Anak Nogori Weekly Round-Up (13-19 July, 2026)
Anwar, Loke and Aminuddin all told parties to keep the palace out of the campaign, while nomination day filled 36 seats with 103 candidates.
What happened last week
13 July 2026, Mon: DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke told Channel NewsAsia that keeping the royal institution out of the political arena was his party’s first principle, and that the Negeri Sembilan dispute should be resolved within the royal institution under its own customs and laws. Loke is defending the Chennah state seat (Channel NewsAsia, 17 July 2026).
14 July 2026, Tue: Pakatan Harapan announced its full slate of 36 candidates at a ceremony in Kuala Pilah. Prime Minister and Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar Ibrahim used the occasion to tell all contesting parties to keep the royal institution and the Federal Constitution out of the campaign, saying political competition should proceed without slander or attacks on the institutions the country rests on (Free Malaysia Today, 14 July 2026).
15 July 2026, Wed: Barisan Nasional launched its election machinery at Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi, where chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi unveiled the coalition’s first 25 candidates. Barisan Nasional deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan confirmed he would defend Rantau, the seat he has held since 2004, and that Negeri Sembilan UMNO liaison chairman Jalaluddin Alias would defend Pertang (Malay Mail, 16 July 2026).
15 July 2026, Wed: In the same announcement, Barisan Nasional left 11 of the 36 seats unfilled while it worked towards an electoral understanding with a party its leaders described as a “trusted friend”, with Mohamad Hasan saying the remaining candidates would be named once discussions concluded (Malay Mail, 16 July 2026).
17 July 2026, Fri: Malaysiakini reported that dismissal letters dated 15 July had been served on three members of the Council of Dato’ Lembaga (the customary body of Rembau nobles ranked immediately below the Undang) of Luak Rembau.
The letters, issued over the signature of Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin, cited an instruction from Hassan Ab Hamid, installed as 22nd Undang of Luak Rembau on 27 June, confirming the revocation of the hereditary titles of Abdul Razak Yassin, Zaharuddin Idris and Azmi Ahmad.
The revocations are expressed to take effect retrospectively from dates in August 2024, when Abdul Rahim Yasin was the recognised Undang of Rembau, and separate edicts declare actions taken by the three since those dates null and void.
Abdul Razak, who holds the title Dato’ Perba, confirmed receipt and said the three do not accept the decision, on the grounds that Hassan was not appointed by the Council of Dato’ Lembaga, that the DKU and its secretary should not have issued the letters, and that the injunction preserves the position of Abdul Rahim and the other chieftains as it stood (Malaysiakini, 17 July 2026).
17 July 2026, Fri: The Election Commission reported that 464 nomination forms had been sold and 70 prospective candidates had paid their deposits (Free Malaysia Today, 18 July 2026).
18 July 2026, Sat: Nomination day for the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election. Eight centres opened from 9am to 10am. The Election Commission received 103 nomination papers and rejected none, confirming a 103-candidate field across 36 seats. In the outgoing assembly, dissolved on 5 June, Pakatan Harapan held 17 of those seats, Barisan Nasional 14 and Perikatan Nasional five. Pakatan Harapan is fielding 36 candidates and Barisan Nasional 25. Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia entered as a solo contender in 24 seats, two of which are allocated to Parti Bersepakat Hak Rakyat Malaysia contesting under the Bersatu logo. The campaign period runs to 11.59pm on 31 July (The Star, 18 July 2026,The Star, 18 July 2026,Channel NewsAsia, 17 July 2026).
18 July 2026, Sat: State police chief Alzafny Ahmad reported that the nomination process passed without untoward incident, with turnout at each centre ranging from about 1,000 to 2,500 supporters. Jempol recorded the highest turnout and Kuala Pilah the lowest (The Star, 18 July 2026).
19 July 2026, Sun: Speaking at a Barisan Nasional machinery meeting for the Juasseh state seat in Kuala Pilah, Johor Menteri Besar and Johor Barisan Nasional chairman Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the DNA of UMNO and Barisan Nasional had never been marked by penderhakaan (disloyalty to the Ruler), and described allegations that Negeri Sembilan Barisan Nasional leaders were penderhaka (disloyal to the Ruler), following the state's recent political crisis, as fitnah (slander) to be answered with facts.
“UMNO lahir dekat Istana Besar Johor, kita tidak akan derhaka dengan institusi Raja” (UMNO was born near the Johor Grand Palace, and we will not be disloyal to the institution of the Ruler), he said.
He urged candidates and the Wanita, Youth and Puteri wings to explain the issues surrounding the change of the state government and rebut the allegations against the party, citing the 2018 general election as a lesson in the dangers of allowing opponents' narratives to go unanswered. He also pointed to Johor's election result as evidence of what cooperation between UMNO, MCA and MIC could achieve. (Berita Harian, 19 July 2026).
Commentary worth reading
14 July 2026, Tue: “Don’t drag royals into Negeri Sembilan polls, Anwar tells parties” in Free Malaysia Today carries the fuller wording of the Prime Minister’s remarks at Kuala Pilah, including his statement that he has never rejected the legal provisions governing Negeri Sembilan, among them the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, the four Undangs and the Tunku Besar of Tampin (Free Malaysia Today, 14 July 2026).
17 July 2026, Fri: “Why Negeri Sembilan’s royal dispute could become a campaign flashpoint in state polls” in Channel NewsAsia is the most comprehensive survey of the week. Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Awang Pawi expects contesting coalitions to make use of the royal impasse and sets out how each of the three blocs would position itself.
Set against that, the report records several party leaders playing down the prospect of politicising the standoff at all. Loke gave that answer on 13 July, Pakatan Harapan election director Amirudin Shari said in June that the election should stay distinct from the monarchy dispute, and Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on 29 June that his coalition would stay clear of proceedings involving the royal institution, in his phrase “We must be outside that circle”.
Lawyer GK Ganesan sets out why an election answers a question of confidence in a government rather than a question of title, and constitutional law lecturer Ikmal Hisham Md Tah raises the question of which claimant would appoint a Menteri Besar once polling closes (Channel NewsAsia, 17 July 2026).
One description in the article warrants comment. It states that the state's “four Undangs” proclaimed Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Jaafar as the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar on 5 June, and elsewhere refers to the four chieftains in the present tense.
On this publication’s reading, Mubarak Dohak ceased to be Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong on 17 April 2026 after his removal under Luak custom was acknowledged by the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) under Article 16. If so, the 5 June ceremony was attended by three serving Undangs and one removed office-holder.
By the time the article was published, the composition had changed again, with Muhammad Faris Johari installed as the 11th Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong and Hassan Ab Hamid as the 22nd Undang of Luak Rembau on 27 June.
The narrower point is simply that the composition of the “Undang Yang Empat” has been disputed since April and has since changed twice, making an unqualified reference to "the four Undangs" questionable.
For that reason, this publication uses the formulation "Mubarak and the three Undangs", as explained our article There Are Three Undangs. So Why Does Mainstream Media Keep Referring to "Undang Yang Empat"?
18 July 2026, Sat: “After two strikes, Anwar needs a home run in Negeri Sembilan” in The Straits Times is the clearest account of why a state of roughly 900,000 registered voters carries weight out of proportion to its size.
The article sets the contest against Pakatan Harapan’s showing in Sabah last November and in Johor on 11 July, notes that the DAP congress and the PKR and UMNO assemblies all fall within a fortnight of polling day, and reads the seat allocations as a possible rehearsal for a wider realignment among Malay parties before national polls due by early 2028. This article is paywalled but can be read here. (The Straits Times, 18 July 2026).
18 July 2026: “Negeri Sembilan state election: Four high-stakes seats to watch amid a royal tussle” The Straits Times picks out four seats and explains what makes each one worth watching.
Linggi. Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun leaves Sikamat after four terms to contest this Malay-majority UMNO stronghold, which sits inside his Port Dickson parliamentary seat. Three-cornered, against incumbent Mohd Faizal Ramli of UMNO, who took 55.1 per cent in 2023, and Zamri Md Said of Bersatu. Aminuddin puts his own chances at 50-50.
Pertang. Jalaluddin Alias of UMNO defending on 66.5 per cent from 2023, and widely tipped as the next Menteri Besar should Barisan Nasional take a majority, though he declined to confirm it and said the choice rests with Zahid. First non-straight fight in a decade.
Chennah. Anthony Loke in a seat that is 47 per cent Malay, up against John Siow Kong Choon of MCA. He won 61.5 per cent in 2023 with UMNO alongside him and 50.9 per cent in 2018 without. He also puts himself at about 50 per cent.
Lenggeng. Handed to UMNO under the 2023 seat-sharing deal and now contested again. Mohd Asna Amin of UMNO won it by 50.7% (a 3.5 per cent margin), against Zarinna Abu Zarin of Amanah and Zool Amali Hussin of Bersatu (The Straits Times, 18 July 2026).
What we are watching for next week
19 to 31 July 2026: The 14-day campaign period, closing at 11.59pm on 31 July.
The Rembau dismissals: Whether the three affected office-holders pursue the matter through the Luak, through the DKU, or through the courts, and whether further letters follow.
28 July 2026, Tuesday: Two matters are listed before Justice Roz Mawar Rozain at the Seremban High Court. The first is the application testing whether the court has jurisdiction at all, given the terms of Article 16(3). The second is the substantive committal application against six individuals, among them the removed Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong, Mubarak Dohak. The jurisdictional question is the structural question, because if the court concludes it lacks jurisdiction under Article 16(3), that finding would affect how the remaining proceedings can continue
28 July 2026, Tuesday: Early voting, as fixed by the Election Commission.
1 August 2026, Saturday: Polling day across all 36 seats.
Summary
While campaigning formally began with nomination day, developments in Rembau showed that the constitutional dispute continued evolving independently of the election, despite repeated appeals from political leaders to keep the customary laws and monarchy outside campaign politics.
New posts written by this publication last week
Two entries this week take a closer look at the constitutional text itself, setting out what each Article says, explaining it in simple English, as well as noting what says as well as what it leaves unsaid:
What Is Article 7 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution? — The Article that establishes the office of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar and fixes the line from which the holder may be drawn.
What Is Article 10 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution? — The only route by which the Undangs may move against a sitting Yang di-Pertuan Besar, setting out the grounds, the full and complete enquiry the Article requires first, and the two things they may call upon Him to do: withdraw from His duties for a fixed period, or abdicate.
This will become a larger repository of constitutional explanations.
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Sources:
After two strikes, Anwar needs a home run in Negeri Sembilan (The Straits Times, 18 July 2026)
Negri polls: Fair weather sets stage for nomination process (The Star, 18 July 2026)
Negri polls: No untoward incidents during nomination process, say police (The Star, 18 July 2026)
No nomination papers rejected for Negri polls, says EC (The Star, 18 July 2026)
PRN NS: DNA UMNO, BN bukan penderhaka - Onn Hafiz (Berita Harian, 19 July 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.
