Undangs and UMNO: Who Benefits from this Power Play?
Follow the money to find out.
On 19 April 2026, three Undangs and Mubarak Dohak unconstitutionally declared Tuanku Muhriz removed as Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan. Eight days later, 14 UMNO-BN ADUN withdrew confidence in Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun. By the afternoon of 27 April, UMNO and Perikatan Nasional (PN) had formally aligned with a combined bloc of exactly 19 seats, the precise number required to form a new state government.
One represents an unconstitutional declaration. The other political withdrawal of confidence. The critical question here is: who benefits?
What We Know About Mubarak Dohak
Mubarak Dohak was removed as Undang Luak Sungei Ujong on 17 April 2026 by the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang under Article 14(3) of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959. The DKU found him guilty of 33 offences across six categories including falsifying official records, abusing power using government agencies including PDRM, violating syariah law, and defying adat governance for 30 years. All offences were reported to PDRM and JHEAINS.
Two days after his removal, with no legal standing as Undang, Mubarak signed the declaration purporting to remove Tuanku Muhriz. The Menteri Besar rejected this declaration on 20 April as unconstitutional and having no legal basis under Articles 10 to 12 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959. Under Article 16 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution, DKU decisions are final and unchallengeable in any court.
Read: What Are the 33 Offences Mubarak Was Accused Of?
What We Know About the Undang of Jelebu
SSM public records verified by this publication show that Datuk Maarof Mat Rashad, the Undang of Jelebu, signed an official letter on Balai Undang Luak Jelebu letterhead on 29 November 2024, granting formal authorisation for rare earth elements prospecting on private land in Mukim Kenaboi, Jelebu. The letter explicitly stated that no additional approval from the Land and Mines Office was required, citing the Undang’s authority under the Negeri Sembilan Land Code.
On 18 January 2025, SSM records show he became a 20% shareholder of NREE Holdings (M) Sdn. Bhd. (Registration No. 202401049421), the parent company of the firm named in his authorisation letter.
On 18 March 2026, he exited the company entirely. His total shareholding became zero. This exit occurred exactly one month before the 19 April declaration against Tuanku Muhriz.
A public official using official authority to grant prospecting rights to a company in which they subsequently become a shareholder constitutes, at minimum, a serious conflict of interest. Under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, using a position to confer advantage on oneself is an offence regardless of whether money changed hands.
Read: What Are the Corruption Allegations Against the Undang of Jelebu?
What We Know About the Undang of Johol
An official SSM Personal Involvement Director Information report for Datuk Muhammed bin Hj Abdullah (IC: 660102055269), purchased directly from SSM e-Info Services on 26 April 2026, confirms 70 company directorships, of which 47 are currently active.
Among the most significant findings:
MSZ REE Sdn. Bhd. (appointed January 2024): REE is the standard industry abbreviation for Rare Earth Elements, the same sector at the centre of the Jelebu controversy. Two Undang. The same sector.
World Gold Mining and Trade Holdings Sdn. Bhd. (appointed 4 March 2026): incorporated 46 days before the declaration against Tuanku Muhriz.
South Mineral Sdn. Bhd. (appointed 22 April 2026): incorporated three days after the declaration, while the constitutional crisis was in full public view and legal experts were publishing opinions on its invalidity.
Undang Holdings Sdn. Bhd. (appointed October 2024): a company bearing the word Undang, incorporated while he holds that position.
The Undang Yang Empat hold significant customary authority over land and natural resources within their respective Luak. Under the Negeri Sembilan Land Code, that authority gives them influence and in some cases formal power over land and resource decisions. When the same person holds traditional authority over land and simultaneously holds directorships in 47 active companies, including mining, rare earth, gold and minerals companies operating in or adjacent to that territory, the question of conflict of interest is not a speculation. It is a structural observation.
Read: Who Is the Undang of Johol and Why Do 70 Companies Raise Questions That Demand Answers?
What Changed on 27 April
Until 27 April, these business interests were a story about four chieftains who signed a constitutionally invalid declaration with no legal basis. After 27 April, they may begin to suggest something larger.
A new Yang di-Pertuan Besar, unconstitutionally installed through the mechanism this declaration set in motion, would exercise royal authority over the same state. A new Menteri Besar, unconstitutionally installed through the political mechanism UMNO and PN activated on 27 April, would exercise significant influence over state land, resource and concession decisions.
The same chieftains whose commercial interests intersect with land and resource sectors in Negeri Sembilan are now the same chieftains whose declaration is now backed by a parliamentary bloc of exactly 19 seats.
Opinion
The declaration of 19 April and the UMNO withdrawal of confidence on 27 April could be two separate unrelated events. It may be coincidence. But what if they are not?
A new YDPB and a new MB, both unconstitutionally installed through mechanisms these chieftains set in motion, would together control the royal and executive apparatus of a state whose land, resources and concessions are precisely the sectors in which the chieftains’ documented business interests sit.
The question remains. Is the political alignment between UMNO N9 and these chieftains deliberate? More importantly, is it designed to benefit those seeking to remove the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and the Menteri Besar?
Soalan yang lebih penting: adakah penjajaran politik antara UMNO N9 dan ketua-ketua adat ini dirancang untuk memberi manfaat kepada mereka yang sedang berusaha membuang secara tidak berperlembagaan kedua-dua Yang di-Pertuan Besar dan Menteri Besar?
SSM records are public documents. Nothing in this article constitutes an allegation of criminal conduct. These are questions of public interest that warrant formal investigation.