Exco can’t supersede Negeri Sembilan constitution, says undang

The Rembau undang said the state exco cannot simply sideline the DKU's decision on Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir's position as Negeri Sembilan Yang Dipertuan Besar. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: Rembau undang Hassan Ab Hamid has dismissed a statement issued by Negeri Sembilan executive council members purportedly declaring the removal of Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as the state’s ruler.Hassan maintained that the main issue at the heart of the matter was whether the initial four undangs had carried out an investigation and uncovered misconduct that warranted his removal as Yang Dipertuan Besar."The Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) has already taken the stand that no such investigation was held, and that Tuanku Muhriz was also not notified or given the opportunity to be heard."Failure to fulfil these basic conditions caused fundamental flaws in the proclamation (in April seeking to remove Tuanku Muhriz)," he said in a statement.Hassan added that the DKU's decisions on customary matters are final and cannot be challenged in court, which meant that the state exco cannot simply sideline the DKU's decision on Tuanku Muhriz."The DKU has already held that three of four undangs who signed the proclamation were not holding their stated positions at the material time the document was signed."He also said the validity of the latest proclamation signed by menteri besar Ismail Lasim had already been disputed by Ismail himself, who said the document was invalid and that he did it under duress."The exco has its own functions and jurisdiction within the state government. However, it cannot replace, sideline or fulfil a process mandatory under the Negeri Sembilan constitution simply through a collective decision or a press statement."All parties must respect the state constitution, the DKU's authority, as well as the decisions made by the DKU according to its jurisdiction."No person, administrative institution, or exco meeting can supersede the Negeri Sembilan constitution," he said.

Pakatan Harapan representatives in Negeri Sembilan Teo Kok Seong, J Arul Kumar and Aminuddin Harun criticised the exco statement purportedly announcing Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir's removal as ruler.PETALING JAYA: A statement purportedly issued by members of the the Negeri Sembilan executive council should not be considered as representing the state government, says DAP's Bahau assemblyman Teo Kok Seong.Teo, who served in the exco from 2023 to 2026, said the state government's official stand on any matter is typically made known in a statement by the menteri besar or the state secretary's office."Therefore, the statement by the lineup of exco members only reflects the views of the members involved."It should not be considered as the state government's official stand," he said in a Facebook post.Separately, Negeri Sembilan DAP chief J Arul Kumar urged the state government to clarify its official stand on Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir's position as the Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan.Arul pointed out that the purported statement issued by the exco, declaring Tuanku Muhriz's removal as valid, contradicted menteri besar Ismail Lasim's statement yesterday where he emphasised that he had no power to unilaterally remove the Yang Dipertuan Besar.The Nilai assemblyman said these contradictory statements were matters of concern as they were the result of the same Negeri Sembilan exco meeting held yesterday."Every exco member has the right to have their own views during discussions, but when a decision is made, there must be only one official decision, and it cannot be presented in various forms that could confuse the people."Contradictory statements like in this case should never have happened, all the more when it involves the royal institution as they will have major implications on stability and the people's confidence in the state's administration."I urge the menteri besar and his exco lineup to take immediate steps to align the state government's official stand, and offer a clear and responsible explanation on the issue to the people," he said in a statement.Arul said the state government must reveal the actual decision made following the exco meeting yesterday, and which one of the statements was the official line.He added that all matters involving the royal institution must be handled carefully, responsibly and lawfully as they represent the state's s… Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Ismail Lasim's executive council comprises 10 members, eight of whom are from Umno. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: A lawyer has questioned the validity of a statement purportedly issued by the Negeri Sembilan executive council declaring the removal of Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as the state's ruler.Rosli Dahlan questioned whether menteri besar Ismail Lasim had endorsed the statement issued this afternoon, pointing out that it was simply signed off as "the lineup of Negeri Sembilan executive council members"."Can an exco resolution be made without the endorsement of the menteri besar?"Exco decisions and resolutions are supposed to be announced by the menteri besar as the head of the exco.

So can the exco issue such a statement without the menteri besar?"And who authorised the issuance of that statement?” he asked in a statement.The statement in question had been posted on social media by several members of the Negeri Sembilan exco, all of whom are from Barisan Nasional, including Linggi assemblyman Faizal Ramli, Lenggeng assemblyman Asna Amin, Palong assemblyman Mustapha Nagoor and Chennah assemblyman Siow Kong Choon.Perikatan Nasional's two representatives in the exco, Fairuz Isa (Serting) and Razali Abu Samah (Sikamat), did not republish the statement.Ismail's office has yet to confirm the statement.According to the statement, the exco had agreed that Tuanku Muhriz's removal as Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan in April was legitimate, and that Tuanku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja'afar was therefore the new ruler.This comes two days after the Negeri Sembilan Dewan Keadilan dan Undang maintained that Tuanku Muhriz remains the state’s ruler and that the latest attempt to remove him earlier this month was invalid.