In his latest posting, the Crown Prince of Johor has taken another swipe at the political leaders in the country.
Although, Tunku Ismail states he did not wish to 'ruffle feathers' and his comments are meant to lift the standards in Johor, few believe the real target is not Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Some even think the princely advice is also meant for Deputy Prime Minister Muhyddin Yassin, who is caught between demanding greater transparency and accountability from his boss for the RM42 billion 1MDB financial scandal and keeping his cushy job.
Already, Najib has warned of a Cabinet reshuffle to come after the Raya holidays and last month, the PM had told members of his Cabinet to hand in their resignation letters if they disagreed with the way he handled the 1MDB debacle, in which he has been accused of collusion and massive corruption.
"A cowardly leader is the most dangerous of men, and that one of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency. He (the prince's late grandfather) also taught me that great leaders musters the courage to fulfil his vision from passion, not position," Tunku Ismail wrote in a posting on the Facebook page of the Johor Southern Tigers.
Muhyiddin should take courage from the Prince's words
Whether the Prince's words are made in general or not, they should serve as a reminder to Muhyiddin, who hails from Johor, to add zest to his stuttering quest to demand the truth from Najib. Of late, the DPM appears to have sunk back into his trademark lethargy and many are concerned he may throw in the towel and give in to his boss.
"The Johor Prince is right. There are many cowards in Umno and in the Cabinet itself. Many of them are well educated and yet don't want to rock the boat even when scandal after scandal has been exposed and 1MDB shown to have taken advantage of its position to manipulate deals that disadvantaged the people, the GLCs including Tabung Haji, Kwap and even EPF," an Opposition leader told Malaysia Chronicle.
1MDB is a sovereign wealth fund created by Najib and fully owned by the Ministry of Finance.
Suspicious arrest to clear Najib, pave way for critics to U-turn
The latest controversy surrounding 1MDB has been the high-profile but extremely suspicious act of arresting a former PetroSaudi director Xavier Justo by the Thai police. According to the Thai authorities, Justo is being probed for trying to extort money from PetroSaudi while residing in Thailand.
Najib and his propagandists have jumped on the bandwagon, accusing Justo of tampering with emails that allegedly linked 1MDB to corruption. However, the entire episode has reeked of contrivance, sparking accusations - all the way from former premier Mahathir Mohamad himself - that the arrest was staged so as to clear Najib from blame.
Some think the arrest was also a means to allow Najib's critics, especially those in his Cabinet, to U-turn with grace.
"Judging from the chorus of Umno leaders condemning Justo and declaring Najib and 1MDB innocent, it looks like Najib will drop those who do not pipe up. (Rural Minister) Shafie Apdal and Muhyiddin have spoken up against 1MDB but only Shafie has condemned Justo. Muhyiddin has not. Will Najib dare to drop Muhyiddin?" said the Opposition politician..
Purge
Only time will tell but the bets in the political circles are that Shafie will be dropped, with the Mara scandal used to justify his downfall. Muhyiddin may be spared so long as he zips his mouth on 1MDB.
"There is a lot of concern Muhyiddin will chicken out and leave his supporters in the lurch. He is not a very ambitious man and may prefer to retire peacefully as the No. 2 but that would be selling out Johor and Malaysia, not to mention his faction. You can be sure Najib would purge them and one sign of this happening is Khairul Anwar's sudden resignation," an Umno watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.
Shafie Apdal, the Rural Minister, in charge of public trust fund Mara at the time of alleged kickbacks from an Aussie property acquisition
Johor Umno on edge
A Johor Umno Youth leader, Khairul Anwar had cited personal reasons for giving up all his Umno posts while still remaining a party member. Just a day before announcing this, he had praised the Johor Crown Prince's remarks that politicians must put the people's interests above party ideology.
Khairul had been condemned by Najib's supporters and blamed for the PM's public humiliation after the latter failed to turn up at a 1MDB tell-all forum calledNothing2Hide.
In an immediate response to Najib's no-show at the forum, which many believed was due to an 11th hour decision by Mahathir to attend and ask questions, the Crown Prince had controversially remarked:
"How can you have a dialogue called 'Nothing2Hide' featuring a person who has everything to hide? Obviously he won't show up," Tunku Ismail had posted.
Khairul Anwar blamed for Najib's public shaming
THE TRUE MEANING OF LEADERSHIP - by Tunku Ismail
My grandfather the late Sultan Iskandar used to say, the supreme quality of leadership is integrity. Unfortunately in today's world, there is not much of this quality to be found.
He also said that a cowardly leader is the most dangerous of men, and that one of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency. He also taught me that great leaders musters the courage to fulfil his vision from passion, not position.
Don't try to manipulate people
My advice to the leaders in every sector of government, NGOs and organizations in Johor is to lead and inspire the people. Do not try to manage and manipulate people. Inventories can be managed, but people must be lead by example and with integrity.
Remember that the key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. There is no point having authority if you cannot influence the people. If you have authority but command no influence, it is a sign that you are not worthy of being a leader.
Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail
Ruffling feathers
It seems that things I say usually ruffle more than a few feathers, so I say in the context of Johor, which is close to my heart.
Last but not least, I am blessed to have been raised and taught by two great leaders, which is the late Sultan Iskandar, and Sultan Ibrahim. My father, my King.
HRH Brigadier General Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, The Crown Prince of Johor
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