Straw poll: N Sembilan residents urge outsiders to stay out of royal crisis, hope for swift end

More than 150 days into Negeri Sembilan’s royal imbroglio, residents are growing weary of the prolonged crisis, expressing disappointment that the dispute has yet to end.

A straw poll on Monday found that most hoped the matter, involving a move by disputed ruling chieftains to depose Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as ruler, could be resolved amicably and internally.

Regardless of political leanings, the consensus among those Malaysiakini polled in Rantau and Paroi was that outsiders, particularly politicians, should not interfere in the power tussle, which involves customary laws and interpretations of the state constitution.

However, there were differing opinions about who should back off.

'Federal powers should back off'

For former university lecturer Roslan Ibrahim, 64, it’s the federal powers that should leave the matter alone.

“Let the perut-perut (sub-clans) and menteri besar (Ismail Lasim) handle this. The chief secretary to the government, the attorney-general… they shouldn’t interfere yet. Let the menteri besar handle it,” Roslan (below), a BN supporter, told Malaysiakini.

The chief secretary to the government hasn’t directly gotten involved in the crisis yet, but the Attorney-General’s Chambers has twice issued statements refuting moves by the state government.

The first rejected a declaration by the state executive council last week that affirmed an April 19 decree by the disputed Undang Yang Empat exercising their constitutional powers to remove Tuanku Muhriz from the throne.

The second is to reject a move by the state government to suspend the state secretary and state legal adviser, who have refused to gazette a proclamation installing rival claimant Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar as the new ruler.

State govt 'making things worse'

However, not everyone agreed that Ismail should have a role in resolving the crisis.

“Politicians should not interfere,” said Roslan’s friend, Habibul Rahman Azizul Rahman.

“It is not the right of politicians or exco members; they have no power to sack the Yang di-Pertuan Besar. This is a matter between the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and Undang Yang Empat,” the food trader added.

Habibul (above), who is a Bersama fan, also criticised Ismail for flip-flopping on his position, from first declaring support for Tuanku Muhriz and claiming he was pressured to sign a proclamation dethroning the latter, to actively moving against the sitting ruler.

Likewise, retired teacher Normali Abdul Ghani accused the state government of making things worse.

“They’re not resolving this,” the Paroi resident said. She had declined to reveal who she voted for in the last election.

Who should be ruler?

Meanwhile, Malaysiakini also noticed a possible split in opinion along partisan lines about who should sit on the throne, reflecting BN’s leaning towards Tuanku Nadzaruddin while their opponents sided with Tuanku Muhriz.

Publicly commenting on the royalty used to be a relatively taboo subject in Malaysia unless it was to praise the monarchy.

However, such discourse was common online and, in Negeri Sembilan’s case, among some people on the ground.

Both Habibul and Normali expressed support for Tuanku Muhriz.

For Normali, Tuanku Muhriz (above) should have been ruler for even longer.

“I disagree with efforts to dethrone Tuanku Muhriz, because the throne belonged to Tuanku Muhriz since Tuanku Ja’afar’s time,” she said.

In 1967, when Tuanku Muhriz’s father, Tuanku Munawir Tuanku Abdul Rahman, passed away, he was reportedly favoured to succeed as Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

However, he was only 19 at the time, and the then Undang Yang Empat elected his half-uncle, Tuanku Ja’afar Tuanku Abdul Rahman, as ruler instead. 

Tuanku Muhriz finally became ruler in 2008, upon Tuanku Ja’afar’s death.

Only way out

Meanwhile, Roslan (below), who supports BN, opined that Ismail was right to swear fealty to Tuanku Muhriz initially.

However, he said the only way to resolve the dispute now is for the embattled ruler to abdicate.

Other BN voters Malaysiakini spoke to were more guarded with their opinions.

Trader Zarizan Jani, 69, and former factory worker Zulkifli Yassin, 57, merely said that the crisis must be resolved according to customary laws and processes.

Call for unity

Regardless of leanings and preferences, residents clearly did not want the situation to be prolonged further.

Sanitation firm employee Mariayi Perumal (below) was concerned about how the tussle would affect regular people’s livelihoods, while varsity student Zahin Hakimi Faidzal said all people wanted was stability.

As for 74-year-old Kampung Nyatoh resident Latifah Idris, there was also a risk of society being split if the tussle is not resolved soon.

“All involved are Malays. Why are we fighting among ourselves? We should unite and restore things to how they were.

“Are we not ashamed to see Malays fighting each other like this? How did we come to this? It wasn’t like this before.

“We should all work together to look after the people, build the government and develop the state properly,” Latifah (above) said.

Reporting by Hariz Mohd, Aina Fatihah Abdullah, and Annessa Tan

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