SEREMBAN: Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim has confirmed that he has written to the Malay Rulers to retract a letter sent on Sept 17, in which he claimed that Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir was no longer the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan.
"Yes, I can confirm that I wrote to the Malay Rulers.
"The letter is self-explanatory. Those who have read it will understand (its contents)," he said when met at the state-level Deepavali Open house here.
In the two-page letter dated Nov 10 addressed to the Keeper of the Ruler's Seal Tan Sri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad, Ismail said the decision was made unanimously alongside all 10 former state excos.
Asked if this was the first step towards resolving the state constitutional and adat crisis, Ismail expressed confidence that it was.
To another question, Ismail said he had written to the palace to seek an audience with Tuanku Muhriz and to get his consent to officially open the sitting of the state legislative assembly planned for Nov 26.
"We are waiting for Tuanku's consent. If Tuanku agrees, then we will proceed to have the opening on Nov 26," he said.
Ismail also explained that the date for the opening of the assembly on Nov 26, the tabling of the state budget the following day and the sitting of the house for four days from Nov 30 was proposed by the state government and that it can be changed.
"What is important is that we will have to table the budget before the end of the year," he said.
Earlier today, the Negri Sembilan government officially withdrew its letter sent to the Malay Rulers regarding the state's royal institution, reaffirming its commitment to uphold the state constitution and customary traditions.
The letter noted that the retraction of the earlier Sept 17 correspondence took into account a statement issued by the Malay Rulers on Oct 14 as well as a Seremban High Court order dated June 5.
The court order had maintained the status quo regarding the position of Negri Sembilan Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
In the letter, Ismail said the decision was made to uphold the supremacy of the Laws of the Constitution of Negri Sembilan 1959, preserve the order of constitutional monarchy, and ensure the continuity of state administration runs in a peaceful and orderly manner.
On Sept 17, Ismail confirmed that the state executive council had endorsed an April 17 proclamation signed by one Undang and three other ruling chiefs whose positions were in dispute to remove Tuanku Muhriz as the state ruler.
He then sent a formal letter to the Conference of Rulers declaring Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja'afar as the "new" Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
In the Nov 10 letter, Ismail and the state's 10 former executive council members also reiterated their commitment to always uphold custom (adat) and respect the position and authority of the royal institution within Negri Sembilan's governance system.
They added that they took note of the Malay Rulers' call for all differences to be resolved through lawful, authoritative, and credible channels in a civil and customary manner.
"We are of the view that efforts toward a resolution must be carried out with full responsibility, in order to maintain the harmony and stability of Negri Sembilan and prioritise the well-being of the people," the letter stated.
The letter was signed by Ismail and co-signed by all 10 former state executive council members.
They are Datuk Mohd Faizal Ramli, Datuk Zaifulbahri Idris, Datuk Mustapha Nagoor, Siow Kong Choon, Siti Nur Umaira Hasim, Datuk Mohd Asna Amin, Datuk Mohd Razi Mohd Ali, Suhaimizan Bizar, Mohd Fairuz Mohd Isa, and Datuk Razali Abu Samah.
Asked on the still vacant exco positions, Ismail said he could only comment once he gets an audience with Tuanku Muhriz.
To another question if the 10 former excos will withdraw an originating summons at the Seremban High Court and a constitutional reference application at the Federal Court to challenge Tuanku Mukhriz's revocation of their appointments, Ismail said he had no knowledge of that.
"Those are court proceedings and I do not know about them," he said.
Tuanku Muhriz had revoked the appointments of the 10 excos effective Sept 20, 2026, for violating their sworn oath of allegiance and loyalty to the Ruler and the royal institution.
The 10 who were sworn in on Aug 7 had pledged loyalty to Tuanku Muhriz, vowed to uphold the sovereignty of the state constitution, and acknowledged the authority of the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU).
However, their decision to endorse a proclamation supposedly removing Tuanku Muhriz and recognising Tunku Nadzaruddin as the new ruler directly violated that oath.
