Johor denies secession from Malaysia rumour
The Johor state government has denied rumours surrounding the alleged intention of the state to secede from Malaysia to form its own country.
State secretary Ismail Karim said the rumour was "completely untrue" especially since the state had agreed to be with the federal government.
"It is difficult for Johor to leave Malaysia because the process is long and cumbersome. We have also agreed to work together with the federal government," Bernama quoted him as saying so yesterday.
Ismail also advised the public to refer first to the state government in the event any issues arose.
He was commenting on an official letter from the Segamat district office recently, instructing all Jalur Gemilang flags to be replaced by district flags.
This letter had gone viral online, evoking various reactions and views on the possibility that Johor wanted to leave Malaysia.
Ismail however said what the Johor crown prince, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim ( photo ), said about taking down the Jalur Gemilang flags in Johor refers to the flags used for the National Day celebrations and not the Jalur Gemilang hoisted on flagpoles.
Explaining further, he said Tunku Ismail was referring to the small flags used to mark the National Day celebrations and not the Jalur Gemilang hoisted on flagpoles in schools, government offices and official departments in the state.
In the letter, Tunku Ismail was rumoured to have said that all the Jalur Gemilang flags were to be taken down immediately and be replaced with each district flag.
Johor has 10 administrative districts, each assigned with their own district-level flags which will soon be gazzetted.
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