Ordinary Kelantanese are wishing that the dynastic drama would stay within the walls of the Istana Mahkota palace, said a relative of the Kelantan royal family, Tengku Alang Tengku Ibrahim.

With the tussle for the Kelantan royal throne having reached the country's Special Court in Putrajaya, that wish may be moot, he lamented.

NONE "After (a ruling is made), we may say what we want, but (at least) it's a ‘clean' decision. But if only they had not gone to court and settled the matter within the palace. People see that as being preferable (to legal action)," Alang said when met in Kota Bharu.

Dark clouds have hung over the Kelantan royal palace ever since the question of Kelantan ruler Tuanku Ismail Petra's ( left ) successor emerged.

While state regent and acting ruler Tengku Faris has effectively taken over the reins, he has not gone unchallenged and has had to deal with a younger brother, Tengku Fakhry.

Tengku Faris eventually expelled Tengku Fakhry from the Council of Royal Succession.

The issue took a dramatic turn last week after the convoy containing Tengku Fakhry, Tuanku Ismail and the ruler's consort Tengku Anis Tengku Abdul Hamid, was stopped on its way to the airport by a team of heavily-armed police personnel and members of the Special Action Unit (UTK).

NONE While Tuanku Ismail and Tengku Anis ( right ) were brought to the Hospital Univesiti Sains Malaysia in Kota Bharu, Tengku Fakhry, two doctors and eight bodyguards were detained for several hours by the police.

One news report said their detention was over an alleged plot to assassinate Tengku Faris, said to have been uncovered after the attempted murder of a palace guard a week earlier.

Following these developments, tongues are no longer wagging with such juicy gossip as over the sultan's second marriage, the ‘mysterious' causes of his sickness and his subsequent divorce.

Conversations have instead focussed on the more serious turn of events and are peppered with talk of abuse of power and acts of crimes.

R NONE esponding to this, Alang ( right ) said that things should not have been allowed to reach such a critical stage, and hoped matters would be resolved within the next few months.

"If people want to talk, let them talk. They'll soon get tired of talking and eventually stop.

"I myself have gotten tired with this issue. It's actually a small issue, which should not have affected (the rest of) us."