SEREMBAN: Dissolving the Negri Sembilan legislative assembly would be the right thing to do following the collapse of the unity government in the state, says Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias.
The state Umno chief cautioned that attempting to govern with a minority government would be unsustainable and ineffective, as such an administration would face constant scrutiny and challenges over state policies, budget approvals, and other legislative matters, potentially triggering a broader political crisis.
Emphasising the need for stability, Jalaluddin said the mandate must be returned to the voters so they can decide the state's future leadership.
"To me, the state government does not have the locus standi to continue functioning, as it does not have a simple majority.
"To my understanding, the MB can no longer carry out his duties under the present circumstances, as he not only lacks the numbers but has also crossed the line by getting involved in royal matters.
"However, we will let the process take its course, which includes the decision of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and the Undang, as well as provisions under the Constitution of Negri Sembilan," he said when contacted.
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The Pakatan Harapan state government now has 17 seats in the state assembly after 14 Barisan Nasional assemblymen withdrew their support for Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun and his state government.
The state of Perikatan Nasional, which has five assemblymen, has since expressed its willingness to work with Barisan.
Barisan has since claimed that, with this, it had secured a simple majority to form the state government.
On Monday (April 27), Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said he had received the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, to continue carrying out his duties despite losing the support of 14 assemblymen.
Aminuddin said the state ruler had advised him and decreed that he continue his responsibilities as Mentri Besar until there was further clarity on the issue.
Jalaluddin said Barisan decided to withdraw its support for Aminuddin because he had intervened in the state's royal crisis.
"When we formed the unity government in the state, we had agreed not to touch on issues involving the royal institution and adat, as well as the rights of the Malays and Islam.
"As such, the MB crossed the line when he got involved in the issue between the state ruler and the four Undang," he said, adding that this was reflected in the two media statements released by his office on the royal tussle.
Jalaluddin said Aminuddin should rightly have proposed the setting up of a special committee comprising experts on adat (customary laws) and the state constitution to resolve the matter.
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The Barisan assemblymen's move to withdraw their support was also not an attempt to form a backdoor government, as some claimed.
He said that since Barisan was already in the state government, the question of a backdoor government did not arise.
"When we said we had lost confidence in the MB, we immediately received news that Perikatan Nasional was prepared to work with us.
"If there is any party, including Pakatan, that wants to work with us, we will surely accept it," he said, adding that this was only to ensure the situation in the state remained stable.
Jalaluddin said if state Barisan had wished to form a backdoor government with Perikatan, it could have done so a long time ago.
Jalaluddin also said the decision to withdraw support for Aminuddin was not because Barisan wanted to take over his position, but purely because of his failure to handle the state's royal crisis.
"The matter (royal crisis) was being debated openly, and this was not right.
"We were the ones who opened the floodgates, and the public was already attacking us.
"The question is, how could we have allowed matters related to the royal institution and adat to be debated publicly on social media?" he asked.
Jalaluddin said Barisan was also considering its options if the current minority government remained in office.
"We will be watching this closely.
"I will be meeting the Barisan assemblymen to discuss this further," he said.
In response to a question, Jalaluddin said the state Umno had also notified party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of its intention to withdraw support for Aminuddin before the announcement.
"The president said he respected our stand, as this was not an attempt to cause the downfall of the unity government or to form a backdoor government, but was due to the mishandling of royal issues.
"It was purely to state Umno's unhappiness, in the eyes of the people, over the MB's involvement in the issue involving the state ruler and the four Undang," he said, adding that the unity government was no longer tenable because of this.
