An oath must mean something

Farha Yusof

I grew up in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor – but we are not shaped only by the places in which we grow up.

There are older roots and inheritances that precede us. Family histories continue even when life carries us far from where those stories began.

For me, those roots lead back to Negeri Sembilan. Through my mother, my Uwan (grandmother) and my late grandfather, I inherited a connection to Suku Tanah Datar – one of the clans under Negeri Sembilan’s matrilineal Adat Perpatih tradition.

I was not raised in Negeri Sembilan, nor do I claim expertise in every intricacy of adat. But as I grow older, I understand more clearly that inheritance is not only something we take pride in. Inheritance asks us to understand.

Perhaps that is why the present controversy in Negeri Sembilan makes me think beyond personalities or political camps.

It raises more fundamental questions: what does power mean when it is bounded by trust? What does loyalty mean when it is tested by interest? And what does an oath mean if it is honoured only when doing so is easy?

I believe in institutions, the Constitution and the rule of law. And I have a deep respect for an oath.

This brings me back to the Rukun Negara (national principles).

Three principles have particular resonance here:

• Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara (loyalty to king and country).
• Keluhuran Perlembagaan (supremacy of the constitution).
• Kedaulatan Undang-undang (rule of law).

Loyalty separated from the Constitution can lose its direction. Power separated from law can lose its limits. And the Constitution defended only when it favours us is not constitutional supremacy, but loyalty to our own interests.

The monarchy need not be diminished for the Constitution to be defended. Adat need not be discarded for the law to be upheld.

In a constitutional order, limits on power are not a weakness. It is within those limits that power finds its legitimacy.

Negeri Sembilan makes this question more complex because its system is distinctive. The Yang di-Pertuan Besar (the ruler of Negeri Sembilan) exists alongside the Undang Yang Empat, the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang, and the traditions of Adat Perpatih. These are institutions with deep historical roots, operating today within a written constitutional framework.

As someone whose family roots connect to Suku Tanah Datar, I cannot regard adat merely as a relic of history. But respecting adat does not mean constitutional questions should cease to be asked.

Genuine respect requires us to take adat and the Constitution seriously. We need to understand where authority comes from and where its limits lie.

And this is where the oath matters. An oath of office is not merely words spoken at a ceremony but a promise as well. Whether office is acquired through election, appointment, inheritance or adat, accepting office brings responsibility.

Once an oath has been taken, the office should become larger than the person occupying it. An oath should matter most when keeping it becomes difficult.

On 7 August, 10 members of the Negeri Sembilan state executive council took their oaths of office. The ceremony was held before Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir at Istana Besar Seri Menanti. He reminded them of the trust and responsibilities. He also spoke of the need to discharge their duties with honesty, fairness and professionalism.

I mention this not to turn those oaths into a weapon against anyone. They do not resolve the constitutional and customary questions now in dispute.

But they raise a question. What does it mean to accept a trust when circumstances later put that trust to the test?

On 17 September, the Attorney General’s Chambers said the proclamation dated 19 April was invalid. It said the proclamation, concerning the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, did not meet the mandatory requirements of Article 10 of the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959.

The chambers also said there was no evidence that the disqualification grounds under Article 10(1) applied to Tuanku Muhriz. Nor did the menteri besar and the state executive council did not have the unilateral authority to terminate or vacate the office.

The state government later said the proclamation would not be gazetted or implemented.

For me, this returns us to the most basic principle: a constitutional dispute should be resolved through constitutional means. We need not diminish one institution to defend another. Nor should respect mean the absence of scrutiny. We should be able to respect an office while asking whether its powers have been exercised according to the Constitution.

Loyalty does not mean blind obedience. A mature constitutional society should be capable of respecting institutions while scrutinising how power is exercised.

I was not raised in Negeri Sembilan. Yet it has always been present through family, through Uwan, through stories and origins. It runs through a lineage leading back to Suku Tanah Datar.

I did not inherit Negeri Sembilan as a political position. I inherited it through my late grandfather, through Uwan and through my mother. It came through a tradition that has lived far longer than any political dispute of today.

Inheritance asks us to understand before judging; to respect without being afraid to question; to defend adat without marginalising the Constitution; and to defend the Constitution without losing our sense of civility.

I believe in the Rukun Negara. I believe in Keluhuran Perlembagaan and Kedaulatan Undang-undang.

And I believe that those given power – whether through the ballot box, appointment, inheritance or adat – do not own that power. They are its trustees.

Trust demands accountability. Power demands limits. And an oath demands fidelity to the words spoken.

When we strip away titles, positions and political manoeuvring, one question remains: what is the value of an oath if it no longer binds when the oath is tested?

For me, the answer is simple: an oath must mean something.

Farha Yusof (a pseudonym) writes on society, history and public institutions in Malaysia, and on constitutional life with a particular interest in the relationship between law, power, identity and everyday life in Malaysia.

Support our work by making a donation. Tap to download the QR code below and scan this QR code from Gallery by using TnG e-wallet or most banking apps: