The Pantun That Was Used to Describe Tuanku Muhriz and Tok Mat
How an old form of poetry, once used to campaign for UMNO, has now become the rallying cry for the Negeri Sembilan ruler.
On 20 April 2026, the day after Mubarak and the three Undangs publicly declared Tuanku Muhriz deposed as Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, a Threads post by @shyyusoff appeared. This post has since garnered over 1,300 likes, with the comments overwhelmingly in support of Tuanku Muhriz.
Pantuns function as a tool for indirect communication, allowing speakers to:
Navigate Sensitive Subjects: Address delicate topics like romantic rejection, social criticism, or advice (nasihat) without causing public embarrassment.
Maintain Adab and Adat: Uphold the values of manners (adab) and custom (adat) by using figurative language and metaphors rather than blunt statements.
Sweeten Conversation: Use wit and imagery to deliver a message “elegantly,” ensuring the social harmony remains intact even during disagreements.
What Does This Pantun Say?
Kalau mencari tempat mandi,
Pertama keluk kedua pantai;
Kalau mencari pemimpin negeri,
Pertama elok kedua pandai.
A literal translation:
If you seek a place to bathe,
First, a river bend; second, the shore;
If you seek a leader for the state,
First, goodness of character; second, intelligence.
The pembayang invokes the practical wisdom of choosing where to bathe safely: a cove or bay offers calm, sheltered waters, while an open beach is more exposed.
The maksud applies the same logic to leadership. A ruler must first have integrity before being clever. Virtue before intellect.
According to Utusan Malaysia, this pantun originates from Sejarah Melayu and has historically been used to describe the essential qualities of a good Malay leader: wise, brave, and above all, honest. A true leader, the tradition holds, places Raja and negara before himself.
Where Else Has This Pantun Appeared?
In March 2019, Barisan Nasional’s official Facebook page posted the same pantun, in nearly identical wording, to campaign for Tok Mat Hassan as Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan.
The Irony
UMNO, campaigning under the BN banner, used it to argue that their candidate possessed both good character and intelligence, implicitly contrasting him with the then-MB.
During that same campaign, questions were raised publicly by PKR's Rafizi Ramli and opposition candidate Streram Sinnansamy about RM10 million reportedly remitted through a money changer to purchase a luxury apartment in London, and about a luxury house in Seremban that had gone viral on social media. Tok Mat denied owning the Seremban property, welcomed a probe into the London apartment, and stated he had been cleared by the MACC.
On 3 May 2026, UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi found it necessary to state publicly that Tok Mat was not the mastermind behind the Negeri Sembilan turmoil.
What the Pantun Suggests
Tuanku Muhriz has been consistently described in public discourse as understated, principled, and constitutionally scrupulous. The poem does not say this, but the meaning is implied. The comments that follow reaffirm this sentiment.
But if a good leader must be first elok then pandai, the reader is also left to wonder who, in the current moment, is not.
Once again, it is what is not said that speaks the loudest.