‘Who is advising the Negeri Sembilan exco?’ asks senior lawyer

A SENIOR lawyer has urged Attorney- General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar to step in to defuse the constitutional crisis in Negeri Sembilan after a reported attempted coup against Tuanku Muhriz.

S. Raveentharan pointed out that the actions by the State Exco were tantamount to a possible coup d’état, although they may not even realise it.

"I think the state government may have been ill-advised, although Negeri Sembilan has a unique state constitution.

“The Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959 is the only one in Malaysia divided into a two-part structure that formally integrates traditional Adat Perpatih customs with modern written law.

The First Part constitutionalises the traditional Adat Perpatih ruling structure and the roles of customary chiefs, which do not exist in other Malaysian state constitutions.

“Then there is the Elective Monarchy. It establishes Negeri Sembilan as an elective monarchy where the ruler, titled the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, is chosen by the Undang Yang Empat rather than succeeding by strict hereditary primogeniture,” he said.

Raveentharan also said that loyalty to royalty must supersede any internal disputes over who is the rightful heir to the throne of Negri Sembilan.

The loyalty to royalty is now seen to be "molested" by the state government, and fellow lawyers are worried that rulers in the Malay Sultanate States can also be compromised over a forced dethroning of a sitting ruler, he said.

A former PKR deputy secretary-general, Raveentharan, who has quit active politics, said that the issue raises a persistent question on whether a Menteri Besar or a state government can declare a Ruler invalid.

It is best now to head in the direction of the constitution and legal interpretation, but it must be hurried because the people are expecting an operating state government, especially in the climate of global economic uncertainties, added Raveentharan. - September 17, 2026.