Call it redemption or whatever you like. Taking a page from Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, the Crown Prince of Johor – Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim – shows the meaning of “Cash is King”. Splashing over a million ringgit, the prince received rounds of applause by shoppers at Aeon Mall supermarket in Tebrau City, Johor.
Tunku Ismail was reportedly shopping at the mall with his wife when he decided to treat the people to groceries. The lucky shoppers – hundreds of them – rushed and loaded their trolleys with groceries after the crown prince announced the unbelievable windfall through a loud hailer. The hour-long “shop till you drop” spree – from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. – was limited to RM3,000 per trolley.
Moments later, the Johor crown prince posted some photos of the happy shoppers on Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page. He, however, was quick to write that “he is not a politician and therefore, do not need any votes”, suggesting that it was a pre-emptive message to counter any negative perception that it was a publicity stunt to garner votes.
Of course, as the next in line to be Johor Sultan, Tunku Ismail doesn’t need peoples’ vote because it is his birthright to become the next ruler. But he desperately needs to redeem the respect and credibility he has lost over his weekend’s screw-up, when he urged people not to rock the boat – suggesting that he wanted “Thief-in-Chief” Najib Razak to be voted again.
The crown prince posted his lengthy lecture on the Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page late on Saturday (April 7), saying – “Don’t change the boat if the engine is not broken, don’t even change the skipper but allow HM The Sultan of Johor and I to guide the skipper for you. Change what needs to be changed and upgrade what needs upgrading for the sake of our beloved country.”
His recommendation, however, didn’t sit well with the average Joes and Janes who blasted the prince for supporting the highly-corrupted Najib administration. Tunku Ismail later denied having any political bias, and had called for respect when it comes to differences. Yet, Johor police quickly swung into action, investigating several reports against so-called insults towards the crown prince.
There’s little doubt that treating those lucky shoppers to free groceries was part of damage control. Even his “subjects” – the Johoreans – were not convinced and impressed with Tunku Ismail’s opinion that “forked-tongue” former premier Mahathir Mohamad is more evil than caretaker Prime Minister Najib Razak. They disagreed that the “skipper” of the boat should not be replaced.
Even after spending more than RM1 million on the shopping spree, considered loose change to the crown prince, netizens have questioned the wisdom of such publicity stunt. It’s unclear how many among the lucky shoppers were actually from neighbouring Singapore. Yes, the Singaporeans in the crowd definitely were laughing all the way back to the Republic.
Social media users also pointed to the fact that the poor people do not actually shop at the Aeon Mall. It’s also unclear if there was any abuses as a family of four, for example, could grab four trolleys and walked away with RM12,000 of free groceries. While the generosity of the crown prince was highly appreciated, it clearly was misplaced.
In his manifesto announced four days ago, caretaker Prime Minister Najib, struggling to maintain his power, announced that BR1M free cash for household incomes of RM3,000 a month and below will be increased from RM1,200 to RM2,000. Looking at how he splurged money to buy supporters and loyalty, it appears the crown prince is a fast learner, is he not?
Like Najib’s BR1M cash handout, the Sultanate of Johor receives its share of monthly “allowance and salary” from the state government. However, those monthly stipends, perhaps considered too little, would go to charities. The Royal Households of the Johor’s largest single source of income is via their control and oftentimes business related to land.
When the Sultan of Johor sold 116-acres of prime land in Johor Bahru in 2013 to China developers Guangzhou R&F, the Sultanate of Johor instantly pocketed a cool RM4.5 billion. The sultan also owns a 51% stake in SIPP, which together with consortium partner YTL, won a federal government-sponsored RM8.6 billion Gemas-Johor Baru double-track project.
The crown prince’s business empire was equally awesome. His ownership of 12.78% stake in Singapore-listed Rowsley Ltd alone was worth a staggering RM210 million after selling 9.23 hectares of prime land in Johor Bahru in 2014. He also has 21% stakes in two companies – Spektrum Kukuh and Spektrum Budi – involving in reclamation projects in Tanjong Piai and Pengerang.
Tanjung Piai project alone encompasses 3,487-acres of land for the purpose of constructing and operating a crude oil and petroleum storage facility together with a private jetty. Together with Benalec Holdings which owns 70% of Tanjung Piai Maritime Industries, the entire petrochemical project was worth between RM10 billion to RM12 billion over the next 15 years.
Crown prince Tunku Ismail also owns 7.67% stake in Singapore-based Thomson Medical, a sister company of TMC Life Sciences Bhd. Clearly, money is the least of his problem. Heck, he was so cash-rich that “The Straits Times Singapore” reported in 2016 that the Johor Crown Prince wanted to buy Italian football giant AC Milan, which was open for sale and a China consortium was bidding it for €700 million.
Other Articles That May Interest You …
- Choose “Shit-Grabber” Najib Over “Forked-Tongue” Mahathir – Money Talks, Eh, Johor Crown Prince?
- Johor Sultan Mocks & Declares War On Najib’s “Brainless” Islamic Department
- Sultanate Of Johor – The Only Monarch With Balls Of Steel Dares To Screw Extremism
- Revisiting 1993 Constitutional Crisis – Unerasable Historical Facts
- Sultan Of The Year 2015 – Sultan Ibrahim Of The Kingdom Of Johor
- By Hiding Again From IACC, 130 Countries Assume Najib Is Guilty
- Forget About PAS, Here’s How UMNO Could Lose Johor State
- What Can UMNO Do If The Kingdom Of Johor Declares Independence?
UMNO vs Sultan – The Rush For Goldmine Johor Land
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April 12th, 2018 by financetwitter
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