The government has greenlit the construction of two mosques in the parliamentary constituency of Ayer Hitam, Johor.

Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali said this in a letter sent today to Ayer Hitam MP, Wee Ka Siong. The letter was dated March 18.

The two mosques are the Ar-Rahman Mosque in Kampung Parit Awang, and the Al-Hidayah Mosque in Kampung Parit Haji Ali, which cost RM1.05 million and RM1.75 million respectively.

Both projects are currently being drawn up by the Johor Works Department and are awaiting approval for building specifications from the state’s Islamic Religious Department.

"The Prime Minister's Department's Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU), as the coordinator of the project, will work on establishing the project's real cost, the suitability of its location, and other related aspects.

"The open tender for the project will begin in August this year," said Azmin.

In October last year, Wee (above) had raised the issue of the mosques’ construction in a parliamentary sitting.

He had lamented how the projects, despite having been passed by the ICU last year, were later put on hold.

The suspension, Azmin explained in the letter, was due to a Finance Ministry circular in June last year which ordered the postponement of all projects which had not had the sales and service tax (SST) imposed on them.

In a Facebook post today, Wee hailed the approval for the construction of the two mosques as a victory for his constituents.