Rais Yatim expected to be charged at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court on Friday

MELAKA: Former Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Rais Yatim is expected to be brought before the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court here on Friday on a charge understood to be framed under the Sedition Act, in connection with the crisis surrounding the Negeri Sembilan royal institution.

Based on checks reported by Sinar Harian, the case is set to be heard before Ayer Keroh Sessions Court 2 Judge Raja Noor Adilla Raja Mahyaldin.

The particulars of the charge have not been disclosed. The Attorney General's Chambers has issued no statement on the case, and the charge will only be known when it is read in court.

Rais, 84, is a former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar who held several cabinet portfolios and represented Jelebu in the Dewan Rakyat for six terms.

The June 5 gathering

The case is understood to concern the proclamation of Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja'afar as the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan at a ceremony in a hotel in Alor Gajah, Melaka, on June 5.

The ceremony took place hours after police blocked a group of undangs and customary leaders from entering a residence in Tampin.

The Undang of Jelebu, Datuk Maarof Mat Rashad, and the Tunku Besar of Tampin, Tunku Syed Razman Tunku Syed Idrus Al-Qadri, attended in person, while three other customary leaders joined by Zoom. Several lawyers and adat officials witnessed the proceedings.

Rais, who was present, said at the time that "the process was carried out according to the state's adat followed by a royal address", and that the requirements of the law and of adat had been met.

The Negeri Sembilan palace later declared the proclamation unconstitutional, unlawful and contrary to the state's customs.

State honours revoked

In July, the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, ordered the withdrawal of two state honours conferred on Rais.

Rais said then that he accepted the decision with an open heart.

He had openly supported a move by three undangs and a former undang to remove Tuanku Muhriz from the throne.

An earlier sedition case

If the charge is read on Friday, it will be the second high-profile prosecution under the Sedition Act tied to the Negeri Sembilan throne crisis.

The activist Badrul Hisham Shaharin, better known as Chegubard, was charged on June 25 under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948 over Facebook posts about the state's royal institution. He pleaded not guilty and his trial is set for February 15 to 17 next year.

A crisis with no end in sight

The dispute began with the removal of Datuk Mubarak Dohak as Undang of Sungai Ujong by the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang on April 17, followed by the April 19 proclamation that purported to remove Tuanku Muhriz and name Tunku Nadzaruddin in his place.

The Dewan Keadilan dan Undang ruled on July 31 that the proclamation was null and void, while the Attorney General's Chambers said on September 17 that the document did not meet the mandatory requirements of Article 10 of the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan.

Related matters remain before the High Court of Malaya in Seremban.