KUALA LUMPUR: Negri Sembilan's constitutional crisis is a state matter that should be dealt with under its own laws and Constitution, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said all parties must respect state and Federal laws, as both have their own respective constitutions.
She was responding to 10 former presidents of the Malaysian Bar who have called on the Federal Government to step in and resolve the constitutional issues surrounding the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
“This is a state matter. Under our Constitution, there are the Federal List, State List and Concurrent List, which set out what can and cannot be done by the state and the federal government.
“We have to respect the state. It has its own laws and its own Constitution. The federal government also has its own Constitution, so these are separate matters,” she said when met by reporters at the 2026 Anti-Bullying Act Literacy Programme and the Role of the Anti-Bullying Tribunal session at the Royal Military College on Wednesday (Sept 23).
On Tuesday (Sept 22), it was reported that the Undang of Johol, three other Undang whose positions remain in dispute, and the Tunku Besar of Tampin reminded all parties, including the Prime Minister and Attorney General, not to interfere in the administrative affairs of Negri Sembilan.
They said it was their customary prerogative to choose or depose the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, as enshrined under Articles 7, 10 and 11 of the Laws of the Constitution of Negri Sembilan 1959 (UUTKNS 1959).
Azalina said the matter should be left to the people of Negri Sembilan to resolve, given the state's unique constitutional and customary practices.
“I do not want to take sides or say who is right or wrong, but in my personal view, any decision on anything has to go back to the main law, which is the UUTKNS 1959.
“Negri Sembilan is unique compared with the other states, and if we are not from the state, I think it is a little unfair for us to comment on matters we do not fully understand,” she said.
