Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has never shied from speaking his mind, and in a latest Facebook posting, there is a message from him to those uncomfortable about Johor being part of Malaysia.
".... You can all march down to Putrajaya and propose to the prime minister to remove the state of Johor from Malaysia," reads his message.
The posting on the Southern Tigers Facebook page also cited a slew of reasons that fuelled disdain among some people towards the state, including the absence of racism and its abhorrence of corruption.
Each point stated begins with the words "Don't blame Johor".
"... We weren't built on the foundations of racism. We were built on the foundation that we are united and identified as one race, that is Bangsa Johor.
".... Why are we proud of our leaders? Because our leaders are always with us in good times and bad, when we're in joy or in pain.
".... Why we don't like people who are corrupt? It's because we are brought up never to be as despicable as that."
The posting also pointed out that Johor had existed since 1885, well before 1957, when Malaya achieved its independence.
Apart from this, it also stated that Johoreans should not be blamed for holding their crown prince close to their hearts and it outlined differences between leaders in the state and elsewhere.
"Don't blame Johor and accuse us of being obsessed with the crown prince of Johor because we have witnessed for ourselves how he has always stood firmly by our side..
"Don't blame Johor or be envious of the relationship we have with our leaders because only he has been tirelessly brave enough to fight and guarantee our existence and welfare.
"Don't blame Johor if your leaders are not there with you. The difference between our leaders and yours is that our leaders were born to serve the people.
"Don't blame Johor if your leaders are not there with you when the country is plagued with integrity turmoil. We are proud to have leaders who will always fight for our rights and be transparent with us.
"Don't blame Johor if your leaders are not there in your own state for you to turn to in your time of need."
