Over the past few weeks, tensions have been high between Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and members of the Johor royal family, namely Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim (TMJ).
In his most recent press conference earlier today (6th May), the Prime Minister was asked about TMJ’s claim that many of the deeds of his father, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, were not being given enough credit and that further strained the relationship between the government and Johor royalty.
Source: The Sun Daily
In response to the question, Tun Dr Mahathir was quoted by The Star as saying,
“I don’t want to comment on the Sultan of Johor (Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar). If I say anything, that is not good – it is not nice because he is the Sultan. But this TMJ is a little boy.”
“Well, he is stupid because he does not know what is happening. So, don’t talk. If you don’t know anything, don’t talk.”
On Saturday (4th May), TMJ Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim posted a series of tweets, claiming that the Johor royal family were being unfairly criticised over the Rapid Transit System (RTS) project. In one of his tweets, he uploaded a statement from the Sultan of Johor, which showed that a plot of land in Bukit Chagar was handed over to the government with no cost to be developed as part of the RTS project.
https://t.co/6Xt6DAGfwX pic.twitter.com/YrW5K6izp8
— HRH Crown Prince of Johor (@HRHJohorII) May 4, 2019
Berapa banyak Tanah tanah Sultan Johor yang di beri kepada Rakyat dan Kerajaan senjak dulu hingga ke hari ini? Berjuta duit Kurniaan kepada kerajaan? DYMM selesaikan hutang Kerajaan masa tahun ke dua jadi Sultan. Berapa Juta ke Yayasan Yayasan? Benda baik tidak di kongsi.
— HRH Crown Prince of Johor (@HRHJohorII) May 4, 2019
Contoh Rumah mampu milik Johor di Bandar Dato Onn dan Mersing, kedua-duanya tanah ini dikurniakan oleh Tuanku. Di bina oleh Tuanku. Tanah Masjid, kuil dan tokong yang di kurnia. Orang naik Haji? Beribu di kurnia dan bantu oleh Tuanku. Sumbangan sumbangan ke Hospital. No news.
— HRH Crown Prince of Johor (@HRHJohorII) May 4, 2019
Two of his subsequent tweets translated to,
“How much land has the Sultan of Johor given the people and the government from then until now? Millions were given to the government. His Majesty even managed to settle the government’s debt during his second year as Sultan. How many millions were given to foundations? News like this has never been publicised.”
“Land for mosques and temples, and people going for the hajj pilgrimage? Thousands were helped by the Sultan, even donations to hospitals. No news.”
What do you think about Tun M’s latest statement? Let us know in the comments section.
