‘Not even RM100mil can match the worth of my battered prince’
Honeymah Dylyani, Malaysian Mirror
My son is precious! Not even RM100mil can match his worth. No amount of money!
This was the outburst from Tunku Dara Naquiah Tuanku Jaafar to reports on the Internet and the international media that the Negri Sembilan royalty had demanded RM50mil from the Johor royalty as compensation over an assault incident involving two princes from their respective royal houses.
Her son, Tunku Nadzimuddin Tunku Mudzaffar , 37, was allegedly battered by the Raja Muda of Johor, Tunku Ismail Idris Abdul Majid Abu Bakar Iskandar Tunku Ibrahim, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel here on Oct 24, 2008.
The Johor prince was allegedly armed with a gun, which he purportedly used to hit Tunku Nadzimuddin in the head and face.
The Negri Sembilan family has filed a police report and is hoping that after 11 months there would be some results of the investigations.
Tunku Naquiah , the eldest daughter of the late Tuanku Jaafar Tuanku Abdul Rahman, the former Yang di Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan, denied that she demanded any kind of compensation from Johor.
No demand for compensation
“No, I did not demand any kind of compensation, even though there were people advising me to ask for a sum of money.
“The A-G even advised us to settle the matter out of court,” she told a press conference here Thursday.
Her husband, Tunku Mudzaffar Tunku Mustapha as well as Tunku Nadzimuddin and his wife, Nur Azini Mohd Kamal, were present together with the family lawyer, M Puravalen, a friend Shamshuddhuha Ishak,and another family member, Tunku Imran.
“I want justice to be done. In any civilised society, if you point a gun at someone you are committing a criminal offence and should be charged. And, in most cases, get a term in prison immediately,” said Tunku Naquiah.
Photographs of the battered prince, an institutional clients’ manager with MAA KL Mutual Bhd, were shown to the media.
Relating the time she learned about the incident, Tunku Naquiah, said she received a call from Nur Azini at about 3am on Oct 25, 2008 and rushed to the hotel accompanied by her brother, Tunku Nadzaruddin and four policemen.
I threatened the hotel staff to take me to the 25th floor of the hotel (where her son and his friends were purportedly being held) or I’d call the police,” she said, adding that she later took her son to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
Brief phone call from Johor mum
On Oct 26, the family lodged a report at the Dang Wangi police station.
Tunku Naquiyah said she received a brief phone call from Raja Zarith Sofia, Tunku Ismail’s mother, who only said she was sorry that her son had bashed up Tunku Jimi, the nickname used by Tunku Nadzimuddin.
Asked why she was only making a statement now, she said after the death of her father and the marriage of Tunku Nadzimuddin, now was the right time now to seek justice.
On whether the case would have an impact on the upcoming by-election in Bagan Pinang, since the Negri Sembilan household is known to be supportive of Umno, she said it has nothing to do with politics.
“The AG had promised me a fair investigation and I am still waiting for that,” she said.
The family would discuss with their lawyers on the next course of action to take.
Following constitutional changes in the 1990s, members of royal households – with exception of the rulers – are not immune from prosecution and can be charged for criminal offences in the ordinary courts.
Recapping the events that led to the incident, Tunku Nadzimmudin said he was earlier at a club with his girlfriend (now his wife) and other friends after recuperating from a year-long chemotherapy treatment for his Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer (a cancer originating from a type of white blood cells called lymphocytes).
While at the club, he heard that several friends who were waiting for him there had been assaulted by several people claiming to be bodyguards of Tunku Ismail.
RMJ called to 'apologise'
They were later contacted by an unknown person who said that the RMJ (Raja Muda Johor) wanted to see him at the Crowne Plaza hotel to apologise.
When they reached there, said Tunku Nadzimmudin, he and his friends were forced into a lift and assaulted by the Johor prince.
“The lift stopped at the 25th floor, where we were forced into a room,” he said, adding that he saw his friend Shamshu Dhuha Ishak unconscious.
“My friends and I were held in the room for quite some time until my mother and uncle (Tunku Nadzaruddin) rescued us. They were in the corridor with four policemen.
AG acts on complaint
Meanwhile, Attorney-General Abdul 
Gani Patail has promised the government will take action after a thorough investigation.
So far, 41 statements have been recorded from witnesses at two places in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 24 last year, he added.
Therefore the investigation paper has to be thoroughly studied and I will not hesitate to announce my decision once it is done, Gani said in a statement issued late Thursday.
An investigation paper was first submitted to the AG's Chambers on Nov 18 but returned to the police on Dec 1 for further investigations, he added.It was only resubmitted to the prosecution's office in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday and to him on Thursday.
Nevertheless, there have been ongoing advice and contact between the police and my officers, Gani said.
