KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 9): Negeri Sembilan’s new Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim said he had signed a proclamation to remove the state ruler under duress.
A police report has been lodged on Sept 8 to allow authorities to begin investigation, Ismail said in a statement on Wednesday. The state government’s stand is that the proclamation did not meet the procedures under Negeri Sembilan’s constitution, he said.
“Therefore, it is not valid, unconstitutional and cannot be enforced,” Ismail said.
This comes after an announcement on Sept 5 by four undangs, who are among the state's traditional chieftains, that Ismail had signed a proclamation that would oust Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
It should be noted, the legitimacy of three of the undangs — Datuk Mubarak Thahak (Sungei Ujong), Datuk Maarof Mat Rashad (Jelebu) and Datuk Abd Rahim Yasin (Rembau) — is contested, as the body overseeing Negeri Sembilan's customary chieftains, the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU), has deposed them and installed successors.
Ismail added that the establishment of a "PEACE COMMITTEE" to resolve the customary issue harmoniously and "based on the spirit of consensus" was discussed during the Negeri Sembilan State Executive Council Meeting No 5 of 2026 on Sept 8.
The state government also cited Article 71 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees the rights and position of a ruler, saying the dignity and standing of Tuanku Muhriz as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan must be preserved.
The dispute over the Negeri Sembilan throne started on April 19, when the four undangs announced the removal of Tuanku Muhriz as state ruler.
Then Negeri Sembilan menteri besar, Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, then announced the state government's refusal to recognise the declaration, noting that one of the four undang had been removed prior to the announcement.
On April 26, Negeri Sembilan Umno’s 14 state assemblymen, led by its state Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias, withdrew their support for Aminuddin as menteri besar, citing their dissatisfaction with the handling of the customary dispute.
This led to a strained relationship between Negeri Sembilan coalition government partners Umno and Pakatan Harapan. Aminuddin is from PKR, which is part of PH. The tensions culminated with the dissolution of the Negeri Sembilan legislature on June 5 to pave the way for a state election.
In the run-up to the Aug 1 election, Umno-led Barisan Nasional formed a pact with Pas-led Perikatan Nasional, resulting in them winning 25 of the 36 seats in the state legislature.
Ismail, who is the Senaling state assemblyman from Umno, was then sworn in as menteri besar by Tuanku Muhriz.
The tussle over the throne also spilled into the courts on June 5, when the Seremban High Court granted an interim injunction barring the four undangs as well as the tunku besar of Tampin, who is the other customary chieftain in Negeri Sembilan, from convening DKU meetings or conducting official functions.
The group, however, convened the same day at a hotel in Melaka to proclaim Tunku Datuk Seri Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja'afar as the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan. Tunku Nadzaruddin is the son of Tuanku Ja'afar Tuanku Abdul Rahman, the 10th ruler of Negeri Sembilan and Malaysia's 10th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Tuanku Muhriz's father is Tuanku Munawir Tuanku Abdul Rahman, who is Negeri Sembilan's ninth Yang di-Pertuan Besar. Tuanku Munawir and Tuanku Ja'afar are sons of Negeri Sembilan's eighth ruler and Malaysia's first king, Tuanku Abdul Rahman Tuanku Muhammad.
Under Negeri Sembilan's adat perpatih system of governance, the Yang di-Pertuan Besar is elected by the customary chieftains.