What happened last week
10 August 2026, Monday: The ex parte leave application in case WA-25-201-07/2026 came before Judge Norliza Othman at the High Court of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. Rather than deciding leave, the judge asked counsel for the four applicants to take instructions on whether the judicial review should continue in Kuala Lumpur or be transferred to Seremban, where an originating summons filed by the same parties in May has yet to be heard. She cited the risk of two courts reaching conflicting decisions on the same subject matter. All parties are to return on 7 October 2026 with an answer (The Edge Malaysia, 10 August 2026).
The Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) and its secretary, Raja Norazli Raja Nordin, had filed an application on 6 August to be added as third and fourth respondents, arguing they hold a direct interest because Tuanku Muhriz chairs the DKU and any purported removal would affect its governance, membership and functions. They also sought a stay of the leave application pending that intervention.
Muhammad Faris Johari, the Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong, and Hassan Ab Hamid, the Undang of Luak Rembau, filed their own applications to intervene. The court has yet to rule on any of them, and the intervention question also stands over to 7 October (FMT, 10 August 2026).
Counsel for the applicants, Mohd Khairul Azam Aziz, made an oral application for a gag order restraining public discussion of the case. The DKU and the Negeri Sembilan government opposed it on the ground that the proceedings concern a matter of public interest. Senior federal counsel Nurhafizza Azizan, appearing for the Attorney-General, told reporters afterwards that the judge declined it (FMT, 10 August 2026).
Our account of the application itself, built from the court filing, has been updated with the outcome: The 10 August Hearing Over the Negeri Sembilan Throne.
10 August 2026, Monday: Menteri Besar Datuk Ismail Lasim chaired the first weekly Exco meeting of the new administration at Wisma Negeri (Portal Berita RTM, 10 August 2026).
The date of the First (Special) Sitting of the First Session of the 16th Dewan Undangan Negeri was fixed for 18 August 2026. The order of business covers the swearing-in of all Assembly members, the appointment of the Yang Dipertua (Speaker) and his deputy, and the tabling of a supplementary budget (Portal Berita RTM, 10 August 2026, UMNO Online, 10 August 2026).
Commentary worth reading
13 August 2026, Thursday: Apa Lagi Melayu Negeri Sembilan Mahu? Faisal Tehrani argues that the continuing attempt to remove Tuanku Muhriz, including the mandamus proceedings filed on 17 July, should be judged against the principles of Adat Perpatih as well as against constitutional procedure.
He draws on terombo (customary verse) and perbilangan (customary sayings), together with Mohd Rosli Saludin’s Sejarah Adat Perpatih Seri Menanti (2022), to emphasise alur dan patut (proper channel and due course), respect for a just ruler, and the bottom-up character of the Negeri Sembilan system, in which authority runs from the Anak Buah (clan members) through the Buapak (clan headman), Lembaga (tribal chief) and Undang to the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
The article portrays the mandamus application as the latest stage of a broader campaign against Tuanku Muhriz, and argues that compelling the new Menteri Besar to sign the disputed proclamation would be a top-down intervention inconsistent with that customary order. It welcomes the resolution of the Sungei Ujong and Rembau disputes and suggests that scrutiny should now extend to Jelebu, Johol and potentially Tampin.
The language is openly combative, with repeated references to derhaka (treason against the ruler) and to the Tuk Pincang Panjang Lidah (the crooked elder of the long tongue, whom the tradition identifies as given to falsehood and slander). That phrase names a category rather than a person. Adat Perpatih identifies a type of leader the community is instructed to shun, and Faisal quotes Rosli Saludin's definition of him as a leader inclined to lie, to slander, and to speak of things that are untrue. Faisal argues that the crisis offers an opening to clear such figures from customary office.
Underneath the rhetoric sits a more interesting argument, that the present dispute concerns the internal legitimacy of Adat institutions as much as the legal validity of particular proclamations or court applications.
The characterisations of motive are the author's own and this publication has not independently verified the assertions in the article (FMT, 12 August 2026).
The argument about the standing of Adat against the written Constitution has also been covered in our publication:
The Constitution versus The Adat Perpatih: The events of 2026 have tested the legitimacy of Adat Perpatih and the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959 against constitutional and political manoeuvre.
The Harder Question: The principles of Adat are real. The lived reality is messier. When several Ibu Sokos sanction multiple different Undang, who decides which counts?
What we are watching for
18 August 2026, Tuesday: The First (Special) Sitting of the First Session of the 16th Dewan Undangan Negeri. Members are sworn in, a Speaker and Deputy Speaker are appointed, and a supplementary budget is tabled. FMT reported an understanding that the Speaker would go to Barisan Nasional and the Deputy Speaker to Perikatan Nasional (FMT, 6 August 2026).
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.
7 October 2026, Wednesday: Parties in WA-25-201-07/2026 return before Judge Norliza Othman to state whether the judicial review continues in Kuala Lumpur or moves to Seremban. The pending intervention applications stand over to the same date.
19 October 2026: The Court of Appeal’s next date in the six’s appeal against the grant of leave for contempt proceedings.
A note on cadence
Coverage now sits between court dates, with the next fixtures in late September and October. This publication will only send a round-up when the week has produced something material to report.
New posts written by this publication last week
Court Documents
This publication has started a new section of the site. Court Documents holds English translations of the filings in the Negeri Sembilan succession dispute, which are written in Bahasa Melayu. Each document carries its own provenance note stating how the copy was obtained.
The 10 August Hearing Over the Negeri Sembilan Throne (updated with the outcome of the hearing)
Sources:
BN tipped for 8 Negeri Sembilan exco posts, PN 2 (FMT, 6 August 2026)
DKU, secretary seek to intervene in Negeri Sembilan ruler removal case (FMT, 10 August 2026)
Tiada kenaikan cukai taksiran kediaman di N9 untuk lima tahun (Portal Berita RTM, 10 August 2026)
Apa Lagi Melayu Negeri Sembilan Mahu? (Faisal Tehrani, Solidaritas, 13 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.
