EXCLUSIVE The Johor crown prince has one simple rule - he is no puppet. And so he speaks his mind as and when he feels the need to.

His June 5 Facebook post on the infamous 'Nothing to Hide' dialogue, which earned him brickbats from a minister, saw bouquets being tossed in his direction by netizens both in the peninsula and across the South China Sea.

Malaysiakini met Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim at the swanky Thistle Hotel in the state capital on Monday to find out what spurred him to put up the FB post.

Despite the public adulation, the prince was not carried away and remained modest and humble, much like his attire - a black T-shirt and track bottoms - during the exclusive interview.

He believes Malaysians gravitated towards his remarks not because of him but rather, for the idea that it represented.

"It is the idea of standing up for what is right. I did not offend anybody; I was merely giving my opinion and view on the role, task and responsibility of a leader because the rakyat chose you.

"And you have to understand that the role of a politician is to serve the people," he said.

As for Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz’s warning that the prince risked being "whacked" should he meddle in politics, Tunku Ismail showed little anger.

Though he anticipated the backlash, the young prince, however, expressed surprise over the minister’s folly in making such a crude statement.

"You (Nazri) only revealed how low you are. You are a minister, and you should be educated and speak courteously. But you revealed that you are not entitled to be a minister.

"I was surprised at how foolish you are. With Johor being one of your (Umno’s) strongest states and here you are touching on something that is very sensitive to Johor.

"To me, you are either very over-confident or it is empty up here," he added pointing to his temple, indicating that Nazri might not be the sharpest tool in the shed.

'Rich, yes. Good looking, no'

As for the Johoreans who gathered outside Istana Bukit Serene two weeks ago to express support for the royal family and rebuke the minister, the prince said he was deeply moved by the gesture.

"But this has always been there in Johor since my late grandfather's time and my father's time, because we have always been very close to the people.

"There is no point in being a leader if you cannot listen to the people, to carry out your duties and sacrifice for them.

"At the end of the day, we are here for one purpose; I am born as who I am to serve them. And as long as I have that in my head as my main priority, then I think I am on the right track.

"There is no point in me being born as... the crown prince, if I want to sit back and be a puppet," said Tunku Ismail.

"God has always blessed me and my family with 'rezeki' (fortune)," said the prince who celebrated his 31st birthday yesterday and received a private jet as a gift from his father.

"We can live outside and have nothing to worry about. We can spend six to eight months in London enjoying our lives without having to care what happens to Johor.

"But we are here because we love our people, we love our state, our history and our main priority is the well-being of the people of Johor," added Tunku Ismail who is among the 50 richest individuals in Malaysia.

The prince also rebutted Nazri's argument that the difference between the duo is that one is a person elected by the people while the other is not.

"If I don’t have the right to talk, then I am a puppet and not the crown prince of Johor. As the crown prince and one of the leaders in this state, I have to speak on behalf of my people on what I think is right because, at the end of the day, my only responsibility is to serve them.

"So whatever he wants to say - that is his opinion. He is not a very bright fellow, to be honest," Tunku Ismail said.

"I have read one statement by him where he said people like to take interest in him (Nazri, photo ) because ‘I am like a Hollywood star, I am rich, powerful and good looking'.

"Rich, yes. Powerful, maybe... Good looking, no. You can quote me on that, I really don't mind.

"This just shows the arrogance that you have. Empty barrel makes the most noise - that's what my grandfather used to say," he added.

Tunku Ismail revealed that his father, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail, was also disappointed and upset with Nazri.

"My father told me, 'Look, you already said what you wanted to say, now let it be, don't get involved. Let them do what they want if they want to dig their own graves or whatever. You just focus on Johor'."

'Malaysia Boleh'

The crown prince is also of the opinion that nothing would come out of the police investigation on Nazri.

He defended his younger brother in the wake of calls from certain quarters to probe Tunku Idris for breaching the Sedition Act over an Instagram posting of an agreement resulting in Johor becoming part of Malaya, which sparked off speculation that it hinted at secession.

"He (Tunku Idris) did it to show a brief (part) of our history. There is nothing wrong. There is no sedition or incitement...

"But here you have a minister, a politician, who says he wants to 'whack' the heir to the throne of Johor. He is forgiven and pardoned. Investigations are all formalities, I think nothing will happen," he said.

Asked whether he truly believes that the police investigations would amount to nothing, he replied: "Hmmm... I don’t know, but I think the people know... I think the people already anticipate what is going to happen."

When it was pointed out to him that some were surprised that Nazri is being investigated under the Penal Code instead of the Sedition Act, he smiled and quipped: "Malaysia Boleh".

So what motivated him to post his comments on the 'Nothing to Hide' dialogue in the first place?                          

Tunku Ismail said: "I don't know, it just came out as it was. I have nothing personal against anybody, including the prime minister. But I think, after hearing a lot of frustration everywhere... I just (had to) say something.

"But it wasn’t intended to complicate matters or be a direct hit at anyone. It was something that I wanted to say at that time and I said it."

Interview by STEVEN GAN, RK ANAND and JIMADIE SHAH OTHMAN.