SEREMBAN: With some three weeks left before the tabling of the state budget, Mentri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim remains optimistic that he will get the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar to officially open the six-day session of the legislative assembly.
"Insya Allah (God willing)...if God wills it," he said briefly when met after officially launching the state level e-TANAH system at a hotel here.
The state Ruler is scheduled to open the session on Nov 26, followed by the tabling of the state budget the next day by the Mentri Besar.
Debates will then run for four days starting Nov 30.
On Friday (Oct 30), Ismail had said he was still awaiting the Ruler's formal consent to open the session.
When contacted, state DAP chief J. Arul Kumar said the opposition assemblymen have yet to receive official notice regarding the scheduled session.
"State laws stipulate that notices must be issued at least 28 days before a session.
"This time frame allows elected representatives to submit their questions and gives authorities sufficient time to prepare replies," he said.
Given the current timeline, he expressed skepticism about the schedule.
Arul Kumar said when the state government initially planned to hold the session on Oct 16, the elected reps had already received the notice about two months earlier on Aug 18.
That session was cancelled due to a constitutional and political crisis in the state, which was followed by the sacking of the state's 10 exco members by state ruler Tuanku Muhriz.
Their sacking took effect on Sept 20. The 10 are now challenging their sacking in court.
Ismail who was sworn in as Mentri Besar before Tuanku Muhriz on Aug 2 had initially declared his full, undivided loyalty to the state Ruler.
However, the following day, he signed a proclamation document to remove Tuanku Muhriz and recognise Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja'afar as his successor.
(The proclamation document was first issued by the four Undang or ruling chiefs on April 19. Three of the ruling chiefs’ positions were however in dispute and they were eventually removed).
On Sept 8, Ismail lodged a police report claiming that he was made to sign the document under duress.
A week later, the state exco issued a statement endorsing the document removing Tuanku Muhriz as state ruler.
Ismail also made a u-turn claiming the decision by the state exco was done unanimously.
The Negri Sembilan Palace then issued a statement sacking the 10 for violating their oath of office and deemed their action a direct breach of their oath of allegiance to the Ruler and the royal institution
The Attorney General's Chambers also issued a statement saying that the Mentri Besar and the state exco had no unilateral power to depose or vacate the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
The AGC said the validity and legal effect of such a proclamation must instead be determined through the constitutional and legal processes provided under the state laws.
The AGC said it found that an April 19 proclamation by the ruling chiefs was invalid as it had failed to comply with the mandatory requirements under Article 10 of the state Constitution.
