After veiled TMJ swipe, Kadir says he's ensuring royals don't 'self-destruct'

Blogger A Kadir Jasin (above) said people are free to discuss anything in this country, including ensuring that the monarchy doesn't "self-destruct".

This appeared to be a response to a veiled swipe against him by Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.

The prince, last night, tweeted that he knew a "Kadir" had held meetings at Menara Ilham, allegedly to "finish off" the royals.

Menara Ilham is where fellow Mahathir strongman Daim Zainuddin is based, and Kadir was often there when the Council of Eminent Persons, headed by Daim, was meeting.

Taking to Facebook today, the prime minister's media adviser said it was not wrong for a "lowly pacal (royal servant)" to meet anywhere in Malaysia Baru and talk about the state of the country.

"Whether in a tall tower, the kopitiam or the mamak stalls, the people are free to discuss the cost of living, the freedom and role of the media and political developments, including in Johor.

"We spoke a lot about Pakatan ministers, menteri besars and chief ministers. Osman (Sapian) is gone and now (Dr) Sahruddin (Jamal) is the MB of Johor. We are watching.

"If Umno and PAS were free to hold demonstration in Kuala Lumpur purportedly to protect the Malays, Islam and the monarchy, we too are free to discuss ways and means of protecting all Malaysians and ensure that constitutional monarchs do not self-destruct," he said.

 He then urged Malaysians to do their part to cherish and protect the Federal Constitution.

"We want the priority to be given to the rakyat who voted for Harapan on May 9, 2018," he added.

Tunku Ismail's comments yesterday came after the Johor royal family was scrutinised over a land issue involving the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS).

Sources told Malaysiakini the project had stalled due to a cost spike as a result of land intended for the project ending up in the hands of Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar (above), which would require heavy compensation.

Sultan Ibrahim has said since that he was prepared to surrender one of the plots of land involved in Bukit Chagar without cost.

Apart from the 4.5-hectare Bukit Chagar land, another 2.4-hectare of undersea land to be used for the RTS project is also under the Johor Sultan's ownership.

Collectively, they would cost the government RM693.7 million in compensation to the Johor ruler, which amounts to about 13 percent of the overall project cost.

The land referred to by the Johor sultan is the 4.5-hectare Lot PTB 23354, which would have cost the government RM495.3 million.

No mention was made about the 2.4-hectare Lot 45419, which will cost the government RM198.4 million. - Mkini