The four Undang and Tunku Besar Tampin have rejected claims that Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim and the state executive council were responsible for removing Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as the state’s Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
In a joint statement, the chieftains said the power to elect and remove the Yang di-Pertuan Besar was a customary prerogative that they said was provided for under Articles 7, 10 and 11 of the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959.
They described allegations that Ismail and the state executive councillors had orchestrated Tuanku Muhriz’s removal as “malicious slander” allegedly driven by the personal interests of certain groups.
“The Menteri Besar and Exco have absolutely no such power. They merely carried out their constitutional duties to comply with our decision as the Undang Yang Empat under Article 10 of the UUTKNS 1959,” they said.
They also said the actions of the Menteri Besar and Exco were intended to preserve the position of the chieftains as the ruling authorities of the state, as provided under Article 28 of the state constitution.
The group further urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) not to interfere in Negeri Sembilan’s affairs, particularly matters involving the state’s traditional system of rule.
They warned that any unconstitutional intervention, if continued, would constitute a breach of the Prime Minister’s oath under the Sixth Schedule of the Federal Constitution and a breach of Article 71 concerning the constitutional position of state rulers.
The chieftains also called on external parties, particularly opposition political parties, not to interfere in matters involving Malay customs and the administration of Negeri Sembilan.
They accused certain parties of attempting to distort the people’s mandate by making disparaging remarks about the state government, the customary institution and Negeri Sembilan’s system of rule.
“We emphasise that this custom has been practised for more than 500 years. As the ruling authorities and heads of custom, we naturally have a deeper understanding of what has taken place,” they said.
The group also disputed the validity of Tuanku Muhriz’s directive to remove the state executive councillors, describing the move as unlawful, unconstitutional and without legal effect.
They further claimed that such an action had no precedent in modern Negeri Sembilan and amounted to an attempt to prevent the state ruler from exercising his authority.
The dispute remains contested, with the AGC previously stating that the proclamation concerning Tuanku Muhriz’s removal did not comply with mandatory requirements under Article 10 of the state constitution. Menteri Besar Ismail has also maintained his support and loyalty to Tuanku Muhriz.
