Will the Johor housing law run its course?
Mohsin Abdullah, Fz.com
YES the Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons did not support it. But the controversial Johor Housing and Property Board Bill 2014 was passed by the state assembly anyway. No surprise there. After all Pakatan only has 18 of the 56 seats in the assembly. Need I say who holds the rest?
Meaning now it’s law that the sultan can only act upon advice of the menteri besar (there are other important aspects of the law naturally but concern over “royal involvement “ has always been the bone of contention).
A day before the Bill was passed into law (following amendments made with regards to the role of the sultan), former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had expressed concern that the MB will not be able to advice the sultan.
“I am worried that it will not be the MB advising the sultan but the sultan advising him,” said Mahathir. But he did not accuse Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin of being “afraid” or “running scared”. Or not strong for that matter.
Instead he attributed it to the Malay custom which considers the sultan as head of state and thus “if the sultan says something it must be followed”.
Days earlier Umno mouth piece Utusan Malaysia wrote about “word in Johor” that “the MB’s hands are tied and susceptible to much interference from the palace particularly concerning property development”.
Not only that. Utusan also wrote of “wild rumour” that Khaled “is weak and subservient”. (see my earlier piece: Amended – Will the Johor Housing Bill be passed?) .
Political pundits familiar with Johor politics say Khaled “is not the confrontational type” and “pretty much like Pak Lah,” in reference to former PM Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who many called “Mr. Nice Guy”.
To a Johor political observer, it is widely known that the sultan enjoys good and cordial ties with Khaled.
The sultan and his MB are of the same age and it is said were classmates during their secondary school days at Johor Baru’s English College .
And the sultan had always wanted Umno to pick Khaled to replace Datuk Ghani Othman who was sent by the party to contest the parliamentary seat of Gelang Patah in GE13 last year.
