SEREMBAN, Sept 15 — Negeri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim insisted today that he has no unilateral power over the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir, but stopped short of confirming or denying that he signed a disputed document at the centre of a growing constitutional row.

The state executive council, which Ismail chairs, said in a statement that questions over the so-called Instrument of Proclamation must be resolved strictly under the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959 (UUTKNS) and the principle of constitutional monarchy, "not as a political or personal matter."

The statement comes after the Undang Yang Empat — the state's four ruling chiefs — and other traditional leaders publicly alleged that Ismail signed a proclamation on August 3effecting the dethronement of Tuanku Muhriz.

According to the Undang, the document was signed at Istana Laguna Biru in Port Dickson on the same day Ismail was received in audience and installed as mentri besar. Datuk Maarof Mat Rashad, who identifies himself as Undang Luak Jelebu, has since produced what he says is a copy of the instrument bearing Ismail's signature, dated August 3 and invoking Article 10(2) of the UUTKNS.

Ismail has separately lodged a police report over the matter and has publicly reaffirmed his loyalty to Tuanku Muhriz as the reigning Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

He has also avoided journalists' questions on the episode, including after a closed-door meeting last week with Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who had sought a personal explanation from him over claims he was forced to sign the document.

His statement today did not address either the police report or the disputed document directly.

Instead, it laid out a five-point legal framework arguing that a proclamation "does not by itself create constitutional power," that the MB's involvement in any process under the UUTKNS does not amount to a power to determine the Ruler's position on his own, and that the matter should ultimately be settled through "judicial determination" if a legal dispute arises.

"In a system of Constitutional Monarchy, power must derive from the Constitution and the law,” the statement said.

"The Royal Institution, the Undang, the mentri besar, and the state government each hold a position and function determined by the Constitution.”

The dispute has already drawn in Umno's national leadership and threatens to overshadow the early weeks of Ismail's administration, which took office on August 2 following the Barisan Nasional–Perikatan Nasional coalition's state election win.

No date has been set for any court proceedings, and neither the palace nor the Undang Yang Empat have issued a formal response to Tuesday's statement.