PETALING JAYA: Former Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun has hit back at his successor Datuk Ismail Lasim over attempts to link his previous administration to the ongoing crisis involving the state’s customary and royal institutions.
Aminuddin urged Ismail to be transparent with the public about the facts surrounding the dispute.
In a statement today, Aminuddin said he had no objection to being questioned, as every decision he made as menteri besar could be checked against official records and the chronology of events.
However, he said if the previous administration was being blamed, the public should be told specifically what wrongdoing was alleged, which provision of the Negri Sembilan Constitution 1959 (UUTKNS) was purportedly breached and when the alleged breach occurred.
“This should not be reduced to a vague reference to ‘the previous government’,” he said.
Aminuddin, who served as menteri besar until Aug 2, said he was presented with a proclamation dated April 19, 2026, for his signature under Article 10 of the UUTKNS on April 20, while he was still in office.
He said he declined to sign the document because of unresolved questions surrounding the process.
According to Aminuddin, Article 10 required a full and complete inquiry, while there was also a dispute at the time over the status of one of the parties involved as Undang Luak Sungei Ujong.
“I took the position, based on proper legal advice, that a Menteri Besar should not sign a document with such major implications for the Ruler’s institution while its validity remained unresolved.
“That remains my position. I was not ‘forced’,” he said.
Aminuddin noted that Ismail subsequently signed the same proclamation on Aug 3, with some parties claiming that this completed the instrument.
Ismail has since claimed that he signed it under duress and lodged a police report, which Aminuddin said should be investigated without prejudice.
“If I could decide not to sign because of doubts over the process, how did the signature of a Menteri Besar after me end up on the same document?” he asked.
Aminuddin also referred to the Attorney General’s Chambers’ (AGC) position on Sept 17 that the April 19 proclamation was invalid for failing to meet the mandatory requirements under Article 10.
The AGC also said the menteri besar and state executive council did not have unilateral authority to declare the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar vacant.
Aminuddin acknowledged that the Secretariat of the Undang Yang Empat disputes the AGC’s position, maintaining that inquiries held on March 5 and April 19 had satisfied Article 10.
He said the differing positions demonstrated that the matter was a genuine legal dispute rather than the fault of any single party.
Aminuddin said he stood by the AGC’s position as the more authoritative legal view.
He added that he was prepared to account for every decision he made while serving as menteri besar, but said Ismail should also explain why his signature appeared on the proclamation and what led him to later claim that he had been coerced.
“Don’t manipulate this simply to escape responsibility. There is no shame in being an honest leader,” he said.
Ismail was sworn in as menteri besar on Aug 2 and signed the proclamation the following day.
He continued to express loyalty to Tuanku Muhriz as recently as Sept 6, before claiming on Sept 9 that his signature had been obtained under coercion and filing a police report.
Days later, on Sept 15, a state executive council meeting chaired by Ismail reportedly resolved that the proclamation was valid and remained in force.
The change in position has since drawn public questions, including from within Umno’s leadership.
