The younger brother of the Johor Crown Prince has posted an Instagram screenshot of the Johor's state agreement to become part of the Federation of Tanah Melayu. The photo was not captioned, but supporters of Johor's royal family instantly recognized the significance of the contract.
The agreement inked by the late Sultan Abu Bakar reads that Johor would only agreed to join the federation if Islam remains the official religion of the state, the Johor government has absolute rights over the land in Johor, and that the power of the Johor government should remain in the hands of the Johor Sultanate.
Accordingly, if any of the conditions are violated, Johor would secede from Malaysia.
The post comes after a public row between the Prince's older brother, Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim and Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz, who had warned Tunku Ismail to stay out of politics if he does not want to be "whacked".
Mr Nazri comments were a response to Tunku Ismail's criticism of Prime Minister Najib Razak failure to attend an open forum earlier this month to explain the problems with state-owned investment firm, 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
Keen observers say that the brothers' defiance towards Putrajaya runs in the family. Their father, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Sultan Iskandar, is also an open critic of the 6% goods and services tax (GST) introduced by Datuk Seri Najib's government on 1st April.