The Crown Prince of Johor, Tunku Ismail Idris, has taken to social media to blast the Malaysian federal government over a proposal to construct a ship-to-ship transfer hub in the state.

On April 2, the Crown Prince put up a Facebook post (caption reproduced at the end of the article) alleging that the federal government in Putrajaya was lying about the state of Johor being aware of the project.

Additionally, the Crown Prince also alleged that the federal government had acted unconstitutionally twice -- in keeping the Johor state government in the dark, and previously ratifying the Rome Statute without consulting the Conference of Rulers.

Chief Minister, Crown Prince and Sultan not aware of the project

In elaborating on his charge, the Crown Prince stated that neither he, nor his father the Sultan of Johor, nor the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister), Osman Sapian, were aware about the planned construction of the hub within Johor's port waters.

Additionally the Johor state government, including the Land and Mines office, were also unaware of the project.

This led to the Crown Prince questioning if the federal government was attempting to usurp the state's powers, as part of its first unconstitutional act, given that anything within three nautical miles of Johor's shores, in particular land and water matters, were the sole prerogative of the state.

As for the federal government's second unconstitutional act, this pertained to the signing of the Rome Statute without getting consent from the Conference of Rulers, which undermined the position of the Malaysian sovereigns, Malaysiakini reported.

The Crown Prince's post also came attached with a recording of Osman telling reporters that he was unaware of the project and that he had only learnt about it through social media.

What was Mahathir's response?

Mahathir expressed bafflement at the Crown Prince's allegations, The Malay Mail reported.

Speaking to reporters after witnessing the signing of the project on April 2, Mahathir stated:

"He is in Johor, other people in Johor know about it but he doesn’t know. He knows many things but this he doesn’t know."

Mahathir also rebuffed the Crown Prince's claim that his administration had pushed ahead without the knowledge of the Johor state government, adding that Osman knew about the project:

"Yes, the truth is the MB of Johor knows. He met me yesterday (April 1) and asked me and then I told him, so he knows."

When asked if Osman was only informed of the project on April 1, Mahathir replied:

"I thought everyone knew."

As for the signing of the Rome Statute, Mahathir had previously dismissed the Crown Prince on March 11, stating that he was only speaking for himself as he was not an elected representative, The Malay Mail added.

What is this shipping hub about?

The hub is meant to enable ships to transfer their cargo to other vessels without having to dock at the piers, The Straits Times reported.

At 1,200 hectares, the facility is set to be over three times the size of Sentosa, and will be built in the Strait of Johor facing Tuas.

The project has also been estimated to cost between US$150 to US$180 million.

April 2's signing involved Malaysian maritime company KA Petra Sdn Bhd and Hong Kong's Hutchison Port Holdings Ltd, for the provision of services such as cargo transfer operations between vessels.

Here is the Crown Prince's English caption in full:

"YOU HAVE DONE TWO UNCONSTITUTIONAL ACTS

Putrajaya has acted unconstitutionally twice. Firstly is with regards to the STS project in Johor waters. Tuanku Sultan Johor and myself are not aware of the project. The Menteri Besar is also not aware based on the attached voice recording.

The state government including the Land and Mines office is also unaware. Whoever who says that Johor is aware is lying.

Anything within 3 nautical miles of the shores of the state, in particular land and water matters, are the sole prerogative of the state. Is Putrajaya trying to usurp the powers of the state?

The second unconstitutional act is in the ratification of the Rome Statute. The government signed the instrument without getting consent from the Conference of Rulers.

HRH Major General Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Crown Prince of Johor"

Top image collage from HRH Crown Prince of Johor Facebook and Mahathir Mohamad Facebook