There are currently three suggestions as to how the political crisis in Negeri Sembilan can be resolved.
The first is to call snap elections.
However, to call for snap elections is not only not going to solve the problem, it will most likely exacerbate it .
Why ?
Because judging from the result of the last election, the politics of Negeri Sembilan is already badly divided
In the last election, PH won 17 seats, BN 14 and PN 5. No single party had the numbers to form the state government.
If snap elections were held today, the result might not be very different from the results of the last election, except this time, the hung result might cause a far greater problem, because the tie breaker of the hung result, which is the King of Negeri Sembilan, is also mired in an existential crisis.
The second solution proposed is to declare an emergency and empower the federal government to amend the state constitution to resolve the crisis.
Constitutional expert Aziz Bari has already made the call.
However, I don't see how declaring emergency and amending the state constitution is going to fix the problem, because it will still require the federal government to pick either Tuanku Muhriz or Tunku Nadzaruddin, the two contending royals, as the rightful ruler of Negeri Sembilan. Regardless of who the federal government chooses, the losing side is almost certainly not going to accept the legitimacy of the choice.
The third solution is to do nothing - just give the problem some time and the contending parties will calm down and come to terms.
Personally, I don't see how this is going to happen, considering that either way, one side is going to lose the right to rule.
Also, the Negeri Sembilan state assembly is required by law to convene within 6 months. If not, the assembly will be automatically dissolved and snap elections will be automatically called.
Considering the gravity of the problem, I seriously doubt that the problem will find a solution within the allowed time period if nothing is actively done to resolve it.
Considering everything , I personally think that the best way , and perhaps only way, to solve the crisis in Negeri Sembilan is through a trial by combat.
For context, a trial by combat is an old legal mechanism, where a duel or a contest is used to settle an unresolvable dispute where evidence is lacking or resolve a dispute that arose from the issue of honour, under the belief that divine intervention would favour one side over the other.
In the old days, the members of the nobility and royalty will engage in a sword fight or a gun duel,, to resolve their problem.
But in modern times, we don't have to apply such a violent method in order determine who the heaven favours in this dispute .
Rather than a gun fight or a sword fight, the problem can perhaps be settled over a football match instead.
All that is needed is for both the contending parties to agree before hand that the side that loses, will resign from all their official post and acknowledge their opponent as the rightful new ruler of the state.
After that, they can choose their champions to represent them in the contest, and let heaven decide who it wishes to bestow it's favour upon.
When you read this suggestion at first, you might find it extraordinary and difficult to accept, but I am confident that if you stay with the thought, it will finally dawn on you that this might be the only real and meaningful way to resolve the political crisis in Negeri Sembilan today.
An extraordinary problem requires an extraordinary solution.
Think about it .👌
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