Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has called for a "win-win" solution to the ongoing bilateral dispute between Singapore and Malaysia.

On Dec. 13, the Crown Prince put up a post on Facebook showing a photo of himself, with his hands clasped around those of two other men in a show of camaraderie.

Using his personal relationships to make a statement

In his caption, the Crown Prince introduced the man on the right as Prem Singh from the Singapore who "has been taking care of me for nine years". 

While the man on the left was introduced as Leftenan Kolonel Samsyawal bin Muhamad "from the Malaysian Special Forces" -- the Crown Prince's "sniper buddy" in 2002 and current employee.

The Crown Prince then added how all three of them were good friends who worked well in the same organisation, using the statement as a means of segueing into his main point -- a call for a resolution to the ongoing dispute that would be beneficial for both sides.

The Crown Prince concluded his post by voicing his hope that both countries would be able to "prosper together and not get entangled in unnecessary issues."

Here is his post in full:

Post put up after quarrel with Mahathir

The Crown Prince's post comes hot on the heels of a dispute with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad earlier in the week, over a separate issue involving the de-gazetting of a mangrove island, known as Pulau Kukup, from its status as a national park.

For those of you who are curious, here's the location of the island:

Crown Prince declares that Johor should not be managed by "outsiders"

On Dec. 5, according to the The Star, the Crown Prince issued a statement announcing that Pulau Kukup would become Sultanate land after its de-gazetting by the Johor state government, while still remaining a national park in practical terms.

According to The Straits Times (ST), the statement then drew a response from Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar, who said the island should continue to be managed by the Johor state government.

This led to the Crown Prince putting up a Facebook post on Dec. 9 that said Johor should be managed by Johoreans, instead of "outsiders".

The Star also further quoted the Crown Prince as stating that "outsiders should not meddle on matters related to Johor”.

Crown Prince calls Mahathir senile

The statement drew a rebuke from Mahathir on Dec. 10, who stated:

"“Malaysians are not outsiders. The Federal Government is not an outsider. We are responsible for all things in the country."

Mahathir also added that the island should not be developed in order to preserve its mangrove habitat.

Today reported that this then led to the Crown Prince issuing a tweet in response on the same day, which stated the following:

"Who is developing Pulau Kukup?? Dah terangkan 4 times… ow i see.. Nyanyuk! Its ok. Malaikat pun Salah. Picasso, control your grandpa." (Translation: I’ve explained it four times. Oh, I see… Senile! Its ok. Even angels can be wrong. Picasso, control your grandpa.)

The tweet has since been deleted amidst a backlash by Malaysians who felt his comments went too far.

The dispute between the Johor Crown Prince and Mahathir is not the only fight going on between Malaysian politicians however:

Top photo from Johor Crown Prince Facebook