N Sembilan BN confident it can broker solution to royal dispute if returned to power

 

N SEMBILAN POLLS | Negeri Sembilan BN believes it can help facilitate the best possible resolution to the ongoing royal dispute involving the state's four chieftains and its ruler, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, if the coalition is given the mandate to govern the state again.

Its chief Jalaluddin Alias told a KiniTV podcast aired today that this was why voters should consider all aspects, including the royal dispute, which had escalated into an increasingly contentious issue, before casting their ballots on Aug 1,

"This is about crisis management. It’s how you manage the crisis. That is why the rakyat must consider all factors before they decide (who to vote for).

"As I said during the earlier part of this podcast, this Aug 1 is very important because it has an impact on all aspects, including (the management) of this crisis.

"BN has the capability to manage crises well, as we have experience in handling many such issues before," he said on KiniTV’s "Explain Sikit" podcast.

Jalaluddin, who is defending the Pertang state seat, was responding to a question about the problem that has been plaguing the state since April and saw the chieftains invoking their authority to sack Tuanku Muhriz.

BN has blamed the escalating royal dispute on caretaker menteri besar Aminuddin Harun, accusing him of mishandling the crisis and allowing the state's royal institution to become the subject of ridicule on social media.

Caretaker Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Aminuddin Harun

This contention has led to the state BN pulling its support for Aminuddin's leadership. Their attempt to topple Aminuddin, however, failed after an intervention by the federal Harapan and BN leadership.

Past royal issues

Jalaluddin further said that BN has proven its ability to achieve amicable resolution to issues involving the royals in the past, including the crisis involving Malay rulers' immunity during Dr Mahathir Mohamad's first tenure as prime minister.

He said BN has also handled a similar crisis in Negeri Sembilan when Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan was the state menteri besar, where the administration supposedly prevented it from escalating into a full-blown crisis.

At the time, the said chieftain had lost the support of his territory's council of nobles and had to vacate his position.

Jalaluddin said Mohamad and the state exco formed a special committee consisting of culture experts to investigate the matter, and its findings were later presented to the Negeri Sembilan Council of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and the Ruling Chiefs (Dewan Keadilan dan Undang) for a decision.

Even when the decision was for the undang to abdicate his throne, the outgoing chieftain was still treated with respect and not simply removed from office as had happened recently, said Jalaluddin, referring to the state government's directive for the disputed Rembau and Sungai Ujong chieftains to vacate their posts.

"And I am confident that if BN is given the mandate again, we can find the best approach to find a resolution to today's crisis.

"Mano ado bonang yang terbelit tak boleh kita loraikan, right? Mano ado air koruh yang tak boleh kita jornehkan? (There is no knot that cannot be untied. There is no murky water that cannot be cleared).

"There is no problem without a solution," he said in a mix of Negeri Sembilan's Malay dialect. - Mkini