Negeri crisis an embarrassment to UMNO, says former supreme council member

FORMER Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi has questioned whether Negeri Sembilan Umno is facing an internal split amid the controversy surrounding a proclamation linked to the position of Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan.

Puad, who left Umno in June, said the developments were embarrassing for the party, particularly after voters had given it a strong mandate to form a stable state government.

The controversy intensified after Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim claimed he had been forced to sign the proclamation.

Ismail subsequently lodged a police report, saying his signature on the Instrument of Proclamation had been made without his consent and under duress.

The state government had also questioned the process and procedures surrounding the document.

The statements that followed from members of the state executive council have now prompted Puad to question whether there are differing positions within the state administration.

“To the people, it looks like there is an internal crisis. It does not make sense for state executive councillors to issue a media statement,” he said in a Facebook post.

Puad then asked whether the developments pointed to the existence of two factions within Negeri Sembilan Umno.

“Is it true that there are two different factions within Negeri Sembilan Umno?” he asked.

He called on Umno to issue an official statement explaining what had happened and what steps the party intended to take to resolve the matter.

Puad did not provide evidence that Negeri Sembilan Umno is divided into two factions. His comments were based on the series of statements and developments surrounding the controversy.

The dispute, which initially centred on questions involving the state’s customs and constitutional processes, has now also raised questions about political unity within the state administration. – September 17, 2026