Johor secession no longer possible after Merdeka - Expert

The Johor state’s agreement with the Federation of Tanah Melayu, which touches on its right to secede from Malaysia, became null and void after Merdeka.

Universiti Malaysia Perlis’s Raja Malaysia Institutional Research Centre director Prof Datuk Dr Ramlah Adam said all agreements inked during the British colonial period are considered void automatically after Aug 31, 1957.

“These issues are over. The powers of the Malay royalty are now included in the Federal Constitution,” she said when contacted.

“However, the Federal government must respect the Johor state laws and should notintervene. The royalty still holds power,” she said.

Commenting on Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim’s posting of the agreement on his Instagram, Ramlah was also confident that the issue of Johor secession from Malaysia would not arise anymore.

However, if it does, it will be a lengthy process and time consuming, she warned.

The 1946 agreement, signed by the late Sultan Abu Bakar stated that the agreement was inked after several conditions set by the state government.

The agreement also stated that Johor will leave Malaysia if any of its conditions are not met.

Among the conditions are Islam as the official religion of the state, land and water being the absolute right of the Johor government and no interference on its state laws.

The post came following the ugly spat between Tunku Idris elder brother, Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail and Culture and Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.

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Nazri had earned the ire of TMJ after he advised the royal to stay out of politics following his comment on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over the premier's no-show during the #Nothing2Hide "PM's Dialogue With NGOs" forum earlier this month.