The Sunday Time 5 Nov 2006
The sultan of Johor caused a stir during his address at the launch
of the south Johor Economic Region (SJER) yesterday when he
digressed from his written text and said the Causeway should be
removed.
To the shock of the 2,000 people present and thousands of viewers
watching a live telecast of the launch on television, Sultan
Mahmood Iskandar said it was built by colonialists who had used
dirty tactics to deceive his ancestors.
He said the Causeway was built to prevent ships from passing
through local waters, resulting in the development of Keppel Port
in Singapore instead.
The Causeway has to be removed to allow ships to pass, the Sultan
said before launching the multibillion-dollars SJER. At this
juncture, the audience burst into laughter and applauded.
In his address, the Sultan, who was clad in a T-shirt, said he
would not give face (bagi muka) to the foreigners (Mat Sallehs)
and urged the people not to hold them in high regard, He also told
the locals to be wary of the foreigners as they were
vultures.
With the SJER, the Sultan hoped Johor would be transformed into a
global economic centre.
I hope the SJER will bring benefits to the people of Johor, he
said, adding that he was confident it would be a success.
