State stand on Tuanku Muhriz’s status as ruler, Negeri Sembilan PAS reps told

Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Ismail Lasim confirmed that his executive council unanimously came to the decision when it convened on Tuesday. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Ismail Lasim has endorsed the statement issued by his executive council yesterday, purportedly affirming Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir’s removal as Yang Dipertuan Besar.Speaking to reporters after an event in Seremban, Ismail confirmed that his exco made the decision unanimously when it convened on Tuesday.The menteri besar added that the state secretary had been asked to proceed with gazetting the proclamation on Tuanku Muhriz’s removal “according to the relevant regulations”.He declined to take questions from reporters.Yesterday, members of the Negeri Sembilan exco issued a statement affirming that Tuanku Muhriz’s removal in April was legitimate and that Tuanku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar was the new ruler of Negeri Sembilan.Lawyer Rosli Dahlan questioned the validity of the statement, asking if Ismail had endorsed the document, while Pakatan Harapan assemblymen said it appeared to contradict the menteri besar’s statement a day earlier.The Negeri Sembilan Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) said the statement was unconstitutional, had no legal effect and did not need to be acted on by state government officers.The DKU maintained that Tuanku Muhriz remained the state’s Yang Dipertuan Besar, and that it had the ultimate authority to decide on the appointment or removal of the state ruler, as per the Negeri Sembilan constitution.It also said the matter was before the High Court in Seremban and urged all parties to respect the legal process.This morning, Tuanku Muhriz’s lawyers accused the state government of staging a coup by declaring the ruler’s removal, saying that yesterday’s statement breached the interim injunctive orders issued by the High Court on June 5.They said they intended to commence contempt proceedings against the state government for breaching the injunctions. The 10 members of Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Ismail Lasim's executive council, comprising seven from Umno and one each from MCA, Wawasan and PAS.

(Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: The press statement issued by Negeri Sembilan executive council members yesterday has no legal effect and does not need to be acted on by civil servants, says the Negeri Sembilan Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU).In a statement, the DKU maintained that Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir remained the state's Yang Dipertuan Besar, and that it had the ultimate authority to decide on the appointment or removal of the state ruler.This is enshrined in the Negeri Sembilan constitution, it added."The Sept 16 statement purportedly confirming Tuanku Muhriz's removal and the selection of a new Yang Dipertuan Besar touches on matters outside the jurisdiction of the state exco and contradicts binding decisions made by the DKU."Therefore, the statement is unconstitutional, invalid and has no legal effect."No state government officer is required to act upon any order from the statement, or the Sept 5 proclamation by the four purported undangs," it said.Adding that the matter is currently before the High Court in Seremban, it urged all parties to respect the legal process.Yesterday, members of the Negeri Sembilan executive council issued a statement affirming that Tuanku Muhriz’s removal in April was legitimate and that Tuanku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar was the new ruler of Negeri Sembilan.The statement was republished by most of the council's members on their social media pages, but menteri besar Ismail Lasim's office did not confirm its validity.Lawyer Rosli Dahlan also questioned the validity of the statement, asking if Ismail had endorsed the document. Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim said PAS must ensure that the provisions of the state constitution on the removal of a sitting ruler have been followed.PETALING JAYA: Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has called on PAS's Negeri Sembilan assemblymen to state where they stand on the purported removal of Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan.Zaid, who joined PAS in June, said the assemblymen should speak up on the status of Tuanku Muhriz, as removing a sitting ruler was unprecedented."The state constitution includes provisions for how to do it. PAS must make sure the law has been followed; if not, Tuanku Mukriz is still the Yang Dipertuan Besar," he said in a post on X."It does not matter whether the proclamation is by the exco or the menteri besar."The Negeri Sembilan executive council yesterday issued a statement affirming that Tuanku Muhriz’s removal in April was legitimate and that Tuanku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar was therefore the new ruler of Negeri Sembilan.It said the council, chaired by menteri besar Ismail Lasim, convened on Tuesday and collectively decided that the April 19 proclamation for the removal of Tuanku Muhriz had been signed and sealed by the duly constituted and incumbent undangs.The council said that the proclamation was also signed by Ismail on Aug 3, rendering it complete in accordance with Article 10(2) of the Negeri Sembilan constitution.

Ismail has disputed the validity of the document.Rembau Undang Hassan Ab Hamid said that the exco members could not supersede the Negeri Sembilan constitution, as the Dewan Keadilan and Undang had declared the proclamation invalid, while lawyer Rosli Dahlan also questioned the validity of the statement.Several Barisan Nasional exco members, as well as one representative from Perikatan Nasional, have since republished the statement affirming the purported removal.The only exco member who has not republished it is PAS’s Fairuz Isa, the Serting assemblyman.The other three PAS assemblymen are Rafie Ab Malek (Ampangan), Kamarol Ridzuan Zain (Paroi) and Abdul Fatah Zakaria (Bagan Pinang).