Anak Nogori Weekly Round-Up (18-24 May, 2026)
Three developments over the last week: state election talk, a debate over DKU authority, and a call for a special sitting on 29 May.
What happened last week
The main developments last week fell into three areas: political, with renewed talk of a state election; legal, with senior figures arguing over the authority of the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU); and procedural, with six adat office-holders calling for a special DKU sitting on 29 May.
17 May 2026, Sun: PH signals Negeri Sembilan is ready for a state election.
At the Pakatan Harapan Convention, Anthony Loke said Negeri Sembilan could follow Johor into a snap poll, while Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun told the same gathering that UMNO had “lost direction” (The Edge Malaysia, 17 May 2026, The Vibes, 17 May 2026).
20 May 2026, Wed: Aminuddin keeps the door open on a state election.
After chairing the state executive council meeting, the Menteri Besar said an election this year remained open, and confirmed he is personally carrying three vacant exco portfolios left empty since BN’s councillors withdrew (The Star, 20 May 2026).
22 May 2026, Fri: UMNO’s deputy president calls for the assembly to be convened.
UMNO deputy president Mohamad Hasan said Aminuddin should seek the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and convene the Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) to confirm whether he still holds the majority, and that if the majority is gone, the proper step is to seek the Ruler’s consent to dissolve the assembly and return the mandate to voters (The Star, 22 May 2026, Sinar Harian, 22 May 2026).
23 May 2026, Sat: Six adat office-holders call for a special DKU sitting on 29 May.
Six signatories sent a letter to DKU secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin requesting a special sitting on 29 May at Balai Rasmi Tunku Besar Tampin to discuss the adat governance crisis, and invited the Attorney-General and the Chief Secretary to attend as observers. The signatories, Mubarak, the three Undangs, the Tunku Besar Tampin and the Dato' Shahbandar of Sungei Ujong, state that they form a majority of DKU members and cite Article 17 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959 as the basis for the request, a characterisation the state government disputes (Malaysiakini, 23 May 2026).
Commentary worth reading
This week, two senior legal voices moved the conversation onto the terrain of formal legal authority: does a civil court have jurisdiction to look behind a DKU decision at all?
Christopher Leong, “What games afoot regarding Negeri Sembilan?“ (Malay Mail, 18 May). A former president of the Malaysian Bar walks through the chronology and the constitutional questions:
The removal of the previous Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong Mubarak Dohak is treated as constitutionally valid. Leong notes the 17 April DKU advice accepting his removal, then cites Article 16, under which DKU advice is final and cannot be questioned in any court.
Mubarak’s own installation as Undang was contested twice before. Leong cites the 2005 case of Syed Abu Bakar Syed Hassan v Zainal Ariffin Bin Ibrahim and the 2012 case of YTM Datuk Othman Ismail v Dato’ Mubarak Dohak, in both of which the courts deferred to the DKU’s exclusive jurisdiction under Article 71 of the Federal Constitution, and Mubarak kept his position.
The 19 April abdication call is examined against Article 10, which requires one of four specified grounds, a “full and complete enquiry”, and a Proclamation signed by the Undangs and the Menteri Besar. Leong observes that none of these elements is evident, and concludes that any purported call for the Yang di-Pertuan Besar to abdicate would be invalid.
On the suit for the DKU minutes, Leong points to settled court authority from a different context. He notes that the courts have held, in company law, that a director's right to access a company's confidential documents ends when the directorship ends, and raises it as a point of interest for whether the same logic reaches a plaintiff who disputes his own removal.
The litigation is framed as a jurisdictional question first. Leong notes the Article 16(3) objection raised on 13 May and the court’s refusal of an interim stay, and points to the 2005 and 2012 precedents in which the courts declined jurisdiction.
Hafiz Hassan, “Lawyers may misuse legal history, but not Salleh Abas“ (Malay Mail, 18 May). A defence of the reasoning in Dato Menteri Othman bin Baginda v Dato Ombi Syed Alwi bin Syed Idrus [1981], in which Federal Court judge Salleh Abas set out how the DKU functions within the Negeri Sembilan constitutional order:
Before the 1959 Constitution, Negeri Sembilan had no written constitution. Hassan reconstructs the historical position: the state’s constitutional law sat in treaties between the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, the Ruling Chiefs and the British, with customary law running alongside.
The DKU’s role is to advise on questions relating to Malay custom. Salleh Abas read the council as the body that “rationalises” the ancient constitution and custom and makes it function under a modern democratic constitution, avoiding disputes that arise from divergent interpretations.
DKU advice is the application of customary law to facts, not a mere opinion. On this reading the advice is binding without the Constitution needing to say so, in the same way a Federal Court advisory opinion binds without express words.
The custom carries a federal guarantee. Hassan notes that Article 71 of the Federal Constitution protects the ancient custom, and that Article 71(2) extends the principle of strict neutrality on succession disputes to the appointment of an Undang.
The 1981 precedent still binds. Hassan’s closing point is that lawyers often misuse legal history, but Salleh Abas used it correctly to conclude that “the DKU is the authority to decide on a dispute over the appointment of an Undang”, a decision that has stood for more than forty years and binds until the highest court reviews it.
What we are watching
29 May 2026: The special sitting sought by the six signatories. Whether DKU secretary Raja Norazli convenes the sitting requested in the 23 May letter remains to be seen.
28 July 2026: Seremban High Court hears the jurisdictional objection. Justice Roz Mawar Rozain will decide whether Article 16(3) strips the court of jurisdiction to hear Mubarak’s originating summons. The merits of the application for the DKU minutes will only be reached if the court first finds it has jurisdiction.
TBC: Next Dewan Undangan Negeri sitting and any move on a confidence vote. The assembly term runs to 24 October. UMNO’s 14 assemblymen withdrew support on 27 April, then signalled they would continue to back the government. With both Loke and Mohamad Hasan now openly raising convening or dissolution, the question is whether the next sitting becomes a test of the government’s majority.
Summary
This week closed with two institutional confrontations marked on the calendar: the proposed 29 May sitting and the 28 July jurisdiction hearing. The political dispute moved closer to a confidence test, while the constitutional dispute narrowed onto a more fundamental question: who has authority to decide who lawfully constitutes the DKU itself?
New posts written by this publication last week
Revisiting the Discovery Channel Documentaries on Tuanku Muhriz’s Installation — Two 2010 documentaries introduced Tuanku Muhriz and Negeri Sembilan’s unique succession system and democratic monarchy to the world. Watch them when you have an hour.
Who Is the Undang of Rembau and Was His Appointment Legitimate? — The selection of the 22nd Undang Luak Rembau was contested by his own Buapak in July 2024 and again in May 2026. The dispute has never been resolved.
[UPDATED] The Constitutional Authority of the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) — A primer on the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang, Negeri Sembilan’s council of justice and Malay custom, established under Chapter 6 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution.
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Sources:
Setiausaha, DKU pertikai kuasa mahkamah dalam kes saman pemula Mubarak (Sinar Harian, 13 May 2026)
Lawyers may misuse legal history, but not Salleh Abas — Hafiz Hassan (Malay Mail, 18 May 2026)
What games afoot regarding Negeri Sembilan? — Christopher Leong (Malay Mail, 18 May 2026)
Possibility of N. Sembilan polls this year remains open, says Aminuddin (The Star, 20 May 2026)
Convene Negri assembly now to test MB mandate, Tok Mat tells Aminuddin (The Star, 22 May 2026)
Krisis politik Negeri Sembilan: Bubar DUN jalan terbaik — Tok Mat (Sinar Harian, 22 May 2026)
Enam pembesar adat NS arah DKU buat sidang khas bincang kemelut (Malaysiakini, 23 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.
