Source:
https://scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3005437/johor-chief-minister-osman-sapian-quits-malaysias-monarchs-and
This Week in Asia/ Politics

Johor chief minister Osman Sapian quits as Malaysia’s monarchs and Mahathir crank up war of words

  • Mahathir’s confirmation of Osman’s resignation ends speculation that Johor’s sultan wanted the minister removed
  • A replacement has not been named, though the prime minister said one will be found from within his own United Indigenous Party of Malaysia
Osman Sapian. Photo: Twitter

An ally of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad who was serving as the chief minister of the state of Johor quit on Tuesday amid a growing tussle between the 93-year-old statesman and the state’s powerful monarchs.

Mahathir told local reporters that Osman Sapian, a member of his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (United Indigenous Party of Malaysia), had tendered his resignation on Monday.

The confirmation ended mounting speculation that the Johor monarch, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail, wanted Osman removed from his post.

“We will have to discuss the replacement but in line with the Pakatan Harapan agreement, the Johor menteri besar [chief minister] will have to be from Bersatu,” said Mahathir.

Malaysia’s prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Photo: Bloomberg
Malaysia’s prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Photo: Bloomberg

The prime minister’s Malay-centric party is one of four members of the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition that ousted the powerful Barisan Nasional bloc of former prime minister Najib Razak last May.

While Malaysia’s hereditary rulers largely defer to the country’s democratic leaders, they do have powers under the constitution to appoint and remove chief ministers.

Hours before Mahathir’s announcement, Sultan Ibrahim’s eldest son, Tunku Ismail, wrote on Twitter that his father had asked for Osman’s removal “months ago”.

The crown prince, in a display of the tensions between his royal household and Mahathir, said he hoped the new chief minister would not be a “yes man” to the federal government.

Tunku Ismail, crown prince of Johor. Photo: ESPNFC
Tunku Ismail, crown prince of Johor. Photo: ESPNFC

“Do not forget that the power to choose the menteri besar is the absolute right of the sultan,” he wrote.

The latest development follows signs of a growing rift between Mahathir and the country’s royal houses, led by Johor.

Last week the federal government said it was withdrawing from the Rome Statute – a precursor to joining the International Criminal Court – following “confusion” among hereditary Malay rulers about its impact.

The monarchs had voiced concerns that ratifying the statute would erode the country’s sovereignty, despite the administration’s insistence to the contrary.

In announcing the policy U-turn, Mahathir angrily accused “one particular person who wants to be free to beat up people and things like that” as the cause of the confusion.

Commenters online have suggested he was referring to Crown Prince Tunku Ismail, who for weeks had waged a social media campaign calling for the government to rescind its decision on the Rome Statute.

“If he beats up people again, I will send the police to arrest him, I don’t care who he is,” Mahathir said, without naming the person. On Tuesday, Mahathir told reporters Tunku Ismail was free to criticise his government. “But if there are statements that are deemed seditious, we will take action against him. He is not above the law,” he was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.

Within minutes of news reports carrying those comments, Tunku Ismail said on Twitter: “Please. If I have to go down defending the constitution, Malay rulers and Islam. By all means. You know where to find me.”

He added that like regular citizens he too had the right to ask questions and seek answers from the government.

The war of words has rekindled memories of the historical baggage that exists between Mahathir – in power for the second time after a previous 22 year-stint as prime minister – and the two Johor monarchs.

The two sides exchanged harsh words in the lead-up to last year’s elections, with Mahathir accusing the sultan of selling freehold land to China and the monarch countering that the veteran politician was targeting him by fanning racial feelings.

But in January the pair had a closed-door meeting that both men said had cleared the air. Recent events suggest tensions remain, however.

For Osman, formerly from Najib’s camp, the resignation caps an eventful few months. In February, he was forced to admit that he did not have an academic degree from a leading Malaysian university even though an official website suggested that he did.

A month earlier, he was caught in a controversy concerning neighbouring Singapore, which accused him of posting “provocative” pictures online of a visit to a government vessel that threatened to derail bilateral efforts to remedy a maritime dispute.

Mustafa Izzuddin, a Singapore-based observer of Malaysian politics, said “it was only a matter of time before Osman Sapian would be replaced as chief minister as he has been shrouded in controversy”. “The [final] nail in the coffin was the Johor sultan wanting to replace him as he felt he was not working in the best interests of the state,” he said.

The development was a “minor setback” for the government, Mustafa said, in particular Mahathir’s Bersatu party. The Pakatan Harapan coalition has been beset by questions about the competence of its members, many of whom are political novices at the state and federal level.

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