Outspoken crown prince of Johor Tunku Ismail Ibrahim in a recent interview stated that Johor had the right to secede from Malaysia if any of the basic terms agreed upon joining the Federation of Malaya had been breached.
“In fact, we only joined the Federation of Malaya, upon both parties agreeing to several basic terms. And if any one of those terms are breached, we have every right to secede from this country,” he was quoted saying in an interview called ‘The Godfather of Malaysian football’ published by the FourthOfficial on Oct 15.
“You can accuse me of instigating state-based sentiments, but to me, I’m merely doing my duty to the people of Johor, and reminding them of the history and heritage behind this great land.”
He asserted that although Malaysia was important to him, Johor would always come first.
Similar calls have been made by his brother on Instagram whereby Tunku Idris Ibrahim had issued a reminder that the Johor government had joined the Malay federation in 1946 on several conditions which included making Islam the religion of the state, the state’s absolute right over water and land issues, and the state royal house to have its own armed forces. -NEWSWIRES