Prioritise party before giving to Najib fund, PAS members told

Prioritise party before giving to Najib fund, PAS members told


4 hours ago
Anne Muhammad


PAS treasurer-general believes Umno supporters alone would be able to meet the RM50 million target for the former prime minister's fine

PAS treasurer-general Iskandar Abdul Samad said members should prioritise contributing to the fund to build the Islamic party’s new headquarters near Putrajaya. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: PAS treasurer-general Iskandar Abdul Samad has advised party members to prioritise their responsibilities to the party before contributing to the fund to help settle former prime minister Najib Razak’s RM50 million fine.

Iskandar said PAS members should prioritise contributing to the fund to build the Islamic party’s new headquarters near Putrajaya, which would also cost about RM50 million.


He said PAS members should contribute to the party’s “Infaq Istiqamah” monthly donation scheme and their relevant local divisions and branches.


“As PAS treasurer-general, I would definitely want PAS members to prioritise their responsibilities (to the party),” he told FMT.

Iskandar also said he believed that Umno supporters alone would be able to cover the amount required.


He was asked if PAS would contribute to the fund launched by Umno to help Najib pay the RM50 million fine as part of his conditional pardon to serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man previously said the party was leaving it to members to decide whether to contribute to Najib’s fund.

Negeri Sembilan MB says Yamtuan can’t dismiss excos without his advice, insists current line-up still valid

Negeri Sembilan MB says Yamtuan can’t dismiss excos without his advice, insists current line-up still valid



Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim answers questions during a press conference at the Negeri Sembilan First Class Graduate Excellence Awards presentation ceremony in Seremban on September 17, 2026. — Bernama pic


Summary

• Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim stated that the state executive councillors will remain in office, as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar cannot dismiss them without his advice, referencing constitutional provisions.
• This statement follows a palace announcement that revoked exco appointments due to alleged breaches of office.
• Ismail emphasized that any dismissal made without his consultation is unconstitutional.
• The situation, which includes legal proceedings regarding the Ruler's position, remains contentious, with Ismail asserting the importance of constitutional supremacy for administrative stability.

First Published: Monday, 21 Sep 2026 12:35 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPURT, Sept 21 — Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim said today that the state's executive councillors remain in office, arguing that the Yang di-Pertuan Besar cannot remove them without his advice.

In a statement a day after the palace announced it had revoked all exco appointments, Ismail said the state's administrative system rests on constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.

“Based on Part Two of the UUTKNS 1959, the sovereign power of the Ruler in matters of state administration shall be exercised on the advice of the YAB Menteri Besar and the State Executive Council,” he said, citing Article 40(1) of the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan (UUTKNS).

He argued that the Ruler's discretionary powers are limited to matters expressly listed in writing under Article 40(2), and that the power to dismiss or end an exco member's tenure unilaterally is not among them.


Ismail also said Article 38(5), which deals with the tenure of exco members, cannot be read on its own. It must be read with Articles 38(4) and 40(1), he said, meaning any termination or change to the exco line-up during an ongoing administration can only take effect on the MB’s advice or formal request.

He said any dismissal made without such advice would be a legal error, unconstitutional and without force of law.

Ismail said he had never been consulted or advised on the dismissal of any exco member under Article 38(5).


"There is no need to submit a new exco list," he said in effect, as the current councillors remain valid and will continue their duties as usual.

The statement did not directly mention the palace's announcement, but appears to respond to it.

In a statement on Sunday night, Istana Besar Seri Menanti said Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir had revoked the exco appointments with immediate effect for breaching their oath of office through their actions and statements on Sept 15.

The palace said exco members hold office at the Ruler's pleasure under Article XXXVIII(5) of the state constitution. It said each affected member had been informed in writing, and it directed Ismail to submit a list of candidates for a new exco under Article XXXVIII(2).

The Sept 15 meeting was where the state exco unanimously decided on an Instrument of Proclamation on Tuanku Muhriz's removal, according to Ismail, and instructed the state secretary to proceed with gazetting it.

The dispute over Tuanku Muhriz's position has drawn in several bodies.

On Sept 17, the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang said he remains the lawful Yang di-Pertuan Besar, that there is no vacancy, and that the state exco and government have no jurisdiction to decide on the proclamation's validity.

The Attorney General's Chambers later said the April 19 proclamation was invalid for failing to comply with Article 10 of the state constitution. It also said there was no evidence of any ground for disqualification under Article 10(1), and that the MB and exco cannot unilaterally remove the Ruler or declare the office vacant. The AGC noted the matter is before the High Court in Seremban, where an interlocutory injunction remains in force.

Today, Ismail ended his statement by saying the state government would continue to uphold the supremacy of the constitution to ensure administrative stability and preserve the people's mandate.

Iran war: Tehran warns US against new strikes; fighting rages in Yemen

 

Iran war live: Tehran warns US against new strikes; fighting rages in Yemen

By Kristina Harazim and Zsombor Peter

Published On 21 Sep 202621 Sep 2026

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• Iran says it has learned that the US may be planning a new round of strikes, and warns it will retaliate “without limitations” if Washington follows through.
• US President Donald Trump says the only options on the table in relation to the war are “to obliterate Iran, letting it rot economically, or reach a deal”.
• Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani warns against “cycles of escalation” in the Gulf, saying the region needs a “framework in which sovereignty is respected” and no state can pose a “threat to another”.
• Four people have been reported killed in Yemen’s al-Jawf province as fighting continues to rage between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces.

• 21m ago

  (03:00 GMT)

  Weekend ship traffic through Strait of Hormuz drops

  A total of 12 commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and Sunday, the Reuters news agency reports, citing the latest shipping data.

  That’s down by nearly two-thirds from the 35 vessels that transited the waterway the previous weekend.

  Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed “until the US fulfils its commitments” under the interim peace deal signed in June.

  The US also continues to enforce a blockade on Iran’s southern ports.

  Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said the threat level in the waterway remains severe, with at least three attacks reported on ships in the past three days.
• 36m ago

  (02:45 GMT)

  Oil prices dip on hopes of boost to diplomacy

  Oil prices have fallen to their lowest in more than a week on hopes of diplomacy in the US-Israel war on Iran, and as investors weighed a partial recovery in Saudi shipments despite continued Houthi attacks, according to the Reuters news agency.

  Brent crude futures and US West Texas Intermediate crude touched their lowest since September 10 this morning, with Brent at $101.71 a barrel by 02:13 GMT, down $2.16, or 2.08 percent.

  US West Texas Intermediate crude lost $2.15, or 2.14 percent, to $98.15 a barrel.

  “It seems that a degree of risk premium is being removed from oil prices on hopes that a diplomatic path to de-escalate the US-Iran war may arrive this week,” Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade, told Reuters.

  “Whether that hope proves to be warranted or not is another question. Time will tell.”
• 51m ago

  (02:30 GMT)

  WATCH: Qatar PM urges Gulf security framework with Iran

  Qatar’s prime minister tells Bloomberg the Gulf won’t be the same as before the war unless there’s a security framework ensuring no one is a threat to each other.

  Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum in New York, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani says the region needs to have good relations.

  Watch his comments below:

  

  0:52

  Qatar PM urges Gulf security framework with Iran

• 1h ago

  (02:15 GMT)

  

  China’s involvement could help spur US-Iran diplomacy

  We’ve been speaking with Mark Pfeifle, a US Republican strategist and former White House and national security official.

  He says that beyond the efforts of mediators Qatar and Pakistan, another development could help push diplomacy between Tehran and Washington, and that is “the movement of China”.

  “In this week ahead, I’m really going to be looking at what China says and does,” he said, pointing to Saudi Arabia’s request for Beijing’s help with the Houthis, and the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in the US.

  The Houthis “have made a commitment that they’re not attacking the US, which takes the ability of the Iranians to have a two-front war, both in the Red Sea and in the Strait of Hormuz, at least off the table to a degree,” he said.

  “Now, the Saudis have asked the Chinese to intervene with the Iranians and to hold back the Houthis. So, you’re seeing for the first time, really, China involving themselves.”

  Pfeifle said Trump and Xi are also likely to meet with each other and with Gulf states on the sidelines of this week’s UN summit in New York, “where more pressure could theoretically be put on Iran to come to the negotiation table”.
• 1h ago

  (02:00 GMT)

  

  Tensions rise as Iran accuses US of planning new attacks

  Here’s what we know:

  • The Iranian military says it believes the US is planning to resume strikes against the country and has promised to retaliate “without limitations” if Washington follows through.
  • “According to information received, the criminal America has once again decided to resume measures against Iran, with the green light of some regional countries, at a joint meeting in a European country,” the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement on Sunday.
  • It also warned regional countries that they will “all be considered complicit” if they support the US’s attacks and said they can “no longer expect restraint or decency” from Iranian forces.
  • US media meanwhile reported that Trump is in a “deciding mode” and “that very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future”.
  • Trump told Fox News that the options on the table were “wiping Iran out, letting them rot economically or making a deal”. “My question is if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They better behave,” he said.
  • The US virtual embassy for Iran also issued a security alert warning citizens not to travel to Iran for any reason and to leave the country.
  • Earlier, Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran had handed the US a list of conditions to end the war. He also warned that Iran was ready for any new attacks, saying: “We will confront America with greater force, and with more numerous and more painful strikes.”
• 1h ago

  (01:45 GMT)

  Fierce fighting continues in Yemen, but neither side making big gains

  By Hadeel al-Yamani

  Reporting from Taiz, Yemen

  There are military operations being carried out by government forces supported by warplanes and drones along various fronts that generally extend across the northern and western regions.

  The most prominent and fiercest front is the western coast front along the mountain range stretching from the western countryside of Taiz towards Lahj.

  The fighting is extremely fierce. The government forces are still engaged in heavy clashes with the Houthis in those areas, in an attempt to halt the attacks that the group has been carrying out for several days to take control of that strategic area.

  The area is surrounded by a mountain range that provides protection on two fronts – not only the western coast and the Bab al-Mandeb and Mocha, but also Taiz governorate from the interior and the surrounding rural areas.

  Inland, neither [side] is making significant progress. And it is difficult to speak of any advance by either force, particularly given the extremely challenging strategic location.

Tuanku Muhriz revokes exco appointments, but reading of constitution disputed

Tuanku Muhriz revokes exco appointments, but reading of constitution disputed

Published: Sep 21, 2026 8:55 AM


Negeri Sembilan's embattled ruler Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir has retaliated against the state government by revoking the appointments of all 10 state excos, except for Menteri Besar Ismail Lasim.

This is for violating their oath of allegiance to the ruler when the exco decided to recognise a proclamation by the state's rebel chieftain faction appointing Tuanku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar as Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

The tit-for-tat comes amid a deadlock between the state government and the rebel chieftain faction and Tuanku Muhriz, after the state secretary refused to gazette Tuanku Nadzaruddin's appointment.

According to media reports, the palace, in a statement last night, cited Article 38(5) of the state constitution, which states that the excos hold office at the pleasure of the ruler.


However, a lawyer for the rebel Undang Yang Empat (below) group disputed the palace's reading of the article.

This is because Article 38(5) does not explicitly grant the ruler the right to remove an exco member unless advised by the menteri besar.

The article reads as follows: "A member of the exco other than the menteri besar shall hold office at the ruler's pleasure, unless the appointment of any member of the exco shall have been revoked by the ruler on the advice of the menteri besar but any member of the exco may at any time resign his office."


Unconstitutional and void

Lawyer Emirul Sarifudin Nor Azmi thus said the excos' sacking was wrong, unconstitutional and also void.

Emirul also said that sacking the exco is not one of the matters that the ruler has discretion in under Article 40(2), and that the ruler must otherwise act on the advice of the menteri besar and exco as per Article 40(1).

Besides sacking the excos, the palace also said that it expects Ismail (below) to present Tuanku Muhriz with a list of new exco members, while continuing the administration of Negeri Sembilan.



Expect drama and tensions at the state government building today, as civil servants' loyalties are tested.

The state secretary, who has control over the state government building, has said that it does not recognise the appointment of Tuanku Nadzaruddin as ruler, and that the proclamation to remove Tuanku Muhriz is null and void.

 

PN to contest all seats in Melaka if talks with BN break down

PN to contest all seats in Melaka if talks with BN break down

2 hours ago

FMT Reporters

Melaka Wawasan chief Rahim Thamby Chik says his party specifically wants the Bemban and Sungai Udang seats, with or without an agreement with BN.

BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi initially said BN and PN would work together in the Melaka state election following the two-thirds majority won by the alliance in the Negeri Sembilan polls.

PETALING JAYA:

Perikatan Nasional (PN) will contest every seat in the Melaka state election if it fails to reach an agreement with Barisan Nasional (BN), says Wawasan vice-president Rahim Thamby Chik.

Rahim, whose party is a PN component, said BN had yet to decide on a partner for the Melaka polls, although he was optimistic that talks could bear fruit.

“I think there’s still a chance to negotiate an alliance between BN and PN.

“But if BN refuses to cooperate with us and wants to go solo, then we will also go solo in Melaka. We will contest every state seat,” the Melaka Wawasan chief said, according to Utusan Malaysia.

The former chief minister said Wawasan specifically wanted to contest the Bemban and Sungai Udang seats, regardless of whether PN forms an agreement with BN.

Both seats were previously won by Bersatu, which remains a PN component but has fallen out with the coalition’s chair, PAS.

Utusan Malaysia also quoted a source as saying that the Melaka executive council meeting typically held on Wednesday had been brought forward by a day, fuelling speculation that the state assembly will be dissolved this week.

The source also said Melaka governor Ali Rustam signed the dissolution notice last week as he is overseas on official business.

BN has given its Melaka chairman, chief minister Ab Rauf Yusoh, the mandate to negotiate electoral cooperation with any party for the state election.

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BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the coalition’s chosen partner must be “sincere and honest”. Zahid also said that formal talks would only begin after the Melaka assembly is dissolved.

Zahid initially said BN and PN would work together in the Melaka state election following the two-thirds majority won by the alliance in the Negeri Sembilan polls.