The sultan urged Putrajaya to give Johor more funds, pointing out that allocations for the state were “starkly disproportionate” to the RM13 billion Johor contributed to the federal coffers annually.
Sultan Ibrahim said he was unhappy at the state of federal government buildings and facilities, especially the hospitals and the immigration checkpoints.
He also lamented the pothole-ridden federal roads and Putrajaya’s unfulfilled promises of expanding the North-South Expressway and the Senai-Desaru Highway.
“If this trend continues, Johoreans may agitate towards secession from Malaysia. Perhaps Johor can be more developed if we stand on our own,” he said when opening the new meeting of the Johor legislative assembly.
Sultan Ibrahim also said the federal government’s decision to drop its claim on Pulau Batu Puteh at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) impinged on the state’s sovereignty.
“The federal government did not consult Johor on this decision, even though this involves Johor sovereignty,” he said, adding that it was a breach of the state’s rights under the federation agreement.
This is not the first time that members of the Johor royalty have spoken out against the federal government’s treatment of the state.
Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim previously spoke on the lack of funds for the state following a fire at Hospital Sultanah Aminah.
Sultan Ibrahim also said local councillors and village heads should be appointed based on merit rather than political affiliation.
He also decreed that all state government projects cannot carry any political messaging in their signage or announcements.
He said a project should be identified as “a project by the Johor government” as opposed to “a Barisan Nasional or Perikatan Nasional government” project.
Sultan Ibrahim further decreed that cash aid for the people should be channelled through government agencies, district offices and village heads.
We are live on Telegram, subscribe here for breaking news and the latest announcements.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram