As this article is written, writer would like to say that Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaludin who began to politicize this issue through his Twitter account sin last night had came out with an explanation – UMNO is exaggerating the issue.
The ‘explanation’ was made after the son of Sultan Johor, Tengku Ismail himself come up rebutting all of Nizar’s accusation saying that DYMM Tuanku used rakyat’s money to bid for the plate number that was valued at a record breaking RM 520,000 – the highest bid in plate numbers in this country’s history.
As usual, when Pakatan Rakyat is in trouble, UMNO would be made as their scapegoat. This is never really a big issue.
Rakyat’s money is not part of the question because as the Sultan of Johor, he has his own income like what is stated in the law of Johor, and it is also stated in the Malaysian Constitution. That is just income, we are still yet to talk on other amenities that are provided to him.
He was even the Tengku Mahkota Johor for a very long period of time, 29 years, before he was taken as the Sultan in 2010 to replace his father, Tuanku Iskandar who died in 2010. The position of Tengku Mahkota is an official position and it comes with pay.
And that qualifies him to join the bidding and the motive behind Nizar’s move is not too hard to read.
Nizar is simply trying to raise the sentiment of hate among rakyat, as if DYMM Sultan Johor used rakyat’s money to bid. That is just his attitude. He just owes too much to DAP who is known as a party that hates the royal system and that they would find ways to abolish the system. ‘Hate’ because only Malays could have the position.
DAP, like its main party, PAP in Singapore, prefers if non-Malays become the leader of a country, along with the leader of the government (Prime Minister), which is now a hot topic in social networking sites nowadays.
What Nizar failed to see is the fact that the RM520,000 is later paid by Tuanku Sultan to rakyat – if his accusation in saying that the Sultan used rakyat’s money is true, because Road Transport Department (JPJ) who managed the bid is a government department.
If we are to think about it, DYMM Sultan Johor do not even have to join the bidding, he could simply as the government to give the number to him. But he is not like that, he joined the bid so that rakyat would not be prejudice against him, especially among rich businessmen who also want to grab the number.
This issue is not even politics, but it is Nizar, he would always ensure that everything turns into politics. What matters to him are comments that comes after so that the issue would to turn to sensational material. That is what he really want as a token for DAP who made him the Chief Minister of Perak (even though PAS only have 6 seats at DUN Perak).
