PRIME Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today dismissed notions of any tiff with the Johor palace, and called the Johor crown prince “a little boy”.

He said this when he was asked if there was tension between him and the Johor palace after recent exchanges.

“No, I don’t see anything because I went to see him and he drove me to the airport.

“I don’t want to comment on the sultans because if I say anything that is not good then it’s not nice because he is the sultan, but this TMJ is a little boy,” he said during a special interview in conjunction with Pakatan Harapan’s first-year anniversary.

Dr Mahathir was responding to Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Iskandar who had been vocal in criticising Dr Mahathir, the government and some ministers on his social media.

“This TMJ is a little boy. He is stupid because he doesn’t know what is happening. So don’t talk when you don’t know what is happening,” he said.

Dr Mahathir and the Johor palace are known to have a thorny relationship. Both sides had traded barbs over various issues, like the recent appointment of the Johor menteri besar, as well as in the reshuffling to the state exco.

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Tunku Ismail had both said that the state constitution gives the Johor monarch the power to decide on the menteri besar and the choice of exco members. 

Meanwhile, on the alleged cracks in Johor Bersatu after Menteri Besar Dr Sahruddin Jamal was not appointed as the party’s state head, Dr Mahathir said Johor Bersatu leaders had not come to him with regards to the matter.

The Bersatu chairman added that no complaints were raised when he last met the state’s exco.

It was reported yesterday that a meeting took place between the Bersatu division chiefs.

The meeting was allegedly called by former Johor menteri besar Osman Saipan.

The Bersatu leaders who attended the gathering wanted Dr Sahruddin to be appointed as state party chief, a post left vacant by Osman following his resignation as MB.

Puteri Wangsa assemblyman Mazlan Bujang was appointed as the new Johor Bersatu head. – May 6, 2019.