Singapore Johor Merger?

A DREAM MERGER INTO "GREATER SINGAPORE"

I Dreamed Of A Johorpura or A Singahor

I have to admit, years ago before I even considered Johor Bahru my home, I knew very little of the city and the state, let alone its state leadership - namely the Johor Royal family.  After we moved to Johor many years ago, I began to take interest in the goingson locally, as an Asing (foreigner) needed to know at least what was going on on the ground, lest I acted or sounded like an ignorant Asing.  Of late,  the Royals of Johor are making news every now and then, and it is with interest that I follow the development due to my respect for the current King of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.  I say this only because every time he says something in the news, I find myself reading and nodding my head in acquiescence, thinking "Now that's a wise ruler who wants the best for his rakyats (ordinary folks)!".  For those who have been following my postings, I had recently even wrote an open post thanking the Sultan for highlighting the horrendous causeway jams that impacts both the rakyats here in Johor Bahru and in Singapore.



Tunku Ismail
Straits Times Photo

Something in the news today set my mind on a wild muse chase - meaning my musing went so wild I had to chase my thoughts back to reality.  When I was reading an article in which the Crown Prince of Johor Tunku Ismail was quoted saying that the Johor Royals are not rebellious, but simply want the best for their people.  Again I found my head nodding acquiescingly  in support.  The article pointed out the circumstances which may have encouraged the wrong perception of the Johor Royals as a cantankerous bunch, not collegial enough for the KL administration.  The gist of some of the contentious issues included: 

• Weighing in on current saga of leadership corruption 
• Asking rakyats not to ape their Arab brothers and sisters, instead to embrace their own Malay heritage
• Mooting the establishment of Bank of Johor to help finance loans for rakyats
• Highlighting the issue of secession of Johor state if the government does not keep their end of the bargain on which Johor joined the Malay Federation

The last point above was what set my imagination wild!  What if there were really a possibility of Johor seceding from the Federation in the future? Base on my own deduction, the stage is already set in three scenarios for an act of secession to possibly play out:

Singapore PM Lee & Johor Sultan
Mfa.gov.sg Photo

1. MODERATE ISLAM - From what I deduce, the Johor Royals are more moderate in the interpretation of the Islam religion than some quarters in Malaysia.  This is  why I respect the Sultan of Johor and his thought processes.  It is also one of the main reasons why I feel secure enough to move my family to the State of Johor where extreme form of Islam is neither practised nor encouraged.  So what if one day the extreme form of Islam were to take root in the Peninsular?  That's when I hope Johor's right to secession would be invoked.  With secession, would Johor ally and merge with Singapore to form a bigger powerhouse versus the Malayan hinterland?
2. JOHOR MILITARY - From what I know, Johor is the only state that has its very own small army - like the Vatican's Swiss Army - ready to strike and protect lest their territorial rights are violated. This smacks of Singapore's own national insecurity caused by its surrounding neighbors.  So would it not be a good idea for the two entities who have their own military might, to join forces and be a stronger military power against others?  The Sultan and the PAP government are already in good terms (see photo above) - I say an alliance is a shoo in then should push comes to shove!
3. SECESSION RIGHT - For me this is a no brainer. Apparently there is a provision for Johor to secede should the Sultanate's authority over its state administration or religious affairs be contravened.  If a clause such as this were to be included in the Malay Federation agreement, then to me there is a real possibility of the provision being invoked when terms are breached.  Should that happens, my wish is for Singapore and Johor to consider merging - either as a country or an economic powerhouse to spur GDP growth on both sides. 

So there you have it.  My dreamday scenario inspired either by the 36 degree heatwave or the news article that kickstarted my wild imagination.  If the merger does become the final act on our political stage, should we name the final production JOHORPURA or SINGAHOR?  Or perhaps the more sophisticated and meaningful GREATER SINGAPORE as coined by our Sultan of Johor?

I am fine with any name for the merged entity, for the grandeur of the merger in itself already transcends any grand name the new country may be given.  And of course as long as the merger brings benefits to rakyats on both sides.  Just think of the infinite possibilities:

• We will have Royals and an elected Government
• We will be like Turkey? Except we would have a Muslim side of the country and a multi-creed side
• We will not have labor shortage issues as Johoreans will be able to work freely on Singapore side and vice versa
• The Johor Sultan's dream of people working on the Singapore side and then coming home to live and play in Johor will become a reality.  It would be the birth of what the Royal had called "A Greater Singapore" - how visionary is that!
• The merger would be a win-win where Johor could leverage Singapore's strength as a financial hub while the latter can tap into the former's wealth of natural resources
• Johorporeans or Singahorians will be able to own homes more affordably on Johor side while getting passive income from investment properties in Singapore

I am sure there are many many more mutual benefits from a plausible future merger...but immediately I just know for sure that if we do become one, at least we can Jalan Jalan in JB or visit SG, free of human and traffic jams at the current causeway customs...because by then the bridges would have become freeways - no more passport stamping!