Johor PKR chief Hassan Abdul Karim (above) has urged both Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the state palace to refrain from open confrontation.

He said good relations between Mahathir and the Johor palace would facilitate development in the state and also assist the Pakatan Harapan-led Johor government to govern properly.

"Mahathir is the national executive and a statesman. It is not pleasant to continue clashes with Johor crown prince (Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim) that sometimes appear personal.

"Likewise, the Johor crown prince is the successor to the throne, but his charisma, courage and intelligence in discussions will lose their shine and respect among the people if he continuously and openly opposes Mahathir who is is the leader of a democratically elected government and more so, a senior," he said in a statement.

Hassan, who also heads the Parliamentary Select Committee on Federal-State Relations, urges that good relations be built between the federal and Johor governments.

"I am prepared to play a role in building this bridge," he said.

He said a positive, transparent and constructive relationship between the federal government and Johor palace can help resolve many problems in the state, where several major projects such as the Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid), Iskandar Malaysia Economic Corridor, Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) and Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail are or will be located.

"A good personal relationship between Mahathir and the Johor crown prince, as well as Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim, will make it easier for the Johor government under a new menteri besar and exco to carry out their duties to serve the people," he said.

Earlier today, Mahathir asked Tunku Ismail to stop talking, claiming that he was "stupid" and did not know what he was talking about.

This was following Tunku Ismail's claim there was a plot against the royalty, after earlier calling for Mahathir to be removed as prime minister.