Newly-minted Harapan Johor menteri besar Osman Sapian says it is only an assumption that Johor royalty wields excessive influence in the state administration.
“How do you know? This is your assumption only. I don't think so,” he replied when asked to comment on whether the Johor royalty had been too active in the previous state administration.
Queried on how to balance palace influence and state administration, Osman asked: “Is there palace influence? You need evidence before asking me.”
Regarding the controversial Forest City project, he said he needed to study the issue first before commenting.
“I have to call officials and all think-tanks for a briefing. For your information, I have zero knowledge on Forest City. Right?
“I was not elected representative when Forest City was erected. I have no access to the entire development,” he said.
“However, I heard the (previous) state government has a 20 percent share in Forest City. It's hearsay, (so) I need to study (the issue) again,” he added.
Country Garden Pacificview Sdn Bhd (CGPV) is the master developer of the Forest City project.
China's Country Gardens holds a 66 percent stake in CGPV while Esplanade Danga 88 Sdn Bhd owns the rest.
Esplanade is 64.4 percent owned by Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, according to documents obtained from the Companies Commission.
Last year, Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad slammed then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak over the Forest City issue, expressing concerns that the sale of Forest City land to Chinese investors would undermine national sovereignty. - Mkini
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