KULAIJAYA (The Star/Asia News Network) - Johor's administrative capital Nusajaya will be renamed Iskandar Puteri from next year, state secretary Ismail Karim said on Monday (Dec 7).

The districts of Kulaijaya and Ledang be renamed Kulai and Tangkak, he added. The Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar had consented to these name changes, he said.

"We hope to gazette the changes by the end of the year," Ismail told reporters after opening the annual general meeting for the Federation of Malaysian School Bus Operators Associations.

Sultan Ibrahim had decreed in August that the state government should restore Kulaijaya to its original name, the Rakyat Post reported.

He said even if the name of a village or place sounded strange, it should be retained because the name was given by ancestors and had historical value.

The state ruler also said the state government should think of a suitable name for Nusajaya because the name had no local meaning or value.