KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 22): Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said neither he nor Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim was summoned for an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir at Istana Negeri Sembilan here on Monday (Sept 21).

“No. Neither the Negeri Sembilan menteri besar nor I was ever summoned for an audience. We only learnt about it through the media,” he said when asked at a press conference after officiating the University Research and Innovation Investment Summit 2026 (URIIS 2026) here on Tuesday.

He said the ongoing dispute in Negeri Sembilan should be resolved properly, with due regard for both legal interpretations and the state’s institutions.

“In my view, this is not merely a question of legal interpretation and powers. The institutions and establishment in Negeri Sembilan must also be respected,” he said.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had an audience with Tuanku Muhriz at Istana Negeri Sembilan in the capital on Monday. The meeting lasted nearly an hour.

The audience followed Tuanku Muhriz’s decision to revoke the appointments of the Negeri Sembilan State Executive Council members with immediate effect, after finding that they had breached their oaths of office.

Ismail, however, has disputed the validity of the move, arguing that the dismissal or termination of an executive councillor without the advice or request of the menteri besar was legally flawed, unconstitutional and had no legal effect.

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