Ismail patut letak jawatan, kata peguam susulan isu proklamasi N Sembilan

Negeri Sembilan's Deputy Chief Minister Ismail Lasim should be given a position, according to a legal adviser to the state's legal department, Rosli Dahlan. The AGC stated that the MMKN member's statement supporting the removal of Tuanku Muhriz as the state's Yang Dipertuan Besar does not have legal significance. Rosli cited a statement from the Deputy Secretary-General of the State Secretariat yesterday that the state government would not take action against Ismail's request for the proclamation of Tuanku Muhriz's removal to be declared.

The AGC said Ismail lacks knowledge, understanding, and control over state administration and acted against the legal advice of the State Legal Adviser. Therefore, he needs to relinquish his position, said Rosli. The Deputy Secretary-General of the State Secretariat claimed that his office decided not to take action against Ismail's request after receiving the AGC's opinion on the proclamation announcement on April 19.

The office also said the matter has been referred to the State Legal Adviser to ensure all actions comply with the law and the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan. The AGC said the MMKN member's actions do not have jurisdiction, authority, or power under the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan to declare the state government position vacant.

The AGC also said the April 19 proclamation by four members is invalid as it does not comply with the mandatory requirement of Article 10 of the Constitution. The AGC noted that although the proclamation had the power to remove the Yang Dipertuan Besar, there is no evidence that the procedure set out in Article 10 was followed. The AGC also said the opinions of some signatories of the proclamation are still disputed because they were dismissed as members under customary law.

MMKN members said in a statement on Wednesday that Tuanku Muhriz's removal on April was valid and that Tuanku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar is the new government of Negeri Sembilan. Ismail supported this statement the following day and said the decision was made unanimously when the MMKN held a meeting on Tuesday.