Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says neither he nor Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim was ever summoned to meet Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir over the ongoing royal dispute.
Zahid, who is also UMNO president, said both of them only learnt about the matter through media reports.
“I and the Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar were never summoned to meet (Tuanku Muhriz), and we only knew about it from the media,” he said after attending the Universiti Research and Innovation Investment Summit 2026 (URIIS 2026) at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur today.
His remarks came a day after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was reported to have met Tuanku Muhriz at the Negeri Sembilan Palace in Changkat Persekutuan amid the latest developments involving the state administration.
Earlier, Tuanku Muhriz revoked the appointments of all 10 members of the Negeri Sembilan State Executive Council (Exco) with immediate effect. The palace said the decision followed a finding that the Exco members had breached their oaths of office.
The palace also cited Article XXXVIII(5) of the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959, which provides that an Exco member, other than the Menteri Besar, holds office at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
However, Ismail has maintained that all 10 Exco members remain legally in office and can continue carrying out their duties, saying there is no need to submit a new list of appointments.
He said his position was based on a legal interpretation of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution, particularly provisions concerning executive authority and the status of Exco members.
The dispute comes amid a wider constitutional and royal controversy in Negeri Sembilan, with different parties putting forward conflicting interpretations over the status of Tuanku Muhriz and the state administration.
