After being sworn in by one ruler, UMNO now backs contender to Negeri Sembilan throne

KUALA LUMPUR - It was a curious turn of events. On Aug 2, Negeri Sembilan’s new chief minister Ismail Lasim took an oath of loyalty to the state’s ruler Muhriz Munawir during his swearing in. 

Yet, the next day, he allegedly signed a proclamation declaring Muhriz no longer the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar of the central Malaysian state.

This twist was revealed in a Sept 5 statement by the state’s four traditional chieftains, known as Undang, who have the power to elect and remove the sovereign.

A day later on Sept 6, Ismail responded that “the four Undang have the right to their opinion” but that he “and the state government express full loyalty to Muhriz Munawir as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar”. He did not confirm or deny whether he signed the proclamation.

The bizarre turnaround is the latest development in a deepening palace crisis that has engulfed the central Malaysian state since April.

But the ramifications go beyond just the unique workings of Negeri Sembilan’s unique Adat Perpatih, or customary law – a traditional system of rules that has shaped the state’s royal succession for generations.

Instead, the imbroglio brings into sharp focus the increasing coupling of Malaysia’s constitutional monarchy and politics.

Forced to sign?

Three of the chieftains had their positions revoked in recent months, but they dispute their ousters and insist they had – unanimously with the fourth Undang – declared in April that Muhriz was no longer fit to rule.

According to their Sept 5 statement, Ismail met them on Aug 3 to gain their blessing and that of the contender to the throne, Muhriz’s own cousin Nadzaruddin Ja’afar. 

Sources told The Straits Times that UMNO top brass including president Zahid Hamidi, secretary general Asyraf Dusuki and Law Minister Azalina Othman Said were present at the meeting.

The chieftains said Ismail signed the proclamation removing Muhriz from the throne, thus paving the way for Nadzaruddin, son of the previous ruler, to be installed.

However, legal and government sources told ST that Ismail claimed he was forced to sign the proclamation under duress and that UMNO’s top leadership has been working in concert with the original Undang.

The sources said the chief minister is set to report the matter to the police on Sept 8.

In a short response on Sept 6, Ismail reiterated the state government’s “full loyalty” to Muhriz without addressing the chieftains’ allegations.

Despite the Aug 3 episode, Ismail went on to swear in his state Cabinet before Muhriz on Aug 7.

Sources also told ST that on Aug 23, Ismail had an audience with the Agong, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor. The Agong acts as Malaysia’s King and is rotated in five-year terms among the nine state rulers.

They described the meeting as “curious as the chief minister of Negeri Sembilan is unrelated to Johor nor the federal government unless it pertains to the status of the state’s ruler”.

The intertwining of politics and royal matters

Sources told ST that Deputy Prime Minister Zahid chaired a meeting of UMNO’s Negeri Sembilan assemblymen late on Sept 6, where it was decided that Ismail would be given three months to “resolve the palace dispute”.

A Sept 5 statement issued by Negeri Sembilan UMNO also called a “special committee to resolve issues related to Negeri Sembilan’s Adat (Perpatih)”.

At press time, Zahid, Asyraf and Azalina have not responded to requests for comment.

This flies in the face of UMNO’s stance that politicians should not interfere with royal matters, the principle it invoked when withdrawing support for the previous chief minister Aminuddin Harun. This had led to the dissolution of the state assembly in June and snap polls being held on Aug 1.

UMNO had accused Aminuddin, a vice president in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat, of interfering with the Adat Perpatih when he refused to sign off on the proclamation by the Undang ousting Muhriz.

The belief within UMNO is that having criticised Aminuddin for gainsaying the Undang, putting the matter to bed now that it has taken power in Negeri Sembilan would be popular among the Malay Muslim majority ahead of Melaka state polls expected by November and a general election due by early 2028.

Doing so would be another feather in UMNO’s cap after having won both Johor and Negeri Sembilan decisively. Buoyed by these victories, it is pressuring ruling partner Anwar to call for early national polls.

In their Sept 5 statement, the Undang also called on authorities including the state government to remove Muhriz. Given that Ismail immediately declared loyalty to Muhriz, the status quo is likely to remain for now.

Sources told ST that this is likely to prompt the Undang to release copies of the signed document in coming days even as actors aligned to them have been posting photos of the Aug 3 meeting online – just a month ahead of a crucial Conference of Rulers meeting in neighbouring Melaka. 

Already, the previous meeting scheduled for June was cancelled by the monarchs amid uncertainty over the Negeri Sembilan throne. This was despite the Attorney-General’s advice that Muhriz’s supposed removal in April was unconstitutional as the required inquiry into his fitness to rule was not convened.

Given there are at least two ongoing court cases on the royal saga, it is unlikely that the dispute will be resolved by the time the Conference is convened in mid-October.

Muhriz, who has taken a strong public stance against corruption, was due to chair the June conference. The issue of a renewed pardon bid by disgraced former prime minister Najib Razak was said to be a key talking point among the brother rulers, according to sources close to several royal houses.

The prospect of two consecutive councils of Malaysia’s nine ruling families being called off would be unprecedented and underline how the royal institution has in recent years become intertwined with political power plays despite its constitutional role as an objective arbiter above the fray.