The Luak of Sungei Ujong Has Named a New Undang. Here's What We Know So Far.
Muhammad Faris Johari was announced as the 11th Undang Luak Sungei Ujong. By 19 May, three rival claimants had stepped forward from other lines.
Updated 20 May 2026
On 5 May 2026, multiple Malaysian news outlets reported that Muhammad Faris bin Johari had been installed as the 11th Undang Luak Sungei Ujong. The appointment was carried out at Telaga Undang in Pantai, Seremban, on 22 April 2026, in a ceremony witnessed by Adat leaders, clan representatives, and government officials.
The news entered public record through a statement posted by Majlis Dato Lembaga Adat Sungai Ujong on Facebook on 5 May 2026.
Coverage on 5 May came from Malay Mail, New Straits Times, Free Malaysia Today, Harian Metro, Sinar Harian, Siakap Keli, and Malaysiakini, among others.
Who is Muhammad Faris bin Johari?
Muhammad Faris was born on 30 October 1997. He is the second child of Johari bin Meor Ngah and Ibu Soko Klana Hulu Shazlina binti Dato’ Sinda Maharaja Haji Abd Karim (Siakap Keli, 5 May 2026).
His mother is a graduate of McGill University, Montreal, Canada, while his father is a graduate of Coventry University, England. He is an alumnus of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM) (Harian Metro, 5 May 2026).
He pursued higher education in accounting and is professionally trained under the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) pathway. He is currently an accountant at Marsh, a multinational insurance and risk consulting firm operating in over 130 countries (Siakap Keli, 5 May 2026).
By lineage, Muhammad Faris is a direct descendant of YTM Dato’ Klana Petra Bador ibni Dato’ Penghulu Menteri Chantek, the first Undang Luak Sungei Ujong, by maternal lineage. He is also a great-grandson (piut) of YTM Dato’ Klana Petra Ma’amor bin Dato’ Menteri Kassim, the 8th Undang of Sungei Ujong, and of YTM Dato’ Mendika Menteri Akhirulzaman Abdullah bin Panglima Muda Luk, the 12th Undang of Luak Jelebu, also known as the Lion of Jelebu (Singa Jelebu) (Siakap Keli, 5 May 2026).
How unusual is his age?
At 28, Muhammad Faris is significantly younger than recent appointees to the Undang positions.
Based on data from The Star’s profile of the four Undang published on 20 April 2026:
The removed Undang Mubarak Dohak, currently 65, was appointed Undang of Sungei Ujong in December 1993, at approximately age 32.
The Undang of Johol, Datuk Muhammed Abdullah, currently 60, was installed in 2016 at approximately age 50.
The Undang of Jelebu, Datuk Maarof Mohd Rashad, currently 69, was installed in 2019 at approximately age 62.
The Undang of Rembau, Datuk Abdul Rahim Yassin, currently 70, was installed on 14 September 2024 at approximately age 68.
Age alone does not determine legitimacy. But in a system where authority rests heavily on experience, lineage, and consensus within the Adat structure, his youth places greater scrutiny on the process by which he was selected.
But is he officially the Undang of Sungei Ujong?
The Majlis Dato Lembaga Adat Sungei Ujong is the traditional governing council of the Adat (customary law) leaders of Luak Sungei Ujong. It is the body that represents the senior Adat leadership of the Luak, comprising the Dato’ Lembaga (heads of the tribes), the Waris, the Ibu Soko, and the Buapak. The Council is recognised as the institutional voice of the Sungei Ujong Adat structure.
Their announcement confirms that an installation ceremony has taken place within the Adat framework. However, that alone does not complete the appointment. Under the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959, the appointment must be brought to and acknowledged by the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU), then recognised by the state government, before the new Undang can officially assume the office.
The court filing on the same day reveals a divided Luak
On the same day the announcement was made, Mubarak and the three Undangs filed an originating summons at the Seremban High Court, seeking to compel the state government and the DKU to release the minutes of the 17 April 2026 meeting at which Mubarak was removed, a move clearly designed to challenge that decision (Malaysiakini, 5 May 2026).
This filing suggests that even the Majlis itself is no longer speaking with one voice: the divisions in this crisis run through the Majlis Dato Lembaga Adat Sungei Ujong itself.
Further evidence of an internal split
Hours after the Majlis Dato Lembaga Adat Sungei Ujong announced Muhammad Faris’ appointment, six documents were circulated, declaring installation of Muhammad Faris invalid, on the grounds that the people who carried it out had themselves been dismissed from their Adat positions, and that the Majlis itself was never properly established. These documents show that the Sungei Ujong Adat structure has been dismissing its own office-holders for the past eighteen months, and that there are two groups fighting within the Majlis.
A third candidate emerges from Perut Waris Hulu
On 10 May 2026, the Perut Waris Hulu lineage of Sungei Ujong proclaimed Abd Rahman Limat, a 70-year-old retired civil servant, as their candidate for the 11th Undang Luak Sungei Ujong, in a ceremony held in Rasah (Malaysiakini, 11 May 2026).
The significance of this lies in which lineage is now staking the claim. Under Adat Perpatih, the Undang of Sungei Ujong has historically been drawn from the Waris Klana Hulu line, the senior matrilineal branch from which the title YTM Dato’ Klana Petra has descended. Muhammad Faris was presented as a direct descendant of YTM Dato’ Klana Petra Bador, the first Undang, through that very line, with his mother serving as Ibu Soko Klana Hulu. Abd Rahman’s installation, by contrast, comes from Perut Waris Hulu, a separate perut within the broader Waris Hulu structure with its own Ibu Soko and Anak Waris.
A fourth claimant resurfaces, with a claim dating back to 2009
On 19 May 2026, Malaysiakini reported that Othman Ismail had stepped forward to assert that he is the legitimate 11th Undang Luak Sungei Ujong, on the basis of an installation carried out in 2009. He produced the watikah pemasyhuran issued at his ceremony and told Malaysiakini that his rights as Undang have been denied by successive state governments since (Malaysiakini, 17 May 2026, Malaysiakini, 19 May 2026).
His claim is not new. Othman was installed as Undang Luak Sungai Ujong in 2009, but his appointment was never recognised by the state government (Malaysiakini, 17 May 2026). Othman subsequently brought a court action against Mubarak in 2012, Datuk Othman Ismail v Datuk Mubarak Dohak & Ors, which is cited as one of several cases where Malaysian civil courts have declined to interfere in Adat Perpatih disputes over Undang appointments, leaving Mubarak’s incumbency intact (Berita Harian, 8 May 2026, Malay Mail, 18 May 2026).
There are now four claimants to the Undang Sungei Ujong position
Four men in Luak Sungei Ujong publicly claim the title of Undang:
Mubarak Dohak, whose removal as Undang on 17 April 2026 occurred under the custom of the Luak and was acknowledged by the DKU, and who continues to dispute it.
Muhammad Faris Johari, installed at Telaga Undang on 22 April 2026 by the Majlis Dato Lembaga Adat Sungei Ujong with the sanction of Ibu Soko Klana Hulu.
Abd Rahman Limat, proclaimed at Rasah on 10 May 2026 by Perut Waris Hulu.
Othman Ismail, pressing a claim that originates from a 2009 installation that the state government did not recognise at the time.
What happens next?
The Adat installation ceremony has been questioned, and that question now sits inside the Majlis itself, with a second perut adding its own claimant to the contest. Once the Adat dispute is resolved, the DKU must acknowledge the appointment and the state government formally recognises it to officially install the 11th Undang Luak Sungei Ujong.
Until then, the conduct of Mubarak and the three Undangs has damaged the standing of the institution. Public confidence has been lost.
One observer writing under the pen name Anak Negeri, not to be confused with this publication despite the similar name, has published four pieces in Free Malaysia Today on the crisis, also circulated privately via WhatsApp. In particular, two pieces argue:
“Cermin oh cermin: Refleksi adat dan integriti Luak” (Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Reflections on Custom and Clans’ Integrity): Whatever happens within the Luak should stay within the Luak. The writer calls for resignation as the most honourable path, framing continued tenure as a continuing humiliation of Negeri Sembilan.
“Ilusi pemerintahan bersama dalam kalangan pemegang amanah” (An Illusion of Co-Rulers of the Untrusted Trustee): Chieftains are trustees, not co-rulers. When the trust is broken, they are unfit to lead.
(This is the writer’s position, and not of this publication.)
Summary
The pantun sets the test:
Kalau mencari tempat mandi,
Pertama keluk kedua pantai;
Kalau mencari pemimpin negeri,
Pertama elok kedua pandai.
If you seek a leader for the state, first goodness of character, then intelligence. Four claimants stand before the Luak. Which one is the real Undang is the question Sungei Ujong must now answer.
Read Next: The Undang Yang Empat Have a Legitimacy Problem
Note: Accurate as of 20 May 2026. Events in this story are developing rapidly. Some information may be out of date by the time of reading.
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Sources:
Majlis Dato Lembaga Adat Sungei Ujong (Facebook Page, 5 May)
Accountant named new Undang of Sungei Ujong (New Straits Times, 5 May 2026)
Muhammad Faris dilantik sebagai Undang Luak Sungai Ujong ke-11 (Harian Metro, 5 May 2026)
Muhammad Faris Dilantik Sebagai Undang Luak Sungei Ujong Ke-11 (Siakap Keli, 5 May 2026)
Muhammad Faris Johari installed as 11th Undang Luak Sungai Ujong (Malay Mail, 5 May 2026)
New Sungai Ujong undang appointed (Free Malaysia Today, 5 May 2026)
Akauntan berusia 29 tahun dilantik Undang Luak Sungei Ujong baharu (Sinar Harian, 5 May 2026)
Sungai Ujong elects new chieftain, old one refuses to budge (Malaysiakini, 5 May 2026)
Who are the four Undang embroiled in Negri Sembilan royal controversy? (The Star, 20 April 2026)
Anak Negeri, (Free Malaysia Today, 13 May 2026)
Othman pula muncul dakwa Undang Luak Sungai Ujong ke-11 (Malaysiakini, 17 May 2026)
Junjung prinsip muafakat selesai pertikaian hierarki Adat Perpatih (Berita Harian, 8 May 2026)
What games afoot regarding Negeri Sembilan? (Malay Mail, 18 May 2026)
Third claimant disputes appointments of 2 Sungai Ujong undangs (Malaysiakini, 19 May 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.
