PUTRAJAYA, May 4 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today called on all parties to respect the royal decree that the current Negeri Sembilan’s Pakatan Harapan led state government would remain in power.
The comment comes as the state’s Umno chapter insisted it would stay as the opposition, a move that could potentially derail efforts to see an amicable solution as the state faces its worst political crisis.
“What Umno leaders said was unclear so I don’t want to comment on it,” he said in a brief press conference here.
“I only want to say if this involves the Royal Institution I listen directly to what the Negeri Sembilan’s Yang Dipertuan decrees…which is that the situation remains stable, the menteri besar remains and see what happens next,” Anwar added.
“Is this true that (the sitting MB) have lost all confidence, that will be done according to process but so far if you claim to be a party that upholds the Royal Institution, then uphold it.”
Negeri Sembilan Umno chief Datuk Jalaluddin Alias said on Saturday that the party would prefer to be the Opposition than aligned with PH in the state administration, just days after Umno’s political bureau decided that the party would continue supporting the unity government in Negeri Sembilan.
The Umno national leadership previously said it would respect the decision of the 14 assemblymen who withdrew support for menteri besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.
Umno’s state lawmakers said their opposition to Aminuddin stemmed from the MB’s failure to properly handle the royal dispute that began when one of the four Undangs attempted to depose Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as Negeri Sembilan Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
