Ismail Lasim is likely to remain as Negeri Sembilan menteri besar despite several political missteps barely two months into his tenure, according to analysts.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Ismail still enjoys strong support at the grassroots level, while Universiti Teknologi Malaysia political analyst Mazlan Ali said it would be difficult for Umno to replace him.
Azmi said Ismail’s handling of the dispute involving the position of Yang Dipertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir had not cost him political support.
‘Ismail’s decisions were very difficult (to make) because they touched on the monarchy and the palace,’ he told FMT.
Azmi said Ismail remained a strong figure among the grassroots in Negeri Sembilan, particularly in Kuala Pilah, despite not being widely known at the national level.
Ismail is a seven-term assemblyman, having first served in Senaling and now representing Juasseh. Azmi said this reflected Ismail’s strong local political base.
G25 calls for Ismail’s resignation
The G25 group of prominent retired civil servants had called for Ismail to resign as menteri besar over his handling of the palace crisis.
The group said his position had become untenable after he signed a proclamation seeking Tuanku Muhriz’s removal, before giving conflicting explanations about the document.
Azmi said the perception that Ismail was not Umno’s preferred choice for menteri besar was largely due to state Umno chief Jalaluddin Alias being widely tipped for the position.
Jalaluddin had led an effort by 14 Umno assemblymen to withdraw their support for then menteri besar Aminuddin Harun before the Aug 1 state election. This led many to expect Jalaluddin to take over the post.
Azmi said Ismail now appeared to have sufficient backing from Umno’s grassroots and the party leadership to remain in office and keep the state administration under Umno.
Replacing him could prove difficult
Mazlan said Ismail had made potentially serious mistakes in his conflicting statements about the proclamation, but replacing him as menteri besar would still be difficult.
He said there was a view that Jalaluddin was not Tuanku Muhriz’s choice for the menteri besar position, despite initially being regarded as the main contender.
Mazlan added that Umno would also face difficulties in finding a new menteri besar and executive councillors who would be acceptable to the state ruler.
