Negeri Sembilan’s Chief Minister loses majority after UMNO withdrawal, but says he will stay on

SEREMBAN, Negeri Sembilan - Negeri Sembilan’s Chief Minister has lost his majority in the state after all 14 assemblymen from UMNO withdrew support for him on April 27, citing his interference in an ongoing crisis where district chieftains are pushing to depose the state ruler.

This leaves Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, a vice-president in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), with the backing of just 17 members in the 36-strong state legislature.

The turn of events calls into question the cooperation between the Prime Minister’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition and its crucial ally UMNO at the federal level.

Despite losing his majority, Mr Aminuddin insisted on staying in power as a “minority government” after a meeting with the state’s ruler, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.

In a statement referring to the ruler, Mr Aminuddin said: “After due consideration, the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan has advised and decreed that I continue carrying out my responsibilities as Menteri Besar as usual, as long as there is no final clarity on this matter, in accordance with the Constitution of the State of Negeri Sembilan 1959.”

Earlier in the day, Negeri Sembilan UMNO chief Jalaluddin Alias told reporters that the party’s state representatives were dissatisfied that the Chief Minister had excluded them from any discussion about the state ruler’s crisis.

“Such a crisis is seen as potentially affecting the administration of the Negeri Sembilan state government and, indirectly, significantly impacting government stability and social harmony.

“Henceforth, I announce that all 14 UMNO state assemblymen and assemblywomen have unanimously lost confidence in the Menteri Besar and are withdrawing their support for his leadership,” said Datuk Seri Jalaluddin, the state’s senior executive councillor.

This follows an attempt on April 19 by the traditional chieftains, known as the Undang, to oust the state’s ruler. The next day, Mr Aminuddin dismissed the attempt, declaring the move invalid.

The chieftains then pushed back on April 21, calling for the removal of the Chief Minister.

The Undang also boycotted the opening of the state assembly on April 23, a day after they said they wanted the session to be deferred pending the installation of a new ruler of their choosing.

UMNO, PN team up in the state

Transport Minister Anthony Loke, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) chief for Negeri Sembilan, told reporters on April 27 that a Menteri Besar could be ousted in two ways: either the state assembly passes a motion of no confidence; or the state’s ruler consents to appoint a new chief minister whose coalition commands a majority in the house.

Mr Loke, who is DAP secretary-general, said: “However, there is no sitting of the state assembly right now. We also do not know whether the Malay ruler will consent to UMNO’s request to appoint a new Menteri Besar.

“We have resolved to support Mr Aminuddin as Menteri Besar until it is proven otherwise.”

At a press conference earlier on April 27 in Seremban, state opposition leader Hanifah Abu Baker handed a letter of intent for cooperation to UMNO state secretary Mustapha Nagoor.

He said Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) five state assemblymen “are ready to work with 14 UMNO assemblymen to stabilise the state government and administration”.

Later in the evening, Negeri Sembilan UMNO declared that it had accepted PN’s offer of collaboration and that they now command a simple majority of 19 out of 36 state seats.

For the Negeri Sembilan UMNO chief, Mr Jalaluddin, the next step would be to seek an audience with Tuanku Muhriz to demonstrate his majority and request to be appointed as the new Menteri Besar.

Separately, in Kuala Lumpur, Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi, the UMNO president, told reporters that the decisions taken by the UMNO assemblymen in Negeri Sembilan “were made independently”.

On whether the developments in the state could affect ties between UMNO and other political parties at the national level, he said UMNO would “look at all aspects in this matter and study it carefully”.

When contacted by The Straits Times, political analyst Phoon Wing Keong said UMNO’s move was an attempt to distance itself from Datuk Seri Anwar and regain the premiership it has lost since the 2018 General Election.

“Recently, UMNO recalled former leaders to bolster the party’s strength and has sought to utilise the Negeri Sembilan royal feud to strike a blow against PKR,” Dr Phoon, who heads the Huayan Policy Institute, a Chinese community think-tank, told ST.

On April 18, UMNO approved the unconditional return of former youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and former vice-president Hishamuddin Hussein. Both are prominent leaders who are seen as potential figures to rejuvenate the grand old party.

Referring to UMNO, Dr Phoon added that it is “dissatisfied with Mr Anwar’s inability to resolve former UMNO president Najib Razak’s request for a pardon”.

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib, found guilty of a string of graft offences in connection to his role in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, has been behind bars since 2022.