Signals coming from Johor Menteri Besar Khaled Nordin and the Johor crown prince seem to be lost among most Johor Umno leaders, former Johor Umno Youth deputy chief Khairul Anwar Rahmat says.
"Is it too hard to understand what was implied in 'dictator of minds', 'don't nod without principles' and 'support leaders who serve the rakyat with integrity, transparency and respect'.
"The message from these two leaders are very clear… and should inspire the leaders to be pro-rakyat and even ultra-rakyat," Khairul said in a statement today.
He said the statements of Khaled ( photo ) and the crown prince relate to issues that concern the people, such as 1MDB, the implementation of the goods and services tax, the depreciation of the ringgit and bad leadership.
Khairul said the only Johor Umno leaders who have got the message thus far are Parit Sulong Umno head Zulkurnain Kamisan, Pontian Umno head Hasni Mohammad, Gelang Patah Umno division head Khairi Malek, Labis Umno Youth Shahir Huddin Ali and Tanjung Piai Umno Youth head Nor Afandi Jamaian.
"Their views are definitely ultra-rakyat. What about the position of the 22 other Umno division leaders in Johor?" asked Khairul, who is best known for organising the botched June 6 dialogue between Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and NGOs, which was billed as #Nothing2Hide.
Khairul was referring to the June 21 statement on the Facebook page of Khaled, which urged Umno members not to follow their leaders blindly.
He also referred to another statement by Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim ( photo ), who complained about some politicians who were trying to foster ties with the Johor palace.
Tunku Ismail said cautioned that the palace was not supportive of any political party and warned politicians not to use the palace to further their personal interests.
The prince's statement came a day after Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi claimed that the Johor sultan was counting on Umno to unite the Malays.
'Khaled should resign'
In a related development, Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Yunos called on Khaled to resign as Johor menteri besar for making statements deemed detrimental to Najib.
Jamal argued that although Khaled seemed publicly supportive of Najib, the menteri besar's lieutenants and even the his son had made "veiled" attacks against Najib.
"The actions of Khaled’s right-hand men in attacking the Prime Minister have caused stirrings of resistance in Johor towards the prime minister,” Jamal was quoted as saying by The Star Online yesterday.
Jamal also argued that the Gelang Patah Umno division's motion for Najib to take leave pending investigations into the 1MDB scandal was proof that Khaled was not in control of his men.
Gelang Patah Umno is headed by Khaled's political secretary.
In view of this, Jamal said Khaled should step down and openly confront Najib.
Jamal has since retracted the statement. In his apology, Jamal said his comment was a personal opinion and made privately.
"That is just my personal opinion in this group. I didn't make it viral and don't know how it got out.
"I beg for forgiveness. I agree with what (Selangor Umno chief) Noh (Omar) said... I am wet behind the ears (Saya budak baru belajar)," Jamal said.
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