ISKANDAR PUTERI: Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar today reminded all state assemblymen not to mar the State Assembly proceedings with bad behaviour.
The ruler said the State Assembly is a place to discuss and make decisions for the interest of Johor and its people.
"Do not mar this assembly with bad behaviour, this is an august house (dewan yang mulia), not a monkey cage (dewan sangkar monyet). I hope the Speaker will remember my reminder to carry out his duties well," said Sultan Ibrahim.
He said he will also not entertain any political games by assemblymen who continue to quarrel and disrupt their duties in the state.
"If anything happens that leads to the fall of my current government, I will not hesitate to dissolve the State Assembly. I think there is no need for assemblymen if they are only interested in their own positions instead of the people's interests.
"Once the pandemic is under control, I will leave it to the people to choose new assemblymen. Carefully choose leaders who are honest and sincere and want to serve the people," said Sultan Ibrahim.
The ruler said this in his address at the opening of the Fourth Session of the 14th State Assembly at the Sultan Ismail Building here.
He said it is the responsibly of the government to plan and implement measures that would help the affected people.
"Therefore, I would like to remind all assemblymen to use this session to discuss and come up with action plans that would help the people and redevelop Johor's economy.
"There is no need to debate or propose irrelevant motions. All of you must prioritise the interest of the people who are facing difficulties.
"There are those who are going hungry, have lost their jobs or fighting for their lives because of the pandemic," said Sultan Ibrahim.
He said this is not the time to quarrel, but to unite and cooperate.
"Do not ask other people what they have done to help the government, instead look at yourself in the mirror.
To redevelop the economy post pandemic, the ruler said the state has to work hard to help businesses and attract more foreign investors so more job opportunities can be created.
"The government also need to come up with new policies that are investor friendly and with attractive incentives, which I'm sure would attract more investors to Johor," said Sultan Ibrahim.
The ruler also expressed his concern over the current Covid-19 situation in Johor where the state continues to record high number of new cases and deaths.
"The current situation worries me, especially with the presence of new variants that are more infectious and leads to death.
"Therefore, I would like to remind the people to be careful, reduce movement outside the house and follow all preventive measures set by the government," said Sultan Ibrahim.