Sekretariat Taat Setia Sokongan Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan described the move as an unforgivable act of treason, and questioned Umno’s oft-repeated claims of defending religion, race, and the Malay rulers.
“The royal institution, which symbolises the sovereignty of Adat Perpatih, has been reduced to cheap political fodder in a bid for support,” the group’s chairman, Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin, said in a statement.
Yesterday, Negeri Sembilan Umno chief Jalaluddin Alias, in his speech at the party’s 80th anniversary convention, outlined the chronology of the institutional crisis to justify his and 13 other Umno assemblymen’s decision to withdraw support for menteri besar Aminuddin Harun.
Jalaluddin reiterated that the move, taken last Monday, was due to Aminuddin’s failure to properly manage the state’s constitutional crisis, which had drawn public attention.
Shahriman said Jalaluddin’s actions at the party convention undermined the sovereignty of the Negeri Sembilan ruler, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, as enshrined in the state constitution and breached the principles of constitutional monarchy under the Federal Constitution.
“You have not only insulted Tuanku Muhriz, but also the entire people of Negeri Sembilan who look to His Highness as their ruler,” he said.
Shahriman said his group is giving Jalaluddin and the 13 other Umno assemblymen 48 hours to apologise to Tuanku Muhriz.
He also called on the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers to investigate the matter under the Sedition Act 1948, the Penal Code, and for offences related to violating the Negeri Sembilan constitution, for insulting royalty and inciting public disorder.
“Umno’s Supreme Council must suspend and sack all Negeri Sembilan Umno leaders involved for tarnishing the party’s name and committing treason against the ruler,” he said.
Shahriman said if Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi does not speak up about the matter, “it would mean he is complicit”.
“If no action is taken by the deadline, the secretariat will seek legal advice for further action,” he said.