As soon as possible means within a reasonable time — Hafiz Hassan

Sept 18 — Could Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim have read “Tuanku Muhriz will continue to be Yang di-Pertuan Besar”?

In that piece, I wrote that a proclamation per se will not suffice.

The proclamation has to be published in a gazette.

Yesterday, Ismail reportedly instructed the state secretary to proceed with gazetting the removal of Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

Ismail was reported to have told reporters after an event in Seremban that he endorsed the statement issued by the state executive council (State Exco) on Wednesday (September 16) affirming Tuanku Muhriz’s removal.

Ismail added that the state secretary had been asked to proceed with gazetting the proclamation which he allegedly signed dated August 3 — just a day after he took an oath of loyalty to Tuanku Muhriz, but more than six weeks ago.

The statement issued by the State Exco said the proclamation dated April 19, 2026, concerning the selection of Tuanku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar under Article 11 of the Laws of the Constitution of Negri Sembilan 1959 (UUTKNS), had been signed and sealed by the legitimate Undangs.

The State Exco’s statement accordingly affirmed that Tuanku Muhriz’s removal in April — four months before Ismail signed the proclamation — was legitimate and that Tuanku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar was the new ruler of Negeri Sembilan.

But a proclamation that the Yang di-Pertuan Besar “shall cease to exercise the functions and powers of Ruler of the State” must be issued under the hands of the Undangs and the Menteri Besar “as soon as possible”.

The term “as soon as possible” means “at the earliest/first opportunity” (Macmillan Dictionary), “as quickly as you can” (Cambridge Dictionary) or “at one’s earliest convenience”; “at the earliest possible time”.

The term also means “within a reasonable time”, “without any delay” and not as late as possible.

A thing that must be done “as soon as possible” must be done “with all convenient speed” and “as often as the prescribed occasion arises”. (See Section 54 of the Interpretation Act 1948 and 1967, and the Court of Appeal case of Kanagasingam a/l Anantham v Timbalan Menteri Dalam Negeri, Malaysia & Ors [2019])

When the law requires that something shall be done as soon as possible it should be understood as allowing a reasonable time for doing it.

Some say “forthwith”.

Even so, forthwith is not “there and then” or “immediate”, but within a reasonable time.

With so many definitions, perhaps we can agree that as soon as possible means within a reasonable time.

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