The appointment of the chairperson of the State Council of Regency, Tengku Abdul Aziz Hamzah, 76, as the new regent of Kelantan was unconstitutional, comptroller of the Kelantan royal household Abdul Halim Hamad said today.

With this, he said, the Kelantan sultan's eldest son, Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra Sultan Ismail Petra, the Crown Prince, was still the regent.

"The appointment (of Tengku Abdul Aziz) was not in accordance with the state constitution because any appointment or dismissal requires the approval of two-thirds of the members of the State Council of Regency and not from one person."

Abdul Halim was commenting on the report that the Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Ismail Petra Yahya Petra, had stripped the post of regent from Tengku Muhammad Faris with immediate effect.

The decision was said to have been conveyed by Tuanku Ismail Petra to Tengku Abdul Aziz and the announcement read out by the sultan's private secretary, Wan Hashim Wan Daud, at Istana Mahkota today.

According to Wan Hashim, the sultan was said to have ordered that the post of regent be handed over to Tengku Abdul Aziz, the brother of Gua Musang member of parliament Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

On the sultan's condition, he said the sultan was able to speak and still had a good memory.

He said Tengku Abdul Aziz was of the opinion that there was no need for embers of the State Council of Regency to meet over the dismissal of Tengku Muhammad Faris as regent because the s ultan was able to speak and make a royal command while the action was also not wrong.

Wan Hashim said Tengku Muhammad Faris and the state government would be informed of the said announcement.

Yesterday, Tengku Muhammad Faris said his father, the Kelantan sultan, was still unwell while he remained as regent since his appointment on May 29 last year following the sultan's admission into Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore after falling ill.

Tengku Muhammad Faris said all reports on his father's state of health other than that came from the appointed medical specialists, were inaccurate.

Confusion abound

Meanwhile, state secretary Mohd Aiseri Alias confirmed at a press conference later today that Tengku Muhammad Faris was still the regent, while the earlier announcement made by Wan Hashim on his removal from the post was of no effect as it did not represent the State Council of Regency.

Mohd Aiseri, who is also the secretary of the council, said Tengku Abdul Aziz had acted on his own without calling for a meeting of the council. Hence, his action was wrong and unconstitutional.

At the same press conference, Deputy Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakub said the state government's stand on the matter was in accordance with the state constitution.

"Tengku Muhammad Faris is still the regent although others have announced that he has been dismissed.

"This matter needs no further discussion nor require a constitutional amendment or an emergency sitting of the State Legislative Assembly," he said.

Ahmad said in a bid to end the palace crisis, deputy state secretary Shafie Ismail had lodged a police report on today's incident.

He also advised the people in the state to respect the law and the state constitution.

 

KELANTAN ROYAL FAMILY - WHO'S WHO

Kelantan sultan

Sultan Ismail Petra , who suffered a stroke last May and said to be incapacitated.

Raja Perempuan

Tengku Anis Tengku Abdul Hamid

Elia Suhana Ahmad (second wife). A divorce was filed on March 9 by the sultan through a third party.

Children

No 1 son: Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra (acting regent)

No 2 son: Tengku Muhammad Faiz Petra

No 3 son: Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra (he is challenging elder brother over succession and was expelled by Tengku Faris from the Council of Royal Succession. Muhammad Fakhry was last year embroiled in a controversy over the alleged abuse of his teen wife, Manohara Odelia Pinot)

Daughter: Tengku Amalin A'ishah Putri

Second acting regent

Tengku Abdul Aziz Hamzah:

He was chairperson of the Council of Royal Succession, where it was declared on March 25 that he was replacing Tengku Muhammad Faris as acting regent. Abdul Aziz is elder brother of Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

But his appointment was said to be illegal as it allegedly did not obtain the consent of the council. Tengku Muhammad Faris remains the regent.

Tengku Muhammad Faris sacked Tengku Abdul Aziz on March 26 from chairing the council, and replaced him with the Tengku Abdul Halim Al-Haj, who is said to be a grand-uncle to Faris.