Umno wants state govt aligned with palace in Negeri Sembilan crisis

Umno’s backing for the proclamation removing Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as ruler of Negeri Sembilan may be part of a broader strategy by the party’s central leadership to align the state government more closely with the palace, according to a political analyst.

International Islamic University Malaysia’s Syaza Shukri said she believed the plan had been in place even before the Negeri Sembilan election, with Umno prepared to endorse the proclamation upon coming to power.

She said the unexpected appointment of Ismail Lasim as menteri besar may explain why his initial stance appeared at odds with the direction later taken by the executive council.

“My reading is that Ismail is now up to speed with what the party’s national leadership wants. The initial contradiction was more about personnel,” she told FMT.

Syaza said Umno was likely to justify its position by claiming it was protecting the royal institution, based on the premise that the proclamation removing Tuanku Muhriz had already been validly issued.

This, she said, would allow Umno to maintain its traditional position as defender of the monarchy despite the controversy surrounding Tuanku Muhriz’s removal.

“As the so-called defender of the royal institution, they cannot be seen to be on opposing ends,” she said.

Syaza said Umno also had a political incentive to ensure that the state government and palace were aligned, particularly as the party seeks to project strength and stability.

“If they are undermined by the palace, people might call out the instability in Negeri Sembilan, and that goes against their campaign for stability,” she said, noting the possibility of tensions between Tuanku Muhriz and Umno.

Syaza said aligning with the palace could strengthen Ismail’s administration if the proclamation is ultimately upheld, but warned the episode also risks creating the perception that the menteri besar is vulnerable to pressure.

She added that the wider dispute had taken on an increasingly political dimension, with rival camps offering competing interpretations of what it means to “defend the royal institution”.

Ultimately, Syaza said, it will be for the courts to resolve the constitutional dispute given the competing political claims over legitimacy.

Last week, four individuals, claiming to be the state’s undangs, produced a proclamation dated Aug 3 bearing Ismail’s signature, which they argued formalised Tuanku Muhriz’s removal.

On Sept 9, Ismail claimed he was coerced into signing the proclamation and described it as invalid, unconstitutional and unenforceable.

A day later, he met Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and vice-presidents Johari Ghani, Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and Khaled Nordin, after Zahid called for an explanation.

On Sept 17, Ismail confirmed that the state executive council had unanimously accepted the proclamation two days earlier and instructed the state secretary to proceed with its gazettement.

However, the state secretary’s office subsequently said it would not gazette the proclamation after accepting the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ view that it did not comply with Article 10 of the state constitution.

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