On 5 June 2026, four signatories claiming to represent the Undang Yang Empat1 held a ceremony at a hotel in Malacca, declaring Tunku Nadzaruddin Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar as the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan (The Star, 6 June 2026).
The Negeri Sembilan palace rejected this proclamation, and on June 9, its Royal Comptroller (Pengelola Bijaya Diraja) stated that the ceremony had no legal validity and that Tuanku Muhriz remained the Yamtuan (The Star, 9 June 2026, New Straits Times, 10 June 2026).
In the weeks that followed, the proclamation took on public and ceremonial life. In the Luak (territories) whose signatory chieftains are disputed, Tunku Nadzaruddin was received, hosted, and treated publicly as a reigning ruler, specifically in the regions of the disputed Undangs. The goal of this article is to document these appearances.
The events were recorded by a Facebook page called “Sekretariat Yamtuan Ke-12” (Secretariat of the 12th Yamtuan), which is aligned with Undang Yang Empat1 and Tunku Nadzaruddin’s claim, and its contents are treated here as the faction’s own account of events.
9 June 2026: Prayers for the “12th Yamtuan”
On June 9, four days after the proclamation, the Undang Yang Empat1 and the Tunku Besar of Tampin directed the Negeri Sembilan Mufti to include prayers for Tunku Nadzaruddin in the second khutbah (Friday sermon) in mosques within their territories and Tampin, citing Article 181(1) of the Federal Constitution and their claimed authority as heads of religion in their territories.
The directive referred to him as “DYMM Tunku Nadzaruddin Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar, the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan” (Malaysiakini, 18 June 2026). The Mufti confirmed receipt of the letter and stated that the matter fell outside his purview and should be handled by the state religious affairs department.
It was an early indication that those behind the 5 June proclamation intended to give their declaration practical expression within the territories under their influence.
Ten days later, that directive was put into practice in Jelebu.
19 June 2026: Jelebu
On June 19, Tunku Nadzaruddin attended Friday prayers at the Jelebu Chieftain's Mosque (Masjid Dato' Undang Luak Jelebu), and his supporters presented this as a royal visit rather than an ordinary attendance. The next day, a Facebook post described it as the keberangkatan (a term used for the formal arrival or visit of royalty) of the “12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan”.
According to the account, he was received by Maarof Mat Rashad (who claimed the office Undang of Jelebu), and officials in black ceremonial dress; his two sons and Rais Yatim were present; and the sermon carried a special prayer for him.
The Facebook post’s closing line mencerminkan kedaulatan institusi Kesultanan, claims the event reflected the "sovereignty of the institution of the Negeri Sembilan Sultanate”. Photographs published by the Sekretariat show a yellow carpet laid for the arrival and the formal reception outside the mosque.
The Jelebu event was covered by Malaysiakini, which reported on the appearance using quotation marks around the term “Yamtuan Besar” in its headline, indicating the disputed nature of the status (Malaysiakini, 19 June 2026).
On the same day, the Facebook page recorded a Majlis Penyerahan Sumbangan (charity ceremony) to asnaf at the Balai Rasmi Undang Luak Jelebu, performed by Tunku Nadzaruddin together with Maarof Mat Rashad.
24–26 June 2026: Rembau
On June 22, Abdul Rahim Yasin (who claimed the office of Undang of Rembau), chaired a coordination meeting at the Rembau Chieftain’s Hall (Balai Undang Luak Rembau), Seri Rama, to prepare for the keberangkatan (royal visit) to Rembau on June 26.
According to the Facebook page, the meeting brought together the Chieftain’s Nobles (Orang Besar Undang), Lembaga Tiang Balai Baroh dan Darat, and other Adat (customary) officials of Rembau.
On 24 June, the Facebook page recorded a visit to Istana Serting (Serting Palace), framing it around the palace’s place in the state’s genealogy, including noting that the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Rahman, was born there.
On 26 June, Tunku Nadzaruddin was received at the Balai Undang of Rembau, the Istana Balai Sri Rama, by Abdul Rahim Yasin. On the Facebook page, the reception included sembah takzim (an act of homage before a ruler) and an introduction to the Orang Besar Undang and the Lembaga Suku Nan 12, alongside santap (dining, in the royal register) at the Balai and Friday prayers at Masjid Jamek An-Nur with members of the public.
The same page, in a further post dated to the same Friday, recorded a reception at the official residence of the Rembau claimant, at which an Ikrar Taat Setia (oath of loyalty) was recited by the Dato’ Perba, followed by the cutting of pulut kuning (yellow glutinous rice, offered as a token of thanksgiving), the presentation of cenderahati (gifts), and a handover of assistance to asnaf (those entitled to alms) by Tunku Nadzaruddin together with the Rembau claimant. The page styled him the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar throughout.
The same series of posts records a visit by Tunku Nadzaruddin, accompanied by the Undang of Rembau and his two sons, to the tomb of Raja Melewar (first Yamtuan of Negeri Sembilan) at Kampung Astana Raja.
Again, the way the programme was presented is clear. Tunku Nadzaruddin was not being treated merely as a prince visiting Rembau. He was being received publicly as the man his supporters regarded as Negeri Sembilan’s 12th ruler.
29 June-3 July 2026: Johol
Three days after the Rembau visit, preparations in Johol began. On 29 June, Muhammed Abdullah (Undang of Johol), chaired a coordination meeting at the Johol Chieftain’s Official Audience Hall (Balai Menghadap Rasmi Undang Luak Johol) to prepare for the visit on July 3, described as a Majlis Keberangkatan (Royal Arrival Ceremony) of the “12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan” to the territory of Johol. As in Rembau, preparations proceeded through the chieftain’s own institutions, with the Dato’ Baginda, Dato’ Jenang, and Johol Adat officials participating.
On 3 July, Tunku Nadzaruddin arrived at the Balai Rasmi Undang Luak Johol, where, according to the Facebook page, he was received by Muhammed Abdullah (Undang of Johol), and introduced to the Dato'-Dato' Adat and the Ibu Soko. A second post on the page records that the reception opened with an Ikrar Taat Setia recited by the Dato' Jenang, followed by the cutting of pulut kuning as a token of thanksgiving, and a sumbangan (charitable ceremony) to recipients that included his two sons. He then proceeded to Masjid Kariah Dato' Undang Kamat for Friday prayers with members of the public, before returning for the formal programme in the afternoon.
July 20: Tampin
On 20 July, a coordination meeting was held in the meeting room of the office of the Tunku Besar Tampin to prepare for a visit to Tampin on 24 July. According to the Facebook page, the meeting was to arrange a sumbangan (charitable ceremony) programme and Friday prayers, and the visit was expected to be attended by the four men styled the Undang Yang Empat1 the Tunku Besar Tampin and the Dato’ Shahbandar of Sungai Ujong. The meeting itself was chaired by the Penghulu of Repah, Dato' Hashim, with the Penghulu of Tampin, Keru and Tebong and Adat notables of Jelebu, Johol and Rembau in attendance.
What did those supporting the proclamation do after making it?
The available record after 5 June shows a clear pattern. The chieftains directed mosques under their influence to pray for Tunku Nadzaruddin as the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar. He was then publicly received in Jelebu, Rembau and Johol by the since disputed and removed Undangs and their officials.
At each visit, he received forms of ceremonial respect ordinarily associated with royal authority and participated in programmes involving the Adat leadership of the Luak.
The record leaves open a question: whether Tunku Nadzaruddin directed this sequence or was presented through it by the chieftains who organised each stop. Every coordination meeting in the posts was chaired by a claimant Undang or an adat office-holder, not by him, and the invitations, the venues and the vocabulary were theirs. Who directed whom is not clear from the Facebook page promoting the events.
Taken together, the posts document something considerably more organised than the continued use of a disputed title. They show an effort, following the 5 June proclamation, to give that claim visible and ceremonial expression within the Luaks whose disputed chiefs supported it.
One absence from this sequence is notable. In the Facebook posts reviewed for this article, the comparable keberangkatan (royal visit) was not documented in Luak Sungei Ujong, and Mubarak Dohak was not recorded as receiving, accompanying or participating with Tunku Nadzaruddin in any of these appearances. Mubarak nevertheless remained directly involved in the legal proceedings arising from the dispute, as the first plaintiff named in the 10 August judicial review.
The record ends at the end of July
The public sequence documented here ended in July, with the Tampin programme the last event identified in the material reviewed for this article
On 31 July, the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) issued an official statement, recognising the newly installed Undangs of Sungai Ujong and Rembau, recorded that the individuals who had claimed the offices of Undang of Sungai Ujong, Rembau and Jelebu, Mubarak Thahak, Abdul Rahim Yasin and Maarof Mat Rashad, had at the material times either ceased to hold or never lawfully held those offices, and declared the 19 April announcement contrary to Article 10 and of no effect (Malaysiakini, 1 August 2026, The Star, 1 August 2026). Two of the men who had received Tunku Nadzaruddin during the circuit, the Jelebu and Rembau Undang claimants, were among the removed.
The 31 July statement therefore changed the context in which these ceremonies must be assessed. Several had been organised through offices that the DKU subsequently acknowledged were not lawfully held by the men acting in their name, raising a further question about the institutional legitimacy of those events.
Read next: Tuanku Muhriz is still the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan
Footnote: ¹ This article uses the term “Undang Yang Empat” to refer to the four chieftains who signed the 19 April declaration. Mubarak Dohak ceased to hold office as Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong with effect from 13 May 2025, a removal the DKU acknowledged on 17 April 2026, two days before the declaration. On 31 July 2026 the DKU further acknowledged that Maarof Mat Rashad had been removed as Undang of Luak Jelebu with effect from 31 May 2023, and that the appointment of Abdul Rahim Yasin as Undang of Luak Rembau was never completed. Removal of an Undang is a customary act of the Luak, which the DKU acknowledges under Article 16 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959; under Article 16(3), the DKU’s advice on such questions is final and cannot be challenged in any court.
If you are new to this Substack, and are not sure where to begin, visit our Start Here page, where we list all our articles organised by theme.
Related Posts:
Sources:
Tunku Nadzaruddin named Yang di-Pertuan Besar amid Negri crisis (The Star, 6 June 2026)
Undang Yang Empat arah khutbah Jumaat doakan Tunku Nadzaruddin (Malaysiakini, 18 June 2026)
Khutbah Jumaat masjid Jelebu doakan ‘Yamtuan Besar’ Tunku Nadzaruddin (Malaysiakini, 19 June 2026)
DKU isytihar pemecatan Undang Jelebu, Dato’ Shahbandar Sungai Ujong (Malaysiakini, 1 August 2026)
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.
