KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 28): The Sultan of Johor has called on all politicians to stop using racist and religious rhetoric to hide their ineptitude, The Star reported today.

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said politicians should be focused on serving the people, not tearing them apart using sensitive issues.

"I do not want politicians to use race or religion to exploit the sentiments of the people to cover their incompetence," Sultan Ibrahim said in an exclusive interview with the English-language daily.

He warned that he would personally summon any Johor politician guilty of this to give a piece of his mind, regardless of whether they were in the opposition or the government.

"Please do not waste time creating news headlines for the wrong reasons. Stop racist and religious rhetoric and work for the people.

"I hope the politicians will not sow distrust and suspicions among the people by using such sensitive issues to fan uneasiness and tension. We must remain united to face the economic and political challenges," he was quoted as saying by the daily.

Critics have claimed that racial and religious polarisation reached a critical stage this year, with Malaysians witnessing the Low Yat Plaza and Kota Raya brawl as well as the Umno-backed Red Shirt rally.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had defended the Red Shirt rally, or the September 16 "Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu", saying it was a manifestation of the rise of Malays to defend their dignity and the country's leadership from being condemned and humiliated.

Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob stirred controversy in February when he called on Malays to boycott profiteering Chinese traders.

Less than a month after a racial scuffle broke out at the Low Yat Plaza in the heart of Kuala Lumpur in July, Ismail proposed for a new digital mall where only Malay traders could set up shop. He recently saw his proposal become a reality with  the launch of the Mara Digital Mall.

He has also become a champion of the vaping industry, saying that any restrictions would only kill "vape businesses that are mostly owned by young Malays". This also runs contrary to the decree by Sultan Ibrahim last month, ordering the closure of all vape shops by January 1.

Meanwhile, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa reportedly declared he was racist Islamically, only to later claim that he had been misquoted.