Faisal S Hazis of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia was commenting on Tunku Ismail’s post on the Southern Tigers Facebook page after Annuar alleged that Johor was destroying Malaysian football by overpaying its players.

Tunku Ismail, who is the owner of the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) team , shot back with: “The state of Johor is the stronghold of the ruling party today. The day for people to cast their votes is edging closer; so don’t stir up a hornet’s nest because there will be consequences. Tan Sri, don’t be a liability to your own party.”

Faisal noted that since the 2008 general election, it had become increasingly difficult for Umno to bank on its traditional voter base, even in Barisan Nasional strongholds such as Johor.

“Even the Malays have become fragmented,” he said.

He told Umno to keep in mind that the royal families did have an influence over voters. An argument between politicians and the nobility could therefore cause further changes in voting patterns, he added.

“In Terengganu, for example, another conflict was almost created when the sultan voiced his opinion on the choice of the menteri besar,” he said.

He said he was sure Umno would see the wisdom of strengthening its relations with the royal families because of the influence they wielded over voters.

On the other hand, Faisal pointed out that monarchs were now constrained by the federal constitution which limited their power, especially in terms of getting involved in politics.

“I think we should respect our constitution, and based on our constitution, we don’t have any active monarchs. Only constitutional monarchs,” he said.