In Negeri Sembilan, Dewan Keadilan dan Undang is the highest authority on ‘adat’ — Hafiz Hassan

SEPTEMBER 29 — The Negeri Sembilan’s Customary Land Tenure for Luak Tanah Mengandung Customary Land and Lingkungan Customary Land Enactment 2022 (En 20 of 2022) came into force on December 29, 2022.

It is an Enactment to amend the laws relating to customary land tenure for luak tanah mengandung customary land and lingkungan customary land and to provide for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.

An Enactment is a State law.

The Preamble to the Enactment states as follows:

“WHEREAS luak tanah mengandung customary land and lingkungan customary land is an asset for the Malay community in Negeri Sembilan which has been administered in accordance with custom immemorial. When the Torrens system was introduced in Negeri Sembilan by the British before Independence, luak tanah mengandung customary land and lingkungan customary land tenure was codified as written laws (Customary Tenure Enactment [F.M.S. CAP. 215] and Customary Tenure (Lengkongan Lands) Enactment 1960 [Enactment 12] (Revised-2017)) to preserve the ownership of the said customary land and to protect the interests for the future generation of Perpatih Custom and Temenggung Custom communities in Negeri Sembilan which are also assured by Article 90 of the Federal Constitution;

“AND WHEREAS it is now that the said written laws need to be updated with respect of their implementation and legislation to be parallel with current development in land matters;

“AND WHEREAS State Legislative Assembly opines that the said written laws need to be updated;

“AND WHEREAS it is now expedient to make a law relating to luak tanah mengandung customary land and lingkungan customary land tenure for the purpose of amending and updating the laws of the said customary land tenure and to provide for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.”

The Preamble concludes with the statement that the Enactment is enacted by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and the Ruling Chiefs of Negeri Sembilan with the advice and approval of the State Legislative Assembly.

At the second reading of the Bill, then Menteri Besar (MB) Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun informed the Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) that there was a need to update the written laws governing Luak Tanah Mengandung and Lingkungan customary lands to ensure that the administration of these lands was more organized and systematic.

The Bill sought to achieve five objectives:

• Amending the Customary Tenure (Lengkongan Lands) Enactment 1960;
• Providing an authoritative text in the Malay language;
• Updating the laws regarding Luak Tanah Mengandung and Lingkungan customary lands to align with current developments in land affairs;
• Establishing new provisions concerning the development of Luak Tanah Mengandung and Lingkungan customary lands while upholding customary principles; and
• Improving existing provisions to make them easier to understand and implement.

The MB further explained that the law would bring greater benefits to the State, as the new provisions would enable the development of luak tanah mengandung and lingkungan customary lands in the Kuala Pilah and Jempol districts without the need to revoke their customary land status, while simultaneously resolving the long-standing issue of neglected and abandoned customary lands plaguing the State.

Debates on the Bill then ensued. The ADUN for Rantau, Datuk Seri Utama Mohamad Hasan was first to stand up. Calling for caution as the Bill sought to amend customary land tenure, he wondered whether the Bill was constitutional and said (verbatim):

“[S]eingat sayalah Dato’ Yang Dipertua ya, apa saja berkenaan dengan adat, tak kira tanah atau apa ke, dia mesti diputuskan oleh Dewan Keadilan. Kerajaan Negeri tak boleh menceroboh kerana kita adanya Undang-Undang Tubuh.

“Adat dijagakan oleh … Dewan Keadilan [dan Undang]. Kita tak boleh campur melainkan kalau Dewan Keadilan memutuskan, yang mana keputusan Dewan Keadilan ini tidak boleh dicabar di mana-mana mahkamah. Dia merupakan keputusan tertinggi. Saya nak tahu, nak tanyalah ya, sama ada Dewan Keadilan telah pun memerintahkannya.

“Kalau tidak Dato’ Dipertua … kita membuat sesuatu yang unconstitutional. Kalau dah ada, okaylah. Tapi saya tak nampak ada dalam preamble dia mengatakan bahawa Kerajaan Negeri telah pun mendapat arahan daripada Dewan Keadilan yang bermesyuarat sekian-sekian tarikh, sekian-sekian minit.”

Similar concerns were expressed by ADUN Linggi, Datuk Abdul Rahman Mohd Redza who stood next to debate.

Linggi said (verbatim):

“Kalau kita nak ubah undang-undang lama Dato’ Yang Dipertua, perlu datang daripada Dewan Keadilan kerana kuasa di bawah Dewan Keadilan ini adalah muktamad dan mengatasi kuasa executive dan mengatasi kuasa legislature.

“Untuk menjelaskan status ataupun kedudukan adat di Negeri Sembilan ini, kita lihat bahawa wujudnya pengasingan kuasa ataupun separation of powers antara bidang kuasa adat dan bidang kuasa sivil dalam Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan.

“Kalau kita lihat Artikel 40 Undang-Undang Tubuh, Raja hendaklah bertindak atas nasihat. Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku hendaklah menjalan kewajipannya atas nasihat exco…. [U]ntuk perkara-perkara lain, Tuanku dikehendaki untuk menjalankan tanggungjawabnya mengikut nasihat exco kecuali … berkaitan adat Melayu. Jadi bila berkaitan dengan adat Melayu, Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku tak perlu dengar nasihat exco sebaliknya dia perlu menerima nasihat Dewan Keadilan kerana bidang kuasa adat adalah bidang kuasa Dewan Keadilan.”

As regards the concerns raised by Rantau, it turned out that meetings of the Dewan Keadilan were held on March 3, 2022 and June 17, 2022 as the DUN was informed of minutes of the meetings by the MB before the Bill was put to vote.

The Bill was subsequently passed at the second and third readings by a vote of 19 “Ayes” and 16 abstentions.

Despite the grave concerns raised by the opposition, all 16 opposition ADUNs abstained instead of voting “Noes”.

As Linggi had said in the DUN, the jurisdiction over Malay custom falls within the purview of the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang.

Now, if the Ruler does not need to act on the advice of the executive on matters of adat but must act on the advice of the Dewan Keadilan, why was the advice of the same not acted on, leading to the crisis in the State?

The Dewan Keadilan has reaffirmed that Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir remains the legitimate Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan.

Rantau had asserted in the DUN, the Dewan Keadilan is the highest authority on adat in the State.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.