Negeri Sembilan undangs tell PM, AGC to stay out of state affairs

On September 25, the four Undangs of Negeri Sembilan and the Tunku Besar of Tampin penned a stern letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), urging them to abstain from interfering in the state's affairs. The group emphasized that Articles 10 and 11 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution of 1959 grant the Undangs exclusive authority to appoint and remove the state ruler.

They cautioned Anwar against using federal agencies to disrupt the administration of Negeri Sembilan, asserting that such actions would violate the principle of constitutional supremacy and breach his oath under the Federal Constitution. The group further warned opposition political parties against "fishing in muddied waters" or "twisting the facts" through disparaging remarks about the state government and its customs.

They affirmed that selecting and removing the Yang di-Pertuan Besar is a customary prerogative protected by the state constitution and that the current Menteri Besar and the exco members were merely fulfilling their constitutional obligation. The statement came from Undang of Johol Datuk Muhammed Abdullah and was jointly issued by other Undangs whose positions are disputed.

The situation arose after Anwar criticized the Menteri Besar and the exco for Tuanku Muhriz's removal as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar in April, which the exco declared legitimate. The AGC subsequently invalidated the proclamation seeking to remove Tuanku Muhriz and rejected the exco's endorsement of the proclamation, stating that the Menteri Besar and exco members could not act independently to remove the state ruler.