PETALING JAYA: Known in Malaysia for staunch Bangsa Johor advocacy, Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, however, always identifies as a Malaysian first when abroad.
“If someone asks me where I am from when I’m overseas, I’ll always say, I’m Malaysian,” said Sultan Ibrahim in an interview published in Sin Chew Daily yesterday, following a meeting at the palace in Johor Baru recently.
Since assuming the throne in 2010 and his coronation in 2015, this was the first time His Majesty had accepted an interview from a Chinese-language media outlet.
Among the topics discussed were Bangsa Johor, the importance for all ethnic groups to live in harmony and unity, the future of Johor, and China’s significance to Malaysia.
Although taking pride in the Bangsa Johor concept that upholds the racial and religious diversity of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim said all races are seen as the same.In some official events, the Ruler would see to it that there is mixed seating to allow people of all races to mingle together, rather than segregating themselves by ethnicity.
Besides identifying as Malaysian first, Sultan Ibrahim would mention His Majesty’s origins from the southernmost state in Malaysia, Johor.
To aid understanding, His Majesty would also point out where Singapore and Thailand are on the map, so that people understand where Malaysia is.
Some foreigners, especially Americans, said the Johor Ruler, have poor geographical knowledge and mistakenly think Malaysia is located near Africa.
On another pride of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim lamented that the achievements of its football team, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), tend to invoke jealousy, especially from “one of the previous federal governments”.
“What was the football team like 10 years ago? Zero.
“But now JDT won it all.”
Founded in 1972 as Perbadanan Kemajuan Ekonomi Negeri Johor FC, the club was renamed as Johor FC in 1996 before adopting its current name in 2013.
Owned by Tunku Ismail Idris, the Crown Prince of Johor, JDT scored its maiden major honour in 2014 by winning the national league in its first season.
On his advocacy for Johor’s prosperity, Sultan Ibrahim also complained about the lack of focus on infrastructure upgrades from the Federal Government for Johor.
His Majesty questioned why the North-South Expressway was built from the north to the south, when the gateway to the Asian mainland is in the south.
“Shouldn’t it be built from the south? It feels like we are being treated like a stepchild. But we are a top contributor to the national economy,” he said.
This was not the first time Sultan Ibrahim had expressed his disappointment with some of the Federal Government’s action concerning Johor.
When opening the Johor state assembly meeting in Johor Baru on June 16 last year, His Majesty told the Federal Government to fulfil its promises and improve Johor’s infrastructure, while expressing sadness that federal authorities were not carrying out maintenance works on federal-owned buildings and infrastructure.
He had said then that Johor was also not consulted at all on the decision to drop the appeal on the International Court of Justice’s decision on the Pulau Batu Puteh claim in 2018.
Sultan Ibrahim added that all these unsatisfactory developments might induce Johoreans to agitate towards secession from Malaysia, adding that the state contributed almost RM13bil annually to federal revenue.
“Perhaps Johor can be more developed if we stand on our own,” said Sultan Ibrahim back then.
