The involvement of Sultan Ibrahim of Johor in the proposed Johor Housing and Real Estate Board will not be an issue because the menteri besar holds the executive powers, Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin said today.  

He said the menteri besar was the automatic chairperson and the sultan would act only on the advice of the menteri besar.

“Any decision on the state administration is still made by me because the executive powers rest with the menteri besar.

“The menteri besar will be the chairperson of the board while the chairperson of the housing and local government committee will be the deputy chairperson,” he told reporters after launching the Johor Tourism Master Plan and ‘Explore Johor Fest’ 2014 exhibition at the Senai international airport in Kulaijaya.

A news portal had reported that the Johor government would table a bill in the state legislative assembly on Monday to set up a housing and real estate board that gives wide powers to the sultan on housing matters.

The portal said it would be the first enactment of its kind to empower the sultan to appoint members of the board, supervise the accounts and dissolve the board.

Khaled said the establishment of the Johor Housing and Real Estate Board was similar to the setting up of the Johor Corporation (JCorp), with the menteri besar automatically becoming the chairperson.

He said the move to set up the board was not something new because a similar approach was used to set up JCorp, previously known as the Johor State Economic Development Corporation (PKENJ).

“We are emulating the setting up of JCorp and the enactment must be read with the Johor state constitution,” he said.

- Bernama