What happened last week
4 August 2026, Tuesday: Datuk Ismail Lasim began his first working day as Menteri Besar (MB) of Negeri Sembilan. He said that the state government was weighing Deputy Exco posts for several portfolios on the reasoning that the governing bloc holds more assemblymen than the Exco can seat. He said the Exco itself would stay at ten members, other than the MB. (Note: This number is the ceiling Article 38(2)(b) sets for Exco members other than the MB. Read Article 38 for a full explanation of the constitutional process for appointing the Executive Council.)
His comments came after Rais Yatim questioned the process behind the appointment and alleged outside interference involving state custom and constitutional matters. Ismail declined to go further, saying only that the appointment had been carried out according to the established procedures.
He added that whether the Negeri Sembilan UMNO chief Jalaluddin took an Exco seat was a matter for Jalaluddin himself. Jalaluddin had earlier said he would not offer himself for an Exco position, choosing to make way for other representatives while leaving the final decision to the MB (Astro Awani, 4 August 2026, The Vibes, 4 August 2026).
5 August 2026, Wednesday: The Johol assemblyman, Datuk Saiful Yazan Sulaiman of Barisan Nasional (BN), rejected speculation circulating on social media that Pakatan Harapan (PH) representatives would be brought into the Exco, saying the claim was untrue and that any such proposal would first have been discussed with BN assemblymen (The Vibes, 5 August 2026).
7 August 2026, Friday: Ten State Assemblymen (ADUNs) took their oaths as members of the State Executive Council before the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, Tuanku Muhriz, at Istana Besar Seri Menanti, completing the BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration, with eight seats to BN and two to PN. Two of the ten served in the previous Exco under Aminuddin Harun while the other eight take up Exco office for the first time (Malaysia Gazette, 7 August 2026).
The full line-up:
Datuk Mohd Faizal Ramli (Linggi, BN, returning): rural development and regional development
Datuk Mustapha Nagoor (Palong, BN, returning): youth and sports development
Datuk Zaifulbahri Idris (Chembong, BN, new): education, higher education and human capital
Datuk Mohd Razi Mohd Ali (Sungai Lui, BN, new): agriculture, food security and cost of living
Datuk Mohd Asna Amin (Lenggeng, BN, new): industry, technology, innovation and digital
Siti Nur Umaira Hasim (Labu, BN, new): women, family and community development - the only woman on the Exco
Siow Kong Choon (Chennah, BN, new): local government development, housing and non-Islamic affairs
Suhaimizan Bizar (Gemencheh, BN, new): health, unity, information, national integration and NGOs
Mohd Fairuz Mohd Isa (Serting, PN, new), the state PAS commissioner: entrepreneurship, human resources, climate change, cooperatives and consumerism
Datuk Razali Abu Samah (Sikamat, PN, new): tourism, arts, culture and heritage
MB Ismail Lasim retained the senior portfolios himself, taking Islamic religious affairs and security, finance, land and natural resources, and investment, infrastructure, utilities, communications and FELDA.
Commentary worth reading
5 August 2026, Wednesday: Turbulent tenure expected for new Negeri Sembilan MB An analysis of the pressures facing the new administration. Akademi Nusantara's Azmi Hassan said that the absence of several UMNO assemblymen from Ismail Lasim's installation as MB, among them the state UMNO chief Jalaluddin, signalled a risk of internal power-grabbing that stemmed from how unexpected the MB appointment was.
Azmi noted that many had not counted Ismail among the frontrunners despite his long experience in government, and that his name had not featured in the discussions over who would be BN's MB designate in any arrangement with PN.
The article also mentions the 2023 Melaka leadership change, in which Ab Rauf Yusoh replaced Sulaiman Ali, as a precedent for how a sitting MB can be displaced over time (FMT, 5 August 2026).
7 August 2026, Friday: Tuanku Muhriz reminds new N. Sembilan exco to reject abuse of power, prioritise people Alongside the warning against granting government tenders and projects to family or friends, Tuanku Muhriz framed the appointments as a duty that carries weight.
He said a government is judged by results the people can genuinely feel, and that good planning matters only when it delivers them. He asked the new line-up to build on the previous administration’s record in drawing quality investment, lifting state revenue and creating jobs, and to keep identifying and correcting weaknesses so the administration stays high in integrity.
He described what the country needs as leaders of strong principle, or “persons of honour”, and closed by praying for the state’s continued peace and prosperity, and for those who govern to be guided toward fair and wise decisions (Malay Mail, 7 August 2026, The Star, 8 August 2026).
(See embedded video for Tuanku Muhriz’s 7 August 2026 speech in Malay from the Malaysia Tribune’s X account.)
What we are watching for
Speaker and Deputy Speaker: The first sitting of the 16th Assembly, at which a Speaker is elected. FMT reported an understanding that the Speaker would go to BN and the Deputy Speaker to PN (FMT, 6 August 2026).
10 August 2026, Monday: A judicial review application is listed for hearing at 9.30am before the High Court of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, case number WA-25-201-07/2026, filed on 17 July 2026. The four plaintiffs are Mubarak Dohak and the Undangs of Jelebu, Johol and Rembau; the defendants are the Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan and the Government of Negeri Sembilan. The application asks the court to compel the Menteri Besar to sign a Proclamation document and to declare it valid under Articles 10(1)(b) and 10(2). This publication has independently verified the papers through the Malaysian judiciary's e-filing verification portal. (Read more: The 10 August Hearing Over the Negeri Sembilan Throne)
28 September 2026: Case management before the Seremban High Court in the contempt proceedings, where the DKU and its secretary are seeking to have six individuals cited for contempt.
19 October 2026: The Court of Appeal's next date in the six's appeal against the grant of leave for contempt proceedings.
Summary
On the succession thread, the week brought a run of Facebook posts, including from political activists, social media influencers and lawyers, arguing the case for the removed chieftains, contesting the DKU's 31 July sitting and arguing that it was inquorate and its recognitions invalid.
However, the facts of the week remain the same. The Exco came to mengadap (present themselves before the Ruler) before Tuanku Muhriz at Seri Menanti, with the royal household, and the recognised Undangs of Sungei Ujong and Rembau present.
In a state where the year's central argument has been over who the legitimate Undangs and Ruler are, the new government was installed before Tuanku Muhriz, who lawfully and firmly remains the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan.
Under Adat, the “Undang Yang Empat1” who made the 19 April removal announcement did not validly constitute that body. And under the Constitution, the purported removal of 19 April carried no legal effect, so the office was never vacated and no successor was installed in his place.
Footnote: ¹ This article uses the term "Undang Yang Empat" to refer to the four chieftains who signed the 19 April declaration. Mubarak Dohak ceased to hold office as Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong with effect from 13 May 2025, a removal the DKU acknowledged on 17 April 2026, two days before the declaration. On 31 July 2026 the DKU further acknowledged that Maarof Mat Rashad had been removed as Undang of Luak Jelebu with effect from 31 May 2023, and that the appointment of Abdul Rahim Yasin as Undang of Luak Rembau was never completed. Removal of an Undang is a customary act of the Luak, which the DKU acknowledges under Article 16 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959; under Article 16(3), the DKU's advice on such questions is final and cannot be challenged in any court.
New posts written by this publication last week
What is Article 30? - Precedence among the Ruling Chiefs, Set by the DKU. This sits in the Reference Library where we explain the key articles of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959 in detail.
Why Is Everyone Posting “Akan Berkati Sekalian Yang Setia, Musuhnya Habis Binasa” from the Negeri Sembilan State Anthem? - “All who are loyal shall be blessed, his enemies utterly destroyed.”
The 10 August Hearing Over the Negeri Sembilan Throne A review of the Kuala Lumpur judicial hearing, built from the court filing itself, on the plaintiffs' bid to compel the Menteri Besar to sign the disputed Proclamation and have it declared valid.
Sources:
BN rejects speculation of PH role in Negeri Sembilan exco line-up (The Vibes, 5 August 2026)
Turbulent tenure expected for new Negeri Sembilan MB (FMT, 5 August 2026)
BN tipped for 8 Negeri Sembilan exco posts, PN 2 (FMT, 6 August 2026)
Kerajaan BN-PN Negeri Sembilan lengkap, 10 Exco angkat sumpah (Malaysia Gazette, 7 August 2026)
10 Negeri Sembilan Reps Take Oath as State Exco Members (FMT, 7 August 2026)
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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.
