Permohonan bekas exco N Sembilan cabar pembatalan pelantikan didengar 16 Dis

On 20 September last, the Sultan of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, withdrew the appointment of all state exco members, including the appointed ones, and the withdrawal of appointments was announced on 24 September. The Federal Court scheduled 16 December to hear the appeals of 10 former Negeri Sembilan state exco members who challenged the state government's decision to cancel their appointments last month.

Solicitor Hafarizam Harun represented the former exco, while Marisa Regina Mohd Aris Rizal represented the Negeri Sembilan state government. They confirmed the hearing date when contacted by Bernama after the matter was heard by Deputy Registrar of the Federal Court, Azaraorni Abd Rahman. The ten individuals included Mohd Faizal Ramli, Zaifulbahri Idris, Mustapha Nagoor, Siow Kong Choon, Siti Nur Umaira Hasim, Mohd Asna Amin, Mohd Razi Ali, Suhaimizan Bizar, Mohd Fairuz Isa, and Razali Abu Samah.

They filed the notice of application on 14 October, naming the State Government and the State as respondents. According to the notice of application, they asked the court to determine three legal issues arising from the first petition filed with the High Court in Seremban. On 5 October, they filed a petition with the High Court in Seremban to challenge the legitimacy of the cancellation of their appointments as Negeri Sembilan state exco members.

Among the issues raised were whether Article 38(5) of the State Constitution allows the Yang Di Pertuan Besar to cancel the appointment of a former exco member without the advice of the Chief Minister. If the answer to that question is negative, they sought determination as to whether the cancellation of their appointments as made on 24 September was made in accordance with the State Constitution and whether that cancellation was invalid, ineffective, and lacked authority.

Another issue was whether Article 38(5), when read together with Article 28(1) of the State Constitution, meant that the term "Government Minister" referred to the Yang Di Pertuan Besar, who had the power to cancel the appointment of a former exco member at his own discretion without the advice of the Chief Minister. If the answer to that question is negative, was their removal contrary to the state's constitution.

On 20 September, the Negeri Sembilan State Palace announced that Sultan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir had cancelled the appointment of all the aforementioned exco members effective immediately. The cancellation of their appointments was reported on 24 September, and their removal took effect on 20 September. According to the report, their appointments were cancelled and declared invalid because they had agreed to resign from the position of Yang Di Pertuan Besar.