SEREMBAN: The Negri Sembilan government must be given space to resolve the state’s constitutional and customary law (adat) crisis through proper legal channels, says state Umno information chief Muhammad Sufian Maradzi.
He cautioned against using matters involving the royal institution, adat and state governance to create political pressure or bypass ongoing processes.
“The current state government has a heavy responsibility to resolve an inherited crisis guided by the state constitution, Adat Perpatih, court rulings and the jurisdiction of legitimate institutions.
“All parties must watch what they say so as not to preempt this process,” he said in a statement.
Muhammad Sufian claimed the crisis escalated because the previous government had failed to handle the matter properly.
“If PKR truly wants to see the crisis resolved, then the question that remains the core foundation of the entire crisis was the failure of the previous government to release the minutes of an April 17 meeting of the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU),” he said.
He was responding to a statement by state PKR that the prolonged constitutional and adat crisis had fuelled perceptions of a dysfunctional state government.
Muhammad Sufian said the sequence of events that began during the administration of the then PKR-led government should be examined before blame was placed on the current administration.
“The event on April 17, 2026 is one of the most critical points in this development. At that time, the position of the Undang of Sungei Ujong was said to have been collectively decided through the DKU, but that matter was subsequently disputed by the parties present, including the Undang and the Tunku Besar of Tampin,” he said.
He said the question of the minutes remained fundamental.
On May 5, the serving and former Undang and two others filed an originating summons at the Seremban High Court seeking a copy of the minutes of the special DKU meeting held on April 17.
Muhammad Sufian questioned why the record underpinning such a major decision was not presented when the dispute first arose.
“If the record had been clarified from the very beginning, a large part of the confusion, institutional disputes and subsequent administrative crisis could likely have been avoided.
“As such, it is unfair to discuss the consequences of today’s crisis without acknowledging how it all began,” he said.
He claimed this was also why Umno lost confidence in the leadership of then mentri besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun and withdrew its support.
“This stance was not a rejection of the unity government concept, but rather a rejection of the way the crisis was managed under his leadership,” he said.
Muhammad Sufian said when a political solution could not be reached, Aminuddin had chosen to dissolve the state legislative assembly and return the mandate to the people.
“The election has taken place, the people have made their decision, and a new government has been formed through a legitimate democratic process.
“That mandate must be respected,” he added.
