KUALA LUMPUR – The Negeri Sembilan State Executive Council has announced that the proclamation removing Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as Yang di-Pertuan Besar has been duly completed and is now in force.
It also announced that Tuanku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar had been selected and recognised as the new Yang di-Pertuan Besar, with immediate effect.
The decisions were announced in a statement issued today following the State Executive Council meeting chaired by Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the proclamation dated April 19, 2026, concerning Tuanku Muhriz’s removal under Article 10 of the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959 was signed and sealed by the legitimate Undang Luak and was therefore valid and in force.
It said the proclamation was also signed by Ismail on Aug 3, completing the process under Article 10(2) of the state constitution.
The council said a separate proclamation dated April 19 concerning the selection of Tuanku Nadzaruddin under Article 11 had likewise been signed and sealed by the legitimate Undang Luak.
It therefore considered the proclamation concerning his selection to be duly made under the state constitution.
The council said it respected the decision and prerogative of the Undang Yang Empat, as provided for under Negeri Sembilan customs and the state constitution.
“Therefore, in order to implement the decree and decision of the YTM Undang Yang Empat according to the proclamations under Article 10 and Article 11 of the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959 dated April 19, 2026, it is hereby officially announced that His Royal Highness Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir has been deposed as the Ruler of Negeri Sembilan by the YTM Undang Yang Empat and His Royal Highness Tuanku Nadzaruddin ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar has been selected and recognised as the new Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan with immediate effect.”
The state administration was instructed to take immediate steps to implement the announcement.
The development comes a day after Ismail said he did not have unilateral authority to remove or vacate the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
He said matters concerning the ruler’s position and the processes involved were governed specifically by the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959 and the principles of constitutional monarchy, rather than political or personal considerations.
“A proclamation does not, by itself, create constitutional authority. What needs to be determined is the source of authority for the proclamation, the conditions and procedures prescribed by the State Constitution, and whether all those requirements have been complied with,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Ismail said Article 10 of the state constitution set out a specific framework for actions concerning the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, including requirements governing the proclamation process.
He added that the Menteri Besar’s involvement in a constitutionally prescribed process did not mean the office-holder had the power to independently determine the position of the ruler.
Any role or action assigned to the Menteri Besar under the constitution, he said, had to be exercised within its prescribed limits and requirements.
Ismail also stressed that the issue was not about which party wielded greater political power.
Under a constitutional monarchy, authority must derive from the constitution and the law, while the Royal Institution, the Undangs, the Menteri Besar and the state government each have distinct roles and functions under the state constitution, he said.
“The central issue is the validity and legal effect of the proclamation. What must therefore be determined is the constitutional source of authority for the proclamation, the conditions and procedures prescribed by the State Constitution, and whether all those requirements and procedures were complied with for the proclamation to have the legal effect claimed,” he said.
Ismail said an issue of such significance should be resolved through proper constitutional and legal processes, including judicial determination if a legal dispute arose.
“The Menteri Besar fully respects the Institution of the Yang Dipertuan Besar, the Undang Yang Empat and the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan.
“What must be upheld is not the interest of any individual, but constitutional supremacy, legal certainty and the continuity of the institution of constitutional monarchy,” he said.
The latest announcement follows weeks of dispute over an alleged proclamation to remove Tuanku Muhriz and replace him with Tuanku Nadzaruddin.
On Sept 9, Ismail said he had signed the Instrument of Proclamation against his will and under duress, describing it as invalid, unconstitutional and unenforceable. He also said he had lodged a police report over the matter.
Media reports previously stated that Ismail signed the instrument relating to Article 10 of the state constitution on Aug 3, a day after taking his oath of office.
The document bearing his signature was publicly highlighted at a press conference on Sept 8.
The legitimacy and legal effect of the proclamation have been disputed, with Ismail previously stressing that its validity must be assessed against the requirements of the state constitution. – September 16, 2026