All parties should respect and refer to the Negeri Sembilan State Constitution (UUTKNS) 1959 when seeking a solution to the ongoing administrative impasse in the state, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
Azalina said Negeri Sembilan was unique among Malaysian states due to its practice of the Adat Perpatih system, with the state constitution serving as an important guide to its administration.
She stressed that she did not want to take sides over who was right or wrong, but said any decision concerning the state’s administration should be based on the state constitution.
“Negeri Sembilan is a bit unique compared with the other states. I don’t want to take sides on who is right or wrong, but to me, any decision or anything, you have to go back to the main law, which is the state constitution,” she said.
Azalina also pointed out that the Federal Constitution sets out the respective powers of the federal and state governments.
“In the Federal Constitution, there is a list of what can and cannot be done between the states and the federal government. They are two different things. So, we have to respect the state law, as well as the Federal Constitution,” she said.
She added that the people of Negeri Sembilan should be allowed to find a solution to the issue themselves, describing the view as her personal opinion.
Azalina was speaking to reporters after attending a literacy programme on the Anti-Bullying Act 2026 (Act 876) and the role of the Anti-Bullying Tribunal at the Royal Military College on Wednesday.
Her remarks came in response to a proposal by 10 former presidents of the Malaysian Bar, who have urged the Federal Government to intervene in the constitutional impasse involving the position of Negeri Sembilan Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
The former Bar presidents are Datuk Mah Weng Kwai, Datuk Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari, Datuk Yeo Yang Poh, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, Ragunath Kesavan, Datuk Lim Chee Wee, Christopher Leong, Datuk George Varughese, Salim Bashir and Karen Cheah Yee Lynn.
In their statement, they said recent developments involving Tuanku Muhriz, including certain actions by the Negeri Sembilan State Executive Council, raised concerns over whether the proper processes under the UUTKNS had been followed.
They said the developments raised serious questions concerning the constitutional monarchy system and the rule of law.
