Tuanku Muhriz invited to Conference of Rulers meeting, says report

The Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, has been invited to the upcoming Conference of Rulers meeting, which starts tomorrow, Singapore’s Straits Times reports.

The development is seen as recognition by the Malay rulers of Tuanku Muhriz as the rightful Negeri Sembilan ruler, amid a royal crisis stretching six months that saw his cousin, Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar, “proclaimed” as the new ruler.

Straits Times reported that Perak’s Sultan Nazrin Shah, who is slated to chair the meeting from tomorrow until Oct 15, invited Tuanku Muhriz to attend.

Nadzaruddin is said to have repeatedly asked to be invited to the meeting, even through Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Ismail Lasim.

However, Tuanku Muhriz reportedly said he would only attend the pre-council meeting tomorrow. Pre-council meetings are not joined by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, to preserve state interests.

Tuanku Muhriz will also preside over the appointment of the new undang of Jelebu on Wednesday, which a source said would give him a “clear majority” in the state’s royal court, the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU).

Negeri Sembilan has been embroiled in a royal crisis since April, when four purported undangs, or chieftains, announced Tuanku Muhriz’s removal.

The same disputed undangs also purportedly proclaimed Tunku Nadzaruddin as the “new” Yang Dipertuan Besar in June at a five-star hotel in Melaka.

The crisis escalated in September after Ismail’s executive council issued a statement affirming the removal, which the menteri besar endorsed despite initially rejecting the proclamation.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers and DKU, however, affirmed that their statement had no legal effect and that Tuanku Muhriz remained the rightful Yang Dipertuan Besar.

This resulted in the revocation of the exco’s appointments, with Ismail’s administration continuing without any replacements so far.