Palace tensions worsen in Negri Sembilan

The Mentri Besar has reportedly torn up his copy of a proclamation to remove Tuanku Muhriz after claiming that he signed it under duress.

IT is not often that a political honeymoon could go wrong so quickly and in such a spectacular manner.

Datuk Ismail Lasim who has been Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar (MB) for a little over a month is embroiled in the palace crisis he had tried to resolve but which he has instead made worse than before.

His claim of being under duress when signing a proclamation to remove Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar or co-Ruler whipped up a mini storm that pushed the crisis to a new level.

It almost eclipsed the celebratory mood at the Umno general assembly and became the talk of the town in the state where many Malays identify with the Adat Perpatih custom of law and regard themselves as “orang adat”.

Ismail was not Umno’s preference for MB but his party was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt given that he is a trained lawyer with experience in governance.

They thought he should be able to mediate the falling-out between the defiant Undang Yang Empat or territorial chieftains and Tuanku Mukhriz, the beleaguered Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

Instead, the MB is now at the centre of an even more tempestuous situation.

Some in Umno think he should resign and indeed, there were rumours that he spoke of resigning during a late night meeting with some Umno assemblymen earlier this week.

The MB is the most powerful politician in the state and many were incredulous that he could be forced to act against his better judgement?

Even Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamid, when asked by reporters, had arched his eyebrows in a cynical way and asked: “Who forced him?”

For several days, Ismail’s claims of coercion made him something of a laughing stock.

There was also the fact that Ismail had signed the proclamation to unseat Tuanku Muhriz on Aug 3, a day after being sworn in and pledging loyalty to him. That was quite jaw-dropping.

Under the Adat Perpatih system, the Undang Yang Empat and the Yang di-Pertuan Besar are co-Rulers. 

A host of things in the state require the agreement of both co-Rulers although the Undang have the upper hand in that they have the power to appoint or remove the Yang di-Pertuan Besar. 

The acrimony between the co-Rulers was sparked off by the controversial sacking of the Udang of Sungai Ujong in March this year.

It has since spiraled into a bizarre power struggle wherein there are now two rival groups of Undang, one group against Tuanku Muhriz and the other with him, with one questioning the legitimacy of the other.

The anti-Tuanku Muhriz group has also proclaimed Tuanku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Jaffar, 66, as the new co-Ruler. 

On Thursday afternoon, at the sidelines of the Umno general assembly, Ismail met with Ahmad Zahid and several top Umno leaders to give his side of the story. 

Ismail told his party boss that he wanted the endorsement of the Undang to give legitimacy to his position as MB. 

He arrived at the Istana Laguna Biru, the Port Dickson villa of the Tuanku Jaafar family, at 10pm on Aug 3, where after a brief discussion he signed four copies of the controversial proclamation. 

Photos of Ismail greeting Tuanku Nadzaruddin from that evening show both men in a friendly fashion although Ismail looked a little uncomfortable.

The Undang group apparently gave Ismail a month to try to settle the crisis. When Ismail failed to get back to them after the deadline, the Undang group unveiled their copy of the proclamation at a press conference on Sept 5, insisting that Ismail had signed willingly.

That must have been like a dagger in the back of Tuanku Muhriz who is believed to have left for a European country. 

“The voters do not want the crisis to prolong, they expect us to find a solution so that we can move forward.

“The uncertainty and the distraction is not good for the state. Our concern is how the ongoing issue will affect the budget session of the state assembly sitting,” said Barisan whip and Johol assemblyman Datuk Saiful Yazan Sulaiman.

It is learnt that Ismail, during his meeting with state assemblymen, tore up his copy of the proclamation.

The state constitution is crystal clear on who can appoint or remove the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

It is apparent that the Undang group is not backing off. They claim they are not only defending their rights as co-Rulers of the state but also the state’s unique Adat Perpatih system. 

What about the proclamation to unseat the Yang di-Pertuan Besar? Is it still valid although the MB tore it up?

A lawyer put it this way: “Do you stop paying your bank loan if the loan agreement was lost in a fire?”

Surely the MB was not that naive to think he could settle the palace crisis within a month? If he could accomplish that in a month, he would also be able to walk across the Strait of Malacca.

Although Ismail has been the butt of jokes, he is now “MB yang sah” or the “legitimate MB,” who has the approval of the Undang group and Tuanku Muhriz.

However, he has probably lost the trust of Tuanku Muhriz while the Undang group is wary of him.

A solution to the palace crisis remains an elusive dream for now.

> The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own