Former Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun has questioned why current Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim signed a proclamation concerning the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar after previously choosing not to sign the same document.
Aminuddin said the proclamation, dated April 19, 2026, had been presented to him on April 20 last year when he was still Menteri Besar for his signature under Article 10(2) of the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959.
He said he decided not to sign it at the time because he had serious concerns about the process involved.
“If I, as Menteri Besar at the time, could decide not to sign the document because I had doubts about the process, how can the signature of the Menteri Besar who came after me be on the same document?” he said in a Facebook post.
The Port Dickson MP said the matter required a direct explanation to the public, particularly after Ismail later claimed that his signature had been made under duress. Ismail previously said he had lodged a police report to allow the authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the signing.
Aminuddin said the allegation had been referred to the authorities and should be investigated without prejudice to determine the actual facts.
“However, from the perspective of public responsibility, one question still needs to be answered,” he said.
Aminuddin also said he was prepared to take responsibility for decisions made during his tenure as Menteri Besar.
“Do not simply use the term ‘previous government’ as a general answer. If there was wrongdoing, state what it was. If there was a breach of the law, state the relevant provision.
“In a matter of this magnitude, the people are entitled to clear facts that can be examined,” he said.
He also referred to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) position on September 17 that the April 19 proclamation was invalid because it did not comply with the mandatory requirements of Article 10 of the state constitution.
Aminuddin said the differing positions between the AGC and the Secretariat of the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang over compliance with the Article 10 process showed that the matter involved substantive questions that should be clarified based on facts and records.
“I stand by the position of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, which is more authoritative,” he said.
The AGC has said the Menteri Besar and State Executive Council do not have unilateral authority to remove or declare vacant the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, while the validity and legal effect of the April 19 proclamation must be determined through the constitutional and legal processes provided under the state constitution.
Aminuddin said Ismail should explain his own actions rather than attributing the wider dispute solely to the previous administration.
“The people have the right to know why his signature appears on the proclamation document and what actually happened that led him to later claim that he was forced to sign it.
“That question cannot be answered simply by blaming the previous government,” he said.
