ABSTRACT
The waris appealed to both the District Officer and the State Government, but both declined to intervene, except as mediators, in a matter of Malay Custom. The waris also wrote to all the members of the Council of Eight respectfully asking for clarification of the faults of their candidate, or of the installation ceremony, and how these might be rectified. The Government does not always adopt such a passive role. For much of 1958 there was another major dispute in Jelebu. Tension first became marked during the Fasting Month of 1957. The villager typically stresses the spirit behind religious acts, rather than formal adherence to rules. A distinction is made between incest which ofiends the tenets of Islam as well as adat, and marriages which while forbidden by adat are permissible under Islam. For the former crime the penalty was death, although this might be commuted to outlawry.
