KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim is just like any other normal citizen of Malaysia, free to criticise the government, so long as it is not seditious, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.
He said the Crown Prince was not above any law if he was caught breaking it.
“He can talk like any other normal person. In fact, we consider him as a normal person who can criticise the government, as long as he doesn’t break the law.
“But if he makes seditious statements, then we will take action against him. He is not above the law. In fact, nobody in Malaysia is above the law,” Dr Mahathir said at a press conference in Parliament today.
When asked if Tunku Ismail should join politics, Dr Mahathir said the crown prince could make the choice for himself.
“He can make that choice himself. (If) he wants to be political, he can be.
“There is nothing to prevent any citizen from expressing their opinion and he is a citizen of Malaysia. Nothing more than that,” he said.
Tunku Ismail who is known to be critical against the government, said in a Twitter posting that he hoped the new Johor Menteri Besar would not be a ‘yes man’ to Putrajaya.
“I hope the new Menteri Besar is not a “yes man” of Putrajaya. The welfare of the people and well being of the state must always be a priority,” he said.
He also said the order to change the Menteri Besar was already given by the Johor Sultan months ago.
“The order to change the Menteri Besar has been said before. But someone else wants to take the credit and mileage, as if he ordered it.
“Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku has already sent a review to change the MB months ago. Don’t forget, the power to choose the MB is the Sultan’s right. Enough with the politicking,” he said.
Dr Mahathir had earlier confirmed that Johor Menteri Besar Osman Sapian had resigned effective yesterday.