‘Johor must stay Johor,’ crown prince says after Pakatan sweep

KUALA LUMPUR: Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Ibrahim has congratulated Pakatan Harapan (PH) yesterday for its victory in the polls, roughly a month after appearing to support Barisan Nasional and criticising PH’s chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Tunku Ismail also reminded the winning parties that those who serve the state are servants of the public, and safeguarding the state’s sovereignty and harmony are their priority.

“My advice to all of you is to never forget that Johor is a sovereign state that has its own culture and specific code of conduct,” he said on the Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page.

The prince also reminded politicians to put public welfare first and not personal interest,

“We need to learn from the mistakes that others have made. I’ll say it again, never forget the sovereignty of Johor, the Johor state constitution and it’s welfare. Whatever happens, Johor must always be Johor,” he said.

Last month, Tunku Ismail launched a thinly-veiled attack on Dr Mahathir, without naming him, and warned Johoreans not to be duped by a “forked-tongue” individual.

In the widely-criticised Facebook post, he also said changing a country’s fate and improving the system was not by bringing down a government, but by changing it from within.

Dr Mahathir-led PH won the simple majority to form the Johor state government last night, and a mentri besar is expected to be sworn in today.