The Johor Housing and Real Property Board Bill 2014 involving the jurisdiction of the sultan, has put Johor Pakatan Rakyat in a dilemma on how to raise objection at the state assembly sitting.

With the normal voting by show of hands on a Bill in the state assembly, Pakatan  representatives risk being seen to support the controversial Bill.

Should the opposition pact ask for bloc voting, it will risk being labelled as an act against the ruler.

The Bill, to be tabled at the Johor assembly on Monday, will empower the Johor sultan to oversee the accounts of the mooted Johor Housing and Real Property Board.

Johor Opposition Leader Dr Boo Cheng Hau ( right ) said Pakatan has reached a consensus that the Bill “puts too much burden” on the sultan, suggesting that the 56-seat state assembly should be the one to shoulder the responsibility of checks and balances.

However, Pakatan has only 18 seats in the state assembly legislative and will not be able to stop BN from passing the Bill.

As such, it is a fine balance for Pakatan, between a declaration of its position and to avoid being labelled ‘anti-sultan’.

The normal procedure in the state assembly is for a Bill to be passed with the speaker asking assemblypersons to vote by a show of hands.

However, for those who do not raise their hands, the speaker will say “for those who disagree, it has been agreed” (yang tidak setuju, dipersetujukan) - which means that their official objection will not be recorded.

A Pakatan assemblyperson who did not want to be named said they were concerned that the voting result recorded would state that Pakatan agreed to the Bill, making it difficult for Pakatan to explain the matter to its supporters.

Prickly situation for Pakatan

In order to avoid such a situation, Pakatan can ask for bloc voting, in which its stand against the Bill will be clearly stated.

However, the move may backfire and anger Malay voters in the rural areas who believe in and want to uphold the position of the Malay rulers.

It is foreseeable that Umno assemblypersons and the mainstream media they control would play up the issue and label Pakatan as ‘anti-royalty’.

In Johor, some DAP seats have around 40 percent Malay voters. And  in three out of four PAS seats that are considered semi-rural constituencies, more than 50 percent of the voters are.

When contacted, Johor PAS chief and Parit Yaani assemblyperson Aminolhuda Hassan ( right ) refused to elaborate on how the Bill will give more power to the sultan, only saying it required more discussions among the Pakatan allies.

Meanwhile, PKR Bukit Batu assemblyperson Jimmy Puah admitted that bloc voting would give the BN and Umno media the opportunity to "twist" their arguments.

DAP Mengkibol assemblyperson Tan Hong Pin has been quoted in media reports as saying that Johor Pakatan had agreed to go for bloc voting.

However, Tan clarified this matter when contacted by Malaysiakini today, saying they “have not reached a consensus” on how to vote.

Johor state assembly speaker Mohamad Aziz told Malaysiakini that the Bill would be open to the floor for debate on Monday.

Puah agreed that Johor's constitution is “unique”, compared with that of the other states, in that it vests the ruler with executive authority, and he will not rock the boat on this issue.

Instead, he said, he would stress the issue of enhancing the responsibility of checks and balances on the legislative side.

BN reps also cautious

Despite the state government being behind the Bill, BN representatives are also cautious in responding to this issue.

When contacted, Johor BN Backbenchers Club president Samsol Bari Jamil stopped short on whether he agrees with the Bill giving such powers to the state ruler.

Instead, the Semarang assemblyperson merely said he would agree with it as long as it was in accordance with the state constitution.

The MCA representative in the Johor state executive council, Tee Siew Keong ( left ) also refused to elaborate further on the Bill, merely saying that it was up to the representatives from both sides to debate it.

At the heart of the Bill is the question of the 3R - race, religion and royalty - regarded by conservative Malay groups as their unchallengeable fortress.

Although Pakatan has gained some ground in promoting multiracial politics and breaking through racial barriers, issues regarding religion and the rulers are still considered hot potatoes.

After last month’s hudud controversy, this Johor Bill is again testing Pakatan's political wisdom on how to move beyond race and religion to establish true ‘reformasi’.

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