“AM I not the Tuanku?” — that was the pointed question from Negeri Sembilan Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir to Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ismail Lasim in a viral video circulating on social media.
In the video posted on social media today, Tuanku Muhriz is heard questioning Ismail over a letter that he said disputed his position as the state’s Ruler.
“You said in the letter I’m not the Tuanku. Now am I not the Tuanku? Am I not?” Tuanku Muhriz is heard saying.
The Ruler is also heard telling Ismail not to come and see him, while the Menteri Besar responds, “Ampun Tuanku”.
The exchange appears to have taken place in public after Friday prayers, although the footage does not establish the full circumstances leading up to the confrontation or the precise document being discussed.
The video has surfaced against the backdrop of a protracted dispute over the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and the validity of a proclamation dated April 19 that purported to remove Tuanku Muhriz from the throne.
The controversy centres on the failed attempt to replace Tuanku Muhriz with Tuanku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar, with competing positions emerging over the legitimacy of the proclamation and the procedures governing the state’s traditional succession.
The Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) has affirmed that Tuanku Muhriz remains the legitimate Yang di-Pertuan Besar and that the purported change was invalid.
The dispute intensified in September following the emergence of a document said to bear Ismail’s signature in connection with the proclamation.
Ismail subsequently said he had signed the instrument involuntarily and under duress.
He also maintained that the proclamation was invalid because it did not comply with the procedures stipulated under the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959.
On September 17, Ismail made a U-turn and confirmed that the state executive council had unanimously discussed and approved the proclamation, with the state secretary directed to proceed with the gazetting process.
The developments have placed the state government’s position under scrutiny, particularly given Ismail’s earlier public declaration of allegiance to Tuanku Muhriz.
On September 6, Ismail publicly expressed the state government’s support for Tuanku Muhriz as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, saying the administration remained focused on carrying out its responsibilities to the people of Negeri Sembilan.
The DKU had also called on the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers to investigate and prosecute those it alleges committed criminal offences in challenging Tuanku Muhriz’s position as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
In a strongly worded statement, the DKU reaffirmed its position that Tuanku Muhriz remains the legitimate ruler and said the various documents issued by a rival group did not affect his constitutional position.
The latest footage brings the dispute into sharper public focus, with Tuanku Muhriz appearing to tell off Ismail directly over the letter and whether it questioned his position as the state’s Ruler. – October 16, 2026
See video here - https://www.facebook.com/reel/3301072436759731/?s=single_unit