Recent remarks made by Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim suggesting that the federal government should be restructured and the state should be considered "partners" have been met with disapproval by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
According to Dr. Mahathir, these "ideas" can have detrimental effects on the stability and constitutional structure of the nation.
"We can't rejoice in his statement, which he has released. We have established the Federation of Malaysia. Tunku Ismail seems to believe that Malaysia ought to have a single king and other similar ideas.
"That is going to change our constitution, and that is not wise because when you do that, the whole country will crumble," said the former prime minister on an installment of Fireside Chat on Sinar Daily.
The former MP for Langkawi also brought up the historical background of Malaysia's federation, emphasizing how crucial state-to-state solidarity is.
"The Malay states were divided before we attained independence. Every state had a monarch and a nobility of its own. Due to their tiny size, weakness, and poverty, the states were forced to submit to foreign powers such as Thailand, Myanmar, and China.
"I regret to inform you that the nation would regress if the entire country were divided. Even those who are succeeding will fall back. I think we have a good system with the federation," Dr. Mahathir said in response to a question about advice for Tunku Ismail.
“The Malayan Union, which would have been a single nation without states and a single government, was what the British sought to establish. There were seven governments in the past. Both the populace and the ruling class objected to the Federation and accepted it.”
The advantages of the current federal system, which strikes a balance between state autonomy and the obligations of a central government, were another area of emphasis for the former premier.
He emphasized that the nation and its citizens should present a unified front when interacting with international powers. "So the states are on their own, but for the big things like foreign affairs and defense, it should be the responsibility of the Federal Government," he added.
In a podcast at the Johor young meet-up program over the weekend, Tunku Ismail, better known by his Malay title Tengku Mahkota Johor (TMJ), stated that Johor should be considered a partner in place of the Federal Government's current structure.
He stated that Johor is not a part of Malaysia and that the Federal Government's current arrangement has to be modified.
The Johor Regent remarked, “You have to start treating us like partners because we are.”
He added that although Johor pays the Federal Government approximately RM48 billion in taxes, the state only gets RM1.4 billion in return in the form of an annual budget.
According to Tunku Ismail, Johor should create its own political party since it cannot continue to be a "beggar".
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