Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir remains the lawful Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, the state’s Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) said on Sept 17, insisting there is no vacancy in the position and no successor while it remains lawfully occupied.
DKU secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin said matters involving the selection, appointment, abdication and removal of the Yang Dipertuan Besar and Undang fall under the council’s jurisdiction pursuant to Article XVI of the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959.
He said Article XVI(3) provides that the DKU’s advice on such customary matters is final and cannot be challenged in court.
The DKU consequently rejected the Negeri Sembilan State Executive Council’s Sept 16 decision that purported to confirm Tuanku Muhriz’s removal and recognise a new Yang Dipertuan Besar, describing the move as outside the Exco’s jurisdiction and without legal effect.
The state government has separately maintained that the proclamation concerning Tuanku Muhriz had been unanimously discussed and decided by the State Executive Council.
The DKU also maintained that an April 19 proclamation was defective from the outset, arguing that the required constitutional process had not been followed.
With the dispute currently before the High Court in Seremban, the council urged all parties to respect the judicial process and refrain from actions that could interfere with proceedings.
Raja Norazli said Negeri Sembilan’s customary institutions were a trust for the state’s people and heirs, and called for any dispute to be resolved through valid constitutional and legal processes.
