Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that the federal government is not an “outsider” and therefore had a say on the fate of Johor’s Pulau Kukup.
He said this when asked to respond to Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim saying that “outsiders” should not meddle in land affairs of the state.
“Malaysians are not outsiders, the federal government is not an outsider.
“We are responsible for all the things that happen in the whole country,” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya this morning.
Pulau Kukup, added Mahathir, should be maintained as a mangrove forest reserve.
Tunku Ismail took to Facebook yesterday to criticise Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar for insisting that Pulau Kukup remain a national park.
“First of all, as an outsider, you don’t need to meddle on matters related to Johor.
“Secondly, no matter what statement or letter is issued, you have no jurisdiction to override the Johor state constitution.
“The only one who can change the constitution is the ruler. The letter Johor has issued is clear that Pulau Kukup will remain protected as a national park,” said the crown prince.
Environmentalists and Johor government backbenchers have criticised the previous administration’s decision to degazette Pulau Kukup, one of the few internationally-recognised wetlands in Southeast Asia.
The island hosts an untouched mangrove forest and many endangered animals.
Tunku Ismail has clarified that this was done in order to reclassify Pulau Kukup as “sultanate land.” He argued that the island would continue to serve as a national park.
The Johor palace also owns Pulau Rawa, an island within the Sultan Iskandar Marine Park.
MKINI
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