Negeri Sembilan chief says state executives barred from Wisma Negeri offices

Menteri Besar Ismail Lasim told reporters in Seremban that the state executive council has been locked out of their offices in Wisma Negeri and barred from executing their responsibilities. He said the prohibition was communicated to him verbally, and no written directive has been presented, leaving the source of the order unclear. Wisma Negeri falls under the jurisdiction of state secretary Zafir Ibrahim, whom Ismail suspended along with state legal adviser Muzalmah Mustapha Kamal.

Despite the suspension, Zafir remains in post, citing instructions from Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, while the Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar and other legal advisers have declared the suspension invalid. The episode highlights an escalating power tussle in Negeri Sembilan, with calls for the Menteri Besar to seek the Yamtuan’s intervention and present a new exco list. Critics argue the move mirrors past tactics used in other Malaysian states to reshape political control.