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Don’t make us scapegoats for nation’s woes, Johor prince tells critics

Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim today urged certain quarters not to make him and his father, the Johor sultan, scapegoats for the current state of the country. In a Facebook posting on the Johor Southern Tigers page, Tunku Ismail said that certain parties were "attacking" him and his father for being outspoken about national affairs. "I would like to take this opportunity to stress to certain quarters not to create issues about my father and I, just to divert attention of the rakyat from more pressing issues," he wrote. Tunku Ismail has lately been critical of Putrajaya, along with the Johor sultan who recently urged the government to solve the economic woes and the falling value of the ringgit. Several months ago, Tunku Ismail also got into a spat with Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz over his criticism of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's non-appearance at the Nothing2Hide forum. "Do not use us as scapegoats while the current situation deteriorates," he said today. He added that the royal family was only speaking up for the benefit of the people. "If advice and opinions from my father as the sultan, and from me as the crown prince are to be restricted and disputed, what are the rakyat to hope for?" he asked. He said he was also saddened that some people thought that he and his father were challenging the government. – August 29, 2015.