The palace crisis in Negri Sembilan is intensifying. Facing an attempt to oust him, the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan, Tuanku Mukhriz Tuanku Munawir, has revoked the appointments of all 10 state executive councillors (exco) with immediate effect.

According to a royal statement, the decision was made after the exco members were found to have breached their oaths of office and their pledges of loyalty made to the ruler prior to their appointments on Aug 7.

Tuanku Mukhriz holds the legal authority to take this action under Article 38(5) of the 1959 Negri Sembilan State Constitution, which stipulates that state executive councillors, excluding the Menteri Besar, hold office at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

Upon returning from abroad on Sep 17, Tuanku Mukhriz was asked by supporters if he was returning to resolve the matter, to which he simply replied, “InshaAllah.” (God willing).

Three days later, he dismissed all 10 exco members.

The underlying message is clear: if the executive branch acts unlawfully to unseat the ruler, the ruler retains the constitutional prerogative to dismiss the executive members.

Following the sacking of the 10 exco members—representing Umno, MCA, PAS, and Parti Wawasan Negara—Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim is required to submit a fresh list of nominees for royal consent. Given that Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional hold 25 seats in the state assembly, candidate options remain readily available.

However, the core issue is that the state executive branch refuses to recognise the unilateral sacking of the councillors.

Ismail has maintained that any dismissal executed without the recommendation or formal request of the Menteri Besar is unconstitutional and lacks legal effect.

Consequently, he asserts that the existing exco members remain legally in office and that no new nomination list will be submitted.

This position follows a Sep 17 announcement by the state executive council declaring that an April 19 proclamation unseating Tuanku Mukhriz was valid, naming Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar as the new ruler—a move critics view as fundamentally unconstitutional.

Unilaterally declaring the unseating of Tuanku Mukhriz constitutes an ultra vires act and a direct challenge to royal constitutional sovereignty and the rule of law in Negri Sembilan.

The state executive council bypassed statutory procedures governing royal removal outlined in the state constitution, acting with extreme recklessness.

Political calculations, behind-the-scenes manoeuvring and administrative declarations cannot override due process established by law.

Notably, a day after the council issued its declaration, the Secretary of the Negri Sembilan Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) stated that the state constitution does not empower the state assembly to appoint a ruler, rendering the executive statement invalid.

(DKU is the highest authority governing matters related to the four Undangs in Negri Sembilan. The ruler in Negari Sembilan is elected by a council of four Undangs)

On the same day, the Attorney General’s Chambers noted that the April 19 proclamation failed to satisfy mandatory constitutional requirements, rendering it unenforceable. The dispute is currently before the courts.

Simultaneously, the State Financial Officer and State Secretary have refused to comply with the Menteri Besar’s directive to gazette the proclamation deposing the ruler.

This series of events indicates that the state administration has reached an operational impasse, with working relations between leadership levels completely severed. The royal revocation of the exco appointments further complicates the crisis.

The situation in Negri Sembilan must not set a precedent; the monarchy, executive branch, state assembly and judiciary must remain strictly within their constitutional bounds. Unchecked transgressions of power threaten not only the constitutional status of the Negeri Sembilan monarchy today, but the rule of law across the nation tomorrow.

At this junction, the public in Negeri Sembilan is left contemplating two primary paths forward:

Immediate intervention by the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency to resolve this unprecedented constitutional dispute.

The dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly to return the mandate to the electorate through a snap state election.

As the political manoeuvring continues, all eyes remain on how Ismail, a political lighteweight, navigates the unfolding standoff.

(Anthony Chong is Sin Chew Daily Leader Writer.)