PETALING JAYA, Dec 28 — The Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim would make a great “full-time” politician, Amanah’s Jasin parliamentary co-ordinator Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan said today.
Khairuddin said the Johor crown prince, who is known to be bold in airing critical views on the country’s affairs on social media, would be able to participate more actively if he chose to set aside his crown and be a lawmaker.
“Your Highness, if you feel that you are great at politics and like to make political statements, I humbly advise that you relinquish your crown and enter politics full time,” he said in his Facebook post.
“Your Highness should follow the praiseworthy footsteps of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar who are involved as full-time politicians,” he added.
Tengku Razaleigh, a Kelantan prince, has been Gua Musang MP since 1986 while Tengku Azlan from Pahang was Jerantut MP from 1999 to 2013. Both men are with Umno.
Khairuddin also said since Tunku Ismail is part of a royal family, the public fears reprisal if they were to comment on his political remarks.
“Your Highness, you can always criticise the people but the people can’t do that as you have royal immunity.
“If Your Highness still continues to make political statements, I am worried that the people will no longer respect the palace,” he said.
The Johor crown prince is known for making bold statements on politicians or politics in general.
In April Tunku Ismail launched a veiled attack on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, ahead of the general election.
Without naming Dr Mahathir, the crown prince said the Kedahan who returned as prime minister a second time was responsible for stripping the powers of the Sultan, in an apparent reference to the constitutional amendments of the 1990s.
