Lawyers defend backdated proclamation, cite MB’s ‘continuity of office’

In a legal battle over the validity of a proclamation, lawyers for five chieftains in Negeri Sembilan have defended the actions of Menteri Besar Ismail Lasim in removing Tuanku Muhriz as Yang Dipertuan Besar. The lawyers argued that the office of Menteri Besar is a continuous administrative institution, separate from the individual who holds it, and that the individual holding the office has the legal capacity to perform duties and sign official documents.

This means that if a new Menteri Besar takes office, they too would have the authority to sign official documents. The lawyers emphasized that continuing to start all processes from scratch every time there is a change of leadership would disrupt the administration's continuity and the delivery of services. Former Umno leader Shahril Hamdan questioned the validity of the April 19 proclamation, as it was signed by Ismail Lasim months later, but the lawyers maintained that the proclamation was valid despite Ismail's earlier claims of coercion and invalidity.

The lawyers also stated that the Menteri Besar's signature on the proclamation was part of the process of removing Tuanku Muhriz. Although Ismail later endorsed a statement affirming Tuanku Muhriz's removal, the Attorney-General's Chambers and Dewan Keadilan dan Undang deemed the statement to have no legal effect.