CALLS for the arrest of Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar and members of the Negeri Sembilan executive council are growing as the dispute over the state’s ruler takes on a more public and confrontational tone.
The latest calls came as Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir returned to Negeri Sembilan, with supporters gathering first at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and later at Seri Menanti to show their support for the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
About 200 people waited at KLIA on Thursday night for Tuanku Muhriz’s arrival.
Some wore yellow T-shirts bearing the words “Waghih-waghih Nogori sayang Tuanku Muhriz” — a message expressing the people’s love for the ruler.
When Tuanku Muhriz emerged from the VIP lounge, the crowd broke into chants of “Daulat Tuanku”.
He stopped to thank them before leaving the airport.
The crowd followed his car and began chanting “tangkap penderhaka” — arrest the traitors — while the Negeri Sembilan state anthem was sung.
The scenes were repeated in a different setting the following day.
More than 500 people turned up for Friday prayers at Masjid Diraja Tuanku Munawir in Seri Menanti, where the mosque and an outdoor canopy were filled.
Tuanku Muhriz was accompanied by his sons, Tunku Besar Seri Menanti Tunku Ali Redhauddin and Tunku Panglima Besar Negeri Sembilan Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin.
As he left after prayers, supporters again shouted “Daulat Tuanku” and “tangkap penderhaka”. Banners calling for action against those accused of undermining his position were also displayed.
A memorandum of loyalty and support was presented to Tuanku Muhriz by the Secretariat for Loyalty and Support for the 11th Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan.
The scenes at KLIA and Seri Menanti have been accompanied by a stream of supportive messages online, including on Threads, where users have posted messages of “Daulat Tuanku” and expressed support for Tuanku Muhriz remaining as the state’s ruler.
The social media reaction, however, is not a measure of wider public opinion.
What can be seen more clearly is the support that has gathered around Tuanku Muhriz in public — from the airport reception to Friday prayers and the loyalty memorandum.
Calls for legal action
The calls for arrests have also come from people directly involved in the political and customary dispute.
Former menteri besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun has called for action against members of the state Exco involved in the September 16 statement recognising Nadzaruddin.
Aminuddin described the move as treason against Tuanku Muhriz and urged the authorities to take appropriate action.
The Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU), through its lawyers, has separately accused the Exco of attempting to overthrow Tuanku Muhriz.
Its legal representatives described the action as tantamount to a coup and an act of treason, and called for the relevant authorities to take action.
The accusations have not been tested or determined by a court.
The state government maintains that the April 19 proclamation removing Tuanku Muhriz was valid and that Nadzaruddin was properly recognised as the new Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
But that position has been challenged by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
AGC rejects Exco’s move
The AGC said the menteri besar and members of the state Exco had no unilateral power under the state Constitution to terminate or declare vacant the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.It also said the April 19 proclamation was invalid because it did not comply with mandatory requirements under Article 10 of the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959.
The AGC said the Exco’s subsequent statement recognising Nadzaruddin therefore had no legal effect.
The State Secretary’s Office has since said it will not gazette or implement the April proclamation, saying doing so would be unlawful and unconstitutional.
The Exco has maintained its decision, while the AGC has rejected the legal basis for it and the State Secretary’s Office has declined to give effect to the proclamation.
Nadzaruddin, meanwhile, has continued to play ‘pretend’ and act in the role.
On Thursday, he issued an order terminating the service of DKU secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin, invoking Article 25 of the state Constitution.
The order came after the AGC had already said the Exco’s recognition of Nadzaruddin had no legal effect.
The dispute has therefore moved beyond competing statements over the April proclamation.
It is now playing out over who has the authority to act, with the AGC, state administration and customary authorities taking sharply different positions.
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A ruler returns
Tuanku Muhriz has largely kept his own comments brief.
At KLIA, he thanked those who had come to receive him and said he was returning to the palace to resolve the crisis.
At Seri Menanti the following day, he again received supporters without making a lengthy public statement.
Instead, the strongest messages came from those who had gathered around him.
The airport crowd had called for arrests.
At the mosque, supporters again shouted for those they described as traitors to be arrested.
And the loyalty memorandum presented to Tuanku Muhriz called for the royal institution, the Constitution, Adat Perpatih and the rule of law to be upheld.
For a dispute that began with a proclamation dated April 19, the confrontation has now become visible far beyond the constitutional documents at its centre.
Tuanku Muhriz is back in Negeri Sembilan.
His supporters have made clear where they stand. – September 20, 2026
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