SEREMBAN – Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim must seek an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, to obtain royal consent for the date of the upcoming State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting.
Negeri Sembilan DAP chairman J. Arul Kumar said opposition assemblymen had yet to receive official notification of the sitting scheduled for Nov 26, ahead of the tabling of the Negeri Sembilan Budget on Nov 27.
“Usually, the sitting date is decided at a State Executive Council (MMKN) meeting, after which it requires the Yang di-Pertuan Besar’s consent.
“So, has the sitting date announced by the Menteri Besar to the media — Nov 26, with the budget to be tabled on Nov 27 — received Tuanku’s consent?” he told Sinar on Thursday.
Rumours had circulated that Ismail would seek an audience with Tuanku Muhriz this week, but he denied the claims.
Arul Kumar, who is the Nilai assemblyman, said that if royal consent had been obtained, all assemblymen should have been notified by now.
He said the notice was necessary to give assemblymen time to prepare oral and written questions for the sitting.
He added that assemblymen had been notified about two months in advance of the DUN sitting originally scheduled for Oct 16.
“We received the notice for the Oct 16 sitting in August. That is why opposition assemblymen still turned up at the DUN building that day, as we had not received any notice of postponement.
“It was only at about 2.30pm that I noticed on the E-Dewan portal that the sitting had been postponed. I received a letter about the postponement via WhatsApp at around 3.50pm,” he said.
Arul Kumar stressed that if the Nov 26 sitting was to proceed as announced by the Menteri Besar, official notice had to be served on all assemblymen within the stipulated timeframe.
He said the sitting was a formal legislative proceeding, not an ordinary meeting that could be convened at short notice, and would include the tabling of Budget 2027.
“Although we had already submitted our questions for the Oct 16 sitting, those questions cannot automatically be carried forward to the upcoming session. Assemblymen retain the right to submit new questions.
“I personally found out about the November sitting through media reports. If we do not receive official notice, we simply will not attend,” he said.
Arul Kumar said the sitting was crucial because it would be followed by the presentation of the state budget for the coming year.
He added that failure to hold the sitting would disrupt state administration and raise questions about the state government’s ability to function properly.
“The budget cannot be sidelined because it must be tabled and passed by the Assembly.
“If the sitting cannot be held, how will the state government’s expenditure and operations for next year be carried out?” he said.