Johor ruler vows to eradicate graft

JOHOR’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has vowed to eradicate corruption in the country.

This, he said, would be his priority when he becomes Agong next month.

He said he was uninterested in wasting five years on the throne as a “puppet king”.

“I am going to hunt all the corrupt people. I will make sure I bring results.

“People contribute hundreds of millions before elections. How do you pay them back? By giving them megaprojects. That’s not going to be the case when I’m there,” Sultan Ibrahim said in a recent interview with The Straits Times/ANN.

He said that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) should report to the king instead of parliament, as it does now.

Similarly, Sultan Ibrahim suggested judicial appointments be separate and independent from the executive.

“We only get the list (of nominees from the Prime Minister’s Office) during the Conference of Rulers.

“Why don’t you bring the names down (to us) before you appoint them? We are not a rubber stamp,” he said.

Sultan Ibrahim will assume the throne for five years from January 31.

Sultan Ibrahim replaces Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah of Pahang, who served as the 16th king.

He said ensuring unity in the country would be another of his priorities, and that as the king, he would centre the people, not MPs.

“There’re 222 of you in parliament (but) over 30 million outside. I’m not with you, I’m with them (the people),” he said. “When I hit in my speech, I hit. If not, the MPs behave like monkeys.

“When I say I don’t want to see you, that’s already a big question. I have my own social media team. What I tell the PM, I make sure it goes out – the whole country will know. Either he works closely with me or things will get difficult,” His Majesty said.

He also called on Malaysians to give Anwar a chance to prove himself.

“I don’t think you can change the country in one year. I think there are good ministers. I will support the government, but if I think it is doing something improper, I will tell (the administrators),” he said. – The Vibes, December 11, 2023.