction with the last day of the Kembara Mahkota Johor (KMJ) 2023.
According to Jong Pontian Club chairman Mohd Tahir Abdul Hamid, the game was also played by princes during the Johor Riau sultanate.
He said that his club, in collaboration with the Pontian district office, intends to popularise the game again since this district is one of the stopover locations for Tunku Ismail who led the 23rd edition of the KMJ convoy.
“We feel very proud to present it for the Tunku Mahkota Johor. Once upon a time, the Jong game was one of the trademarks of the Malay Kingdom of Johor Riau, with many princes coming to the coastal area in Johor (Pontian and Tanjung Surat, Kota Tinggi) to join in the game.
“In our efforts to popularise it again, we will make Sept 16 (every year) an annual activity of this game and we will start it this year,” he told reporters after giving a briefing and explanation to Tunku Ismail and relatives of Royal Johor family members.
Accompanying the Royal convoy was the wife of the Tunku Mahkota Johor Che’ Puan Besar Khaleeda Bustamam and Tunku’s other siblings namely Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Al-Haj Ibni Sultan Ibrahim and Tunku Tun Aminah Sultan Ibrahim and husband Datuk Dennis Muhammad Abdullah.
Mohd Tahir added that it was even more special that Tunku Ismail also agreed to order a unit of Jong, as well as intending to learn the game.
“I will prepare the order of the Jong by Tunku Mahkota Johor as best as possible, the most important thing is that it must have red and blue colours and have the JDT (Johor Darul Ta’zim) logo,” he said, adding that in addition to pulai wood, parachute fabric is used for the mainsail.
Sungai Rambah Recreation Park is the second last location of Tunku Ismail with the Royal convoy before ending at Penghulu Mukim Sedenak Complex, Kulai, in conjunction with the KMJ tour that crosses 10 districts covering a distance of 879 km from Saturday to today.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency