KUALA PILAH, June 5 — The Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir today performed Friday prayers at Masjid Kariah Gunung Pasir in Seri Menanti.

His Royal Highness was accompanied by his sons, Tunku Besar of Seri Menanti Tunku Ali Redhauddin and Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin.

The prayers were led by Masjid Kariah Gunung Pasir's Imam 1, Wan Muhammad Saifuddin Wan Salim.

After the prayers, Tuanku Muhriz attended a luncheon with more than 500 members of the public at Luak Tanah Mengandung. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — The Negeri Sembilan State Secretary’s Office today said no party other than Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir has the power to suspend, terminate, replace or appoint the Dewan Keadilan Undang (DKU) secretary.

In a statement, the State Secretary’s Office said the DKU secretary is appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and holds office for as long as it pleases the ruler, as provided under Clause 25 of the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959.

It said the DKU is a constitutional institution headed by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar under Clauses 16, 17 and 19 of the state constitution.

“Therefore, any sitting or meeting held without the consent of DYMM Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan cannot be regarded as a DKU sitting,” it said.

The statement comes after several Negeri Sembilan ruling chiefs announced the purported indefinite suspension of DKU secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin on May 29.

They had accused him of failing to convene a special DKU meeting to discuss the state’s ongoing royal and customary dispute, and said an interim committee would carry out the secretary’s duties.

Raja Norazli today rejected the suspension, saying he was appointed by Tuanku Muhriz and remained duty-bound to carry out his responsibilities unless instructed otherwise by the state ruler.

The dispute is linked to the removal of Datuk Mubarak Dohak as Undang of Sungei Ujong, which was officially announced after a DKU special sitting on April 17 but took effect from May 13 last year.

The crisis later widened after Mubarak and several ruling chiefs announced the purported removal of Tuanku Muhriz as Yang di-Pertuan Besar, a move that Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said the state government did not recognise.

KUALA PILAH, June 10 — Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir today proclaimed his second son Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin as the holder of the hereditary title of Putera Yang Empat, Tunku Panglima Besar of Negeri Sembilan, with immediate effect.

The proclamation ceremony was held in the Balairong Seri, Istana Besar Seri Menanti, with Tunku Ampuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Aishah Rohani Tengku Besar Mahmud and Tunku Besar Seri Menanti Tunku Ali Redhauddin Tuanku Muhriz in attendance.

Also present were Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun and heads of state departments.

The proclamation was made to fill the vacancy in the hereditary title of Tunku Panglima Besar of Negeri Sembilan, which was previously held by Tunku Datuk Seri Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar.

Meanwhile, Negeri Sembilan Comptroller of Royal Household Datuk Azizi Mohamad Ali, in a statement, said His Royal Highness expressed confidence that Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin, in his capacity as Tunku Panglima Besar, will continue to play an important role in upholding the sovereignty of the Royal Institution of Negeri Sembilan and safeguarding the interests of the people and the state.

Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin, 44, is a passionate advocate for constitutional restoration and institutional reform in Malaysia, striving to create a fairer nation where every Malaysian has the opportunity to thrive.

He was educated at Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur, Marlborough College in the United Kingdom, and the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he earned his MSc in Comparative Politics. He has worked with the UK Parliament, the World Bank, and the United Nations, and is an Eisenhower Fellow.

He is especially dedicated to education and to developing the potential of young Malaysians. He also serves as Chancellor of UCSI University, Pro-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), and President of ICAN College.

As a Trustee of the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation and Patron of the Negeri Sembilan Schools Arts and Culture Programme, Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin actively champions greater access to quality education, holistic learning, and the nurturing of well-rounded future leaders.

Through these important roles and various education-focused foundations, he works tirelessly to strengthen Malaysia’s education system and open doors of opportunity for the next generation. — Bernama

SEREMBAN, June 4 — The Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly, which has 36 seats, will be officially dissolved tomorrow to pave the way for the upcoming State Election (PRN).

The announcement was made by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun during a special press conference at his official residence here tonight, bringing an end to weeks of speculation surrounding the timing of the assembly’s dissolution.

Aminuddin said the dissolution was carried out after obtaining the consent of the Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, during an audience at Istana Besar Seri Menanti earlier today. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin has reportedly rejected his indefinite suspension by several Negeri Sembilan ruling chiefs, saying the move had no legal effect.

According to The Star, Raja Norazli said in a letter dated today that he was appointed by Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir and remained bound to carry out the duties entrusted to him unless instructed otherwise by the state ruler.

“Such is the nature of my office. I am duty-bound to abide by and execute the duties and responsibilities entrusted to me until commanded otherwise by the state Ruler,” he was quoted as saying.

“Any action directed against me constitutes an affront intended to usurp the constitutional powers of the state ruler and is devoid of legal effect,” he reportedly added.

The letter was reportedly addressed to the Undang of Jelebu, Undang of Johol, Undang of Rembau, Tunku Besar Tampin, Datuk Shahbandar Sungei Ujong and Datuk Mubarak Dohak.

The six had on May 29 announced the purported indefinite suspension of Raja Norazli, accusing him of failing to convene a special DKU meeting to discuss the state’s ongoing royal and adat crisis.

They claimed the meeting had the support of six of the DKU’s eight members and said an interim committee would carry out the secretary’s duties.

Raja Norazli, however, said the DKU could not be properly constituted without Tuanku Muhriz, who was not present at the May 29 meeting, and that any meeting called contrary to established procedures would be unconstitutional and void.

He reportedly also said he could not convene the meeting because the six had earlier filed an originating summons against him, the DKU and the state government, and that holding such a meeting could affect ongoing court proceedings.

The DKU is the highest body governing matters related to Negeri Sembilan’s ruling chiefs.

The dispute is linked to the removal of Mubarak as Undang of Sungei Ujong, which was officially announced after a DKU special sitting on April 17 but took effect from May 13 last year.

Mubarak has since challenged his removal.

The crisis widened after Mubarak and several ruling chiefs announced the removal of Tuanku Muhriz as Yang di-Pertuan Besar, a move rejected by the state government.

The dispute now involves overlapping questions over the ruling chiefs’ authority, the role of the state ruler, DKU procedure and pending court action.

SEREMBAN, June 3 — Yang Dipertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir today granted an audience to Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun at Istana Hinggap here.

The meeting, which began at 9 am, lasted almost two hours.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Aminuddin said the audience was part of his regular weekly schedule ahead of chairing the State Executive Council meeting.

“It is the usual Wednesday meeting,” he said briefly.

Yesterday, several leaders of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the state were reported to have held a meeting at the Menteri Besar’s official residence.

Negeri Sembilan DAP secretary Cha Kee Chin said the meeting was held to discuss the coalition’s preparations for the next state election. — Bernama