Malaysian state in crisis after Umno pulls support for chief minister in royal row

The ruling administration of Malaysia’s Negeri Sembilan state is on the brink of collapse after a key ally withdrew support on Monday in a spat that has shone the spotlight on increasingly fragile ties within Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition government.Anwar has been facing growing pushback from allies and critics alike in recent months, ahead of national polls due in less than two years.Parties across the aisle are doubling down on contentious issues to bolster support from their respective vote bases in multiracial Malaysia, unravelling the relative political stability under his ruling alliance since he took office in 2022.The internal bickering came to a head on Monday after former ruling party Umno announced it had withdrawn support for Negeri Sembilan’s chief minister, Aminuddin Harun, over his handling of an ongoing dispute in the state’s palace.“All 14 Umno-BN Negeri Sembilan state assemblymen, hereby, unanimously, declare our loss of confidence in the Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan and withdraw our support for the state government,” state Umno chief Jalaluddin Alias told a live news conference, using the Malay term for chief minister.Negeri Sembilan Chief Minister Aminuddin Harun. Photo: Facebook/Aminuddin HarunUmno’s withdrawal means the state government led by Aminuddin, a leader with Anwar’s People’s Justice Party, falls two seats short of a simple majority in the 36-seat state assembly – potentially losing the right to govern the state.Should Umno insist on wresting the post from Aminuddin, it is likely to lead to a hostile takeover with the party – which holds 14 seats in the assembly – forming a new coalition with the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) with its five assembly seats, just enough to tip the balance of power.“The only other option is … to surrender the Menteri Besar post to Umno to retain the government, but that also is very dangerous because it makes the Pakatan Harapan [PH] look very weak,” long-time Malaysia watcher James Chin told This Week in Asia, referring to Anwar’s ruling coalition.Negeri Sembilan’s palace has been embroiled in a succession war since last week after its four traditional chiefs, known as undangs, claimed that they had removed current ruler Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir for allegedly committing 33 breaches of Islamic and traditional laws that govern the conduct of the ruler.The proclamation, read out last Sunday by Mubarak Dohak, the undang of Sungai Ujong, did not provide details of the alleged breaches.Negeri Sembilan is the only Malaysian royal household where the ruler, known as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, is elected by the four undangs under the adat pepatih, a Minangkabau-derived customary system.Aminuddin, however, said last week that the proclamation “cannot be accepted or recognised by the state government” as Mubarak no longer held any authority to carry out his duties after he was removed from his post on May 13 last year.Further ReadingThe chief minister’s position appeared to have been a critical factor behind Umno’s withdrawal of support.Jalaluddin on Monday said the party was adamant about upholding the state’s institution of customary rights and the constitution, and the laws governing the formation of the state government.“[We want] a government that is stable so that it can play its role as best as possible in administering the state, and focus on the objective of achieving prosperity for the people and the state’s economy,” he said.Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been facing growing pushback from allies and critics alike in recent months, ahead of national polls due in less than two years. Photo: AAP/dpaAt a separate news conference on Monday, Aminuddin said he would continue in his role as chief minister at the instruction of Tuanku Muhriz, after a meeting with the state ruler to discuss the move by the Umno 14.“After going through the relevant considerations, Tuanku has advised and decreed that I continue with my responsibility as Menteri Besar as usual up to the point when there is a final decision on this matter,” Aminuddin said.PH, which consists of Anwar’s party and his long-time allies the Democratic Action Party and Amanah, won the largest share of seats in parliament in the 2022 national election but has had to rely on Umno to reach the minimum number required to rule the country.Any split at the state level could leave his so-called unity government of erstwhile rivals in jeopardy, with stand-offs between coalition partners likely to escalate.“Anwar is in very dangerous territory now. We don’t know how deep [the sentiments lie in Umno],” said Chin, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania.“But whatever it is, this will have major implications at the federal level.”The spat is, however, unlikely to force Aminuddin to call for a dissolution of the state assembly – which would pave the way for a state election – as neither side would want to test a vote base pressured by surging costs due to the Iran war, according to Mazlan Ali, a political analyst with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.“This seems like an internal problem in Negeri Sembilan related to the 14 assemblymen with the Menteri Besar personally,” Mazlan said.“I think both parties will try to resolve this problem. This is an adat pepatih issue and not a political issue between the two parties.”