JOHOR BARU: Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal has defended his working visit to the Middle East, saying that it was part of the state government's commitment to improve Islamic education in Johor.

His office issued a statement saying that the visit to Jordan and Egypt, with a delegation from the Johor Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ), is to foster closer ties between universities in the countries – including University Al-Azhar in Egypt – with the state's religious education institution (Kolej Pengajian Islam Johor or Marsah).

"This includes a meeting with the Al-Azhar University Rector to discuss and improve academic ties to provide a route for Marsah students to enter the university," read the statement, adding that memorandum of understanding (MoU) would also be signed with universities in Jordan during the visit.

This comes after the Mentri Besar was criticised for making the visit at a time when Johor in experiencing floods that have affected thousands.

Among those who slammed Dr Sahruddin was Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who said that it was crucial for the state government and local leaders to go down to the field and help the people as much as they could at times like these.

"They should continuously monitor the situation and ensure that all safety aspects and rescue missions run smoothly – not merely leaving it to government servants or volunteers to deal with the situation or just visit the temporary shelters," he said in a statement.

Khaled, who was former Johor mentri besar prior to GE14, said that he was disappointed that Dr Sahruddin chose to continue on with his visit to Egypt during such turbulence period for the state.