Full Translation
OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION
DEWAN KEADILAN DAN UNDANG NEGERI SEMBILAN
The Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) convened on 16 Safar 1448 Hijrah, corresponding to 31 July 2026, chaired by His Royal Highness the Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir, and attended by the Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong, the Undang of Luak Rembau, and the Tunku Besar Seri Menanti, satisfying the quorum requirement under Article 20 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959 (UUTKNS). At this sitting the DKU considered and accepted the following matters:
FIRST: The DKU recorded the Istiadat Menzahirkan Kejadian Undang (the customary installation ceremony) of the Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong, Yang Teramat Mulia Dato’ Klana Petra Muhammad Faris bin Johari (27 June 2026), and accordingly advised that his recognition as Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong, validly appointed according to the Adat of Luak Sungei Ujong, be accepted.
SECOND: The DKU recorded the Istiadat Menzahirkan Kejadian Undang of the Undang of Luak Rembau, Yang Teramat Mulia Dato’ Sedia Raja Haji Hassan bin Ab Hamid (27 June 2026), and accordingly advised that his recognition as Undang of Luak Rembau, validly appointed according to the Adat of Luak Rembau, be accepted.
THIRD: The DKU received and recorded information from the Ibu Soko and Anak-Anak Waris of Ayer Luak Sungei Ujong stating that the holder of the pusaka (hereditary title) Yang Amat Mulia Dato’ Shahbandar, Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Badarudin bin Abdul Khalid, had been removed according to the custom of Luak Sungei Ujong, effective 30 July 2026. Accordingly, under Article 15(1) of the Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan 1959, the office of Dato’ Shahbandar Sungei Ujong is automatically vacant. The DKU noted that the process to complete the appointment of a new Dato’ Shahbandar Sungei Ujong, in accordance with the Adat of Luak Sungei Ujong, has not yet been finalised.
FOURTH: His Royal Highness the Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir then invoked Fasal 24 of the UUTKNS, inviting representatives of the Ibu Soko Waris Berundang to a Special Sitting of the DKU. The DKU dealt fully and fairly with a complaint from Luak Jelebu, and hereby advised that it accepts the unified position taken by the Waris, Anak Buah and Ibu Soko Waris Berundang of the three Perut — Kemin Teriang, Kemin Beringin and Kemin Bemban — to dismiss Dato’ Haji Maarof bin Mat Rashad as the 16th holder of the pusaka of Undang Luak Jelebu, effective from 31 May 2023, on the customary offences. The office of Undang Luak Jelebu is accordingly automatically vacant, and any actions taken by Dato’ Haji Maarof after 31 May 2023 are to be treated as invalid. The Darjah Tertinggi Negeri Sembilan (DTNS, the state’s highest honour) used by Dato’ Haji Maarof while holding the office of Undang Luak Jelebu is also thereby forfeited.
The State Government is directed to take appropriate steps to give effect to the DKU’s considerations set out above.
FIFTH: Finally, the announcement contained in the document dated 19 April 2026 was brought to the DKU’s attention. The DKU advised and declared that the announcement is unconstitutional and contravenes Article 10 of the Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan 1959, and is therefore invalid and of no effect.
The DKU further advised and determined that the persons purportedly holding the offices of Undang Luak Sungei Ujong, Undang Luak Rembau and Undang Luak Jelebu — namely Haji Mubarak bin Thahak, Haji Abdul Rahim bin Haji Yasin and Haji Maarof bin Haji Mat Rashad respectively — had, at all material times, ceased to hold, or never validly held, their respective offices. The Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong and the Undang of Luak Jelebu were each removed according to their Luak’s custom on the applicable date, and the purported Undang of Luak Rembau was never validly appointed according to the required custom, his appointment never having been completed through the Istiadat Menzahirkan Kejadian Undang. Accordingly, they had no legal authority to exercise any power under Article 10 of the Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan 1959.
Secretary
Dewan Keadilan dan Undang Negeri Sembilan
1 August 2026
What this means
On 1 August 2026, the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) issued an official proclamation (Perutusan Rasmi) recording the outcomes of a sitting held on 31 July 2026. The document was chaired by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir and attended by the Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong, the Undang of Luak Rembau, and the Tunku Besar Seri Menanti, meeting the quorum requirement under Article 20 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959.
The formal DKU acknowledgement of the two 27 June installations, Undang of Sungei Ujong and Undang Rembau.
The removal of the Dato’ Shahbandar of Sungei Ujong by Waris Ayer according to the Adat of Luak Sungei Ujong.
The backdated dismissal of the Undang of Jelebu to 31 May 2023, more than three years before this proclamation, is the most consequential single item, since it retroactively voids every action he is recorded as having taken in that office since that date.His Darjah Tertinggi Negeri Sembilan (DTNS), the state's highest honour, is also revoked.
The DKU addressed the announcement dated 19 April 2026 and declared it unconstitutional, in breach of Article 10 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959, and therefore invalid and without effect.
The DKU further advised and determined that the individuals purportedly holding the offices of Undang Luak Sungei Ujong, Undang Luak Rembau, and Undang Luak Jelebu, namely Mubarak, Abdul Rahim, and Maarof respectively, had at all material times either ceased to hold, or never validly held, those offices.
The Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong and the Undang of Luak Jelebu were each removed according to their Luak's Adat on the applicable dates. The purported Undang of Luak Rembau, the DKU stated, was never validly appointed, his installation never having been completed through the Istiadat Menzahirkan Kejadian Undang. On this basis, the DKU found that none of the three had legal authority to exercise any power under Article 10 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959.
Do the removed Undang of Jelebu’s objections hold up?
On 31 July, ahead of the sitting, the Dato’ Dato’ Lembaga of Luak Jelebu issued a joint statement objecting to the special DKU meeting (The Star, 1 August 2026).
The statement runs on five main grounds:
The claim that the new Undangs could not sit before DKU confirmation. Article 17 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959 ties DKU membership to the office, an Undang is made by his Luak, and the Constitution contains no requirement of DKU confirmation before a new Undang takes his seat.
The quorum claim. Article 20 bars business when fewer than one-half of the members are present besides the presiding member, so everything turns on the membership count. On the proclamation's own account, with the Jelebu office vacant since May 2023, the Shahbandar office vacant from 30 July, and the two new Undangs validly installed, the membership (excluding chair) stood at five, and the three members present besides the presiding Tuanku Muhriz cleared the threshold. A further argument circulated from the Jelebu camp presents the sitting as a three-vote division in which the chairman could cast no vote; however, the DKU's function is to advise and acknowledge rather than to decide by vote.
The caretaker government claim. The caretaker convention restrains the elected executive between dissolution and the formation of a new government, and the DKU, a royal and customary body under Articles 16 to 25, sits outside it.
The 5 June injunction claim. The 5 June order, as reported, restrains six named plaintiffs from convening or holding DKU meetings, and on the recorded attendance every person in the room on 31 July, including the presiding Yang di-Pertuan Besar under Article 19, sat outside its reach (The Star, 5 June 2026, Free Malaysia Today, 5 June 2026).
The claim that only the Dato'-Dato' Lembaga can decide Luak Jelebu matters. The DKU’s official statement instead accepts the united position of the Waris, Anak Buah and Ibu Soko Waris Berundang of the three Perut. Which group is entitled to speak authoritatively for the custom of Luak Jelebu is itself a question of custom, and Article 16 provides that the DKU's advice on questions relating to custom is final.
Summary
According to the Adat of each Luak, the titles were removed by their Waris. On 1 August 2026, the DKU formally acknowledged those removals in accordance with the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959.
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Anak Nogori is independent commentary on the unfolding constitutional crisis in Negeri Sembilan, where centuries-old Adat Perpatih, royal succession law, and modern political manoeuvring are colliding in ways Malaysia has never seen before. If you find this useful, share it with someone who should be following this, or subscribe to receive the latest articles in your inbox.
