A LEADER who walks the talk and always puts the people first, that is how Johor state executive councillors (exco) have described Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.
Since taking their oaths in March 2022, the line-up of 10 exco members has been given the privilege of receiving advice and guidance from Sultan Ibrahim, a Ruler who has earned a reputation as a wise leader worldwide
State investment, trade and consumer affairs committee chairman Lee Ting Han said that Sultan Ibrahim’s years of experience in serving Johoreans and his unique position allowed him to give valuable and insightful advice to the exco.The Star spoke to the excos to find out more about Sultan Ibrahim through their eyes.
State investment, trade and consumer affairs committee chairman Lee Ting Han said that Sultan Ibrahim’s years of experience in serving Johoreans and his unique position allowed him to give valuable and insightful advice to the exco.
“Unlike politicians who come and go, His Majesty has been around for Johoreans for many years. He has seen a lot and knows so much about the state and its people.
“The insight he shares with us is very unique as it comes from his years of experience. Sultan Ibrahim has seen so many Mentri Besar, Prime Ministers and foreign leaders, allowing him to see things we could never see.
“As such, his views are very valuable and important for us as they help guide us in carrying out our duties and developing the state,” he said.
He said that the advice Sultan Ibrahim has always given him and his fellow excos is to focus on implementation rather than just planning.
“He has seen so many plans, proposals and policies from dozens of leaders. For him, all of that is not that important. What is important is that we can deliver what we promise and honour our commitments.
“No matter how good the plan is or how well we present it, all of it will not matter if we cannot deliver,” he said.
He added that Sultan Ibrahim has also stressed to him and even publicly, the need for policies that could attract more investment into Johor.
Johor housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said the state government is working towards realising Sultan Ibrahim’s hope to see more Johoreans being able to get affordable homes.“The flip-flop of policies in the past, including on the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme, has driven investors away. Since we became exco in 2022, he told us that we really need to be as open as possible to bring in investors for the sake of Johor. We need to instil the confidence of investors,” he said.
Johor housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said the state government is working towards realising Sultan Ibrahim’s hope to see more Johoreans being able to get affordable homes.
“Sultan Ibrahim has asked me to come out with a plan and work towards providing more affordable homes that suit the financial ability of the people.
“His Majesty also reminded me to constantly monitor the quality of work the developers are giving for these homes. Alhamdulillah, with His Majesty’s guidance, we have been able to provide thousands of affordable homes for the people in the past two years and will continue to do so,” he said.
Mohd Jafni said that the state government has set a goal to have some 5,123 affordable homes completed by the end of this year and that a total of 13,937 were completed in the last two years.
Johor health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said that Sultan Ibrahim constantly reminded all excos that they are where they are because of the Rakyat.“InsyaAllah, we will be able to reach our goal of building at least 30,000 affordable homes by the year 2026,” he added.
Johor health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said that Sultan Ibrahim constantly reminded all excos that they are where they are because of the rakyat.
“Sultan Ibrahim always reminded us that we are elected by the rakyat who has faith in us, who trusts that we will be able to serve them and the state the best that we can.
“As such, as an exco member, we should just keep our minds clear and focus on the job. As simple as that.
“Do not do any hanky-panky, focus on addressing the people’s issues and serving them. That is the advice the Sultan has repeatedly told us,” he said.
Ling also thanked the Johor Sultan for his relentless effort to push for the establishment of a new hospital in Johor Baru, a need that is a long time coming.
“We have Sultan Ibrahim to thank for the Hospital Sultanah Aminah 2 (HSA 2) project. His Majesty plays a pivotal role in realising this dream that is shared by many Johoreans and the state government.
Johor youth, sports, entrepreneur development, cooperatives and human resources committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said that Sultan Ibrahim is a Ruler who takes the welfare of Johoreans very seriously.“Every time His Majesty meets the Health Minister and the Prime Minister, he will bring up HSA 2 to them without fail. We may not be able to see this project happening if it was not for our Johor Sultan,” he said.
Johor youth, sports, entrepreneur development, cooperatives and human resources committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said that Sultan Ibrahim is a Ruler who takes the welfare of Johoreans very seriously.
“For Sultan Ibrahim, taking care of the needs and welfare of the people are the most important things a leader must do.
“That has always been his advice to us, to prioritise the people above everything else. He wants us to focus on our job of improving the lives of Johoreans and bringing the state forward.
“I take His Majesty’s words very seriously and strive to do just that,” he said, adding that the Johor Sultan is a leader who walks the talk.
Johor education, information and communication committee chairman Norliza Noh said that Sultan Ibrahim takes a great interest in education as he sees it as an important element for the state to move forward.
“Education is something that is very close to His Majesty’s heart. He wants Johoreans to have all the opportunities available to get a good education.
“With that, we will be able to create a generation of youngsters who are skilful and bright,” she said.
She added that the Johor Ruler also takes the welfare of students and educators very seriously.
State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid said Sultan Ibrahim’s openness to ideas and his endless valuable advice have motivated him to go above and beyond in carrying out his duties.“Heeding His Majesty’s advice, we will strive towards improving the quality of the educational institution in Johor,” she added.
State Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid said Sultan Ibrahim’s openness to ideas and his endless valuable advice have motivated him to go above and beyond in carrying out his duties.
“His Majesty told me to encourage more young people to go to mosques and surau. Heeding his advice, I started a plan to digitalise the mosques and surau in Johor by providing free Wi-Fi.
“Through this initiative, all the 838 mosques and 1,942 surau statewide are able to enjoy the Wi-Fi in stages starting from last year until 2027.
“This has not only encouraged youngsters to make use of the facility available in the mosques and surau but also allowed digitalisation to take place in the house of Allah,” he said.
He added that another initiative that was started to achieve a similar objective was the Semarak Subuh programme, which was announced in Johor Budget 2024.
“The programme encourages Johor assemblymen to perform the subuh prayer with the people in mosques and surau for the entire 52 Fridays this year.
State agriculture, agro-based industry, and rural committee chairman Datuk Zahari Sarip said that Sultan Ibrahim takes the development of Johor, including rural areas very seriously.“The programme has also become a national phenomenon when some 12,000 congregations attended the subuh prayer at Masjid Sultan Iskandar Bandar Dato Onn on Jan 19,” he said.
State agriculture, agro-based industry, and rural committee chairman Datuk Zahari Sarip said that Sultan Ibrahim takes the development of Johor, including rural areas, very seriously.
“His Majesty wants Johoreans, regardless of whether they are living in the urban or rural area, to be able to experience development and benefit from them.
“As we strive to make Johor a developed state by 2030, we have also been reminded to ensure that the people could actually benefit from these developments.
“Sultan Ibrahim also takes a great interest in the agricultural industry, which will allow Johor to be self-reliant and secure food security,” he said.
Johor tourism, environment, heritage, and culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar said that Sultan Ibrahim has always used his voice as the Johor Ruler to champion good causes and highlight the plight of the people.
Johor tourism, environment, heritage, and culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar said that Sultan Ibrahim has always used his voice as the Johor Ruler to champion good causes and highlight the plight of the people.“Sultan Ibrahim is a very hands-on leader who understands the plight of the people very well and always works towards ensuring that they receive the best of everything.
“He has also used his voice as the Johor Sultan to champion all kinds of good causes, including environmental issues. He takes such issues very seriously as it affects the health and future of the people.
“On top of that, he also constantly reminds Johoreans to stay united and to not look at race or religion,” he said.
Johor works, transportation, and infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said that Sultan Ibrahim’s focus has always been on improving the lives of the rakyat.
“When His Majesty meets any Federal Ministers, he will bring up issues that are affecting the people of Johor. For him, that is the most important thing – making the lives of Johoreans better.
Johor works, transportation, and infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said that Sultan Ibrahim’s focus has always been on improving the lives of the Rakyat.“Even when there were complaints and issues about the federal roads in Johor, he brought up the matter to the minister involved,” he said.
He added that the Johor Sultan had played a very important role in ensuring that Johor received the necessary attention from the Federal Government for its development.
Johor women’s family and community development committee chairman Khairin-Nisa Ismail said that Sultan Ibrahim is very in tune with the rakyat and always wants what is best for them.
“Sultan Ibrahim and the whole royal family take the welfare of the rakyat very seriously. We can see this clearly just by looking at the countless charitable acts they have done for the people.
“They are also always the first to speak out against any kind of abuse, especially those involving children.
“As the exco who is in charge of the people’s welfare, Sultan Ibrahim has always reminded me to be hands-on and ensure that the agencies under me are doing all that they could to help the people,” she said, adding that she is heeding the Sultan’s advice.
