Friday 29 Mar 2024
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JOHOR BARU: The Johor Sultan said yesterday that he wants the Johor Real Property and Housing Board Bill to be reviewed.

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said he did not agree with the bill as it did not show an understanding of the sultan’s powers under the state constitution.

Speaking at the opening of the state legislative assembly, he urged assembly members to review and amend the bill which was passed in the previous assembly sitting as it was not in line with other state enactments.  

The Johor government in June last year proposed a bill for the establishment of a Johor Housing and Property Institution, which would give Sultan Ibrahim authority over the institution’s accounts and a direct hand in the development of real estate in Johor.

The bill, which was met with fierce opposition from various quarters, was tabled and passed by the Johor legislative assembly with amendments that either limited or removed the sultan’s power on the proposed housing board.

The amendments no longer give the sultan the power to determine the remuneration or allowances of board members in the Johor Property and Housing Commission (JPHC).

The sultan’s power to direct any person to investigate the books, accounts and transactions of the board was removed, and he does not have the power to direct the board to be wound up and dissolved.

The board does not have to submit to the ruler the accounts, an estimate of the expenses or a report of its activities, nor does it require the sultan’s approval to establish a corporation. Instead, those powers are vested solely in the state authority.

The sultan can only appoint members of the board on the advice of the menteri besar.

Additionally, either the sultan or the menteri besar can decide to revoke a member’s appointment, as opposed to the sultan having the sole authority to do so. — The Malaysian Insider

 

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on May 8, 2015.

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