KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, amid a dispute over the state’s royal leadership.
The Prime Minister spent about an hour at Istana Hinggap Negri Sembilan in Bukit Persekutuan here yesterday.
A vehicle carrying Anwar arrived at about 6pm in a convoy accompanied by a police motorcycle escort. The convoy left the palace at about 7pm.
The Prime Minister rolled down his car window and waved to members of the media as he departed.
The visit came after members of the state executive council endorsed a proclamation seeking to remove Tuanku Muhriz and recognised Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar as the new Ruler.
However, the state’s Dewan Keadilan dan Undang has maintained that Tuanku Muhriz remains the rightful Ruler.
Meanwhile, at an event in Melaka on Sunday night, Anwar said the royal institution will fail if Rulers can be “changed by the month” and decisions are not made in accordance with the law and Constitution.
He said political interference that was not in line with the wishes of certain quarters had resulted in instability within the institution.
“In Negri Sembilan, there are those who make a lot of noise about the Malay Rulers, but when a decision does not go their way, they want to remove the Ruler.
“I cannot accept this. We follow the Constitution and law.
“If we can change the Ruler from month to month, the royal system will fail. That is why the King understands that the existing Ruler is legitimate.
“This means following the process as provided for in the Constitution and the law.
“There are politicians who want to turn it into an issue. They want the Ruler to follow them.
“The Ruler must follow the Constitution. The Ruler should not follow politicians, otherwise the state will be ruined,” he said.
