Anak Nogori Weekly Round-Up (21-27 September, 2026)

Ten Negeri Sembilan EXCO appointments were revoked, gazetted and backed by the Attorney General, and Rais Yatim pleaded not guilty to sedition.

Sep 28, 2026

What happened last week

21 September 2026, Mon: Menteri Besar Ismail Lasim said the revocation of the ten EXCO appointments announced by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar the previous night was unconstitutional, because he had neither been consulted nor advised it under Article 38(5) of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959. He argued that Article 38(5) must be read together with Articles 38(4) and 40(1), said the existing EXCO remained valid, and declined to submit a new list (FMT, 21 September 2026, Malay Mail, 21 September 2026).

22 September 2026, Tues: Ismail announced the immediate suspension of State Secretary Mohd Zafir Ibrahim and State Legal Adviser Muzalmah Mustapha Kamal, following what he described as a meeting of the State Executive Council, and named State Financial Officer Masri Razali and lawyer Fahmi Adilah to carry out their duties in the interim. The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) said the same day that the State Executive Council has no legal authority to suspend either officer, because appointments to both posts, including suspensions, fall to the relevant service commissions under Article 37 (Bernama, 22 September 2026, Malaysiakini, 22 September 2026).

22 September 2026, Tues: A four-page joint media statement was issued in the names of Muhammed Abdullah, Undang of Luak Johol; the removed Undangs Mubarak Dohak (Luak Sungei Ujong), Maarof Mat Rashad (Luak Jelebu) and Abdul Rahim Yasin (Luak Rembau); and the Tunku Besar Tampin, Tunku Syed Razman Tunku Syed Idrus Al-Qadri. The signatories claimed the 19 April declaration as their own act under Articles 7, 10 and 11, called the account that the Menteri Besar and EXCO had deposed Tuanku Muhriz fitnah jahat (malicious slander), and urged the Prime Minister and the AGC to stay out of the state’s affairs. They accused Tuanku Muhriz of acting in bad faith (not pure of heart), of sabotage and obstruction. The statement also called on civil servants to pledge loyalty to Tunku Nadzaruddin (The Star, 22 September 2026).

23 September 2026, Wed: A planned audience at which Ismail and the ten members whose appointments had been revoked were to present themselves to Tunku Nadzaruddin was called off. A source told Berita Harian that the organisers cancelled it on safety advice from the authorities (Malay Mail, 23 September 2026). Emirul Sarifudin Nor Azmi, a lawyer for Tunku Nadzaruddin and the chieftains supporting him, said that the group had been kept inside the compound of the Sungei Ujong ceremonial hall by a police cordon (Malaysiakini, 23 September 2026).

23 September 2026, Wed: Anwar described the attempt by the Menteri Besar and EXCO to remove Tuanku Muhriz as “rude and uncivilised”, and said that decisions of the Undang must follow the established procedures and that their decisions are not absolute (Malay Mail, 23 September 2026).

24 September 2026, Thurs: The revocation was published in the Negeri Sembilan Government Gazette as N.S. P.U. 18, naming all ten members, citing Article 38(5) and the breach of the pledge of allegiance they took on 7 August, and taking effect from 20 September (FMT, 24 September 2026, Malaysiakini, 24 September 2026).

24 September 2026, Thurs: Ismail told a press conference that EXCO members had been barred from Wisma Negeri, adding that he himself had not been blocked (The Star, 24 September 2026). Malaysiakini reported that the State Secretary and State Legal Adviser were continuing their duties in line with directions from the Chief Secretary to the Government and the AGC (Malaysiakini, 24 September 2026).

24 September 2026, Thurs: Ismail issued a seven-page media statement claiming that the crisis had been inherited from the previous state administration. The statement also said the state government would respect any final decision lawfully made by the institutions with jurisdiction under adat and the Constitution (Berita Harian, 24 September 2026, UtusanMelayuPlus, 24 September 2026).

25 September 2026, Fri: Rais Yatim was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948. The charge concerns remarks allegedly made at a hotel in Simpang Ampat, Alor Gajah, on 5 June, referring to Tunku Nadzaruddin as the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar and calling for loyalty to him. Rais pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. Judge Raja Noor Adilla Raja Mahyaldin allowed bail of RM8,000 and the case returns for mention on 27 October (Bernama, 25 September 2026, Malay Mail, 25 September 2026).

25 September 2026, Fri: The five signatories of the 22 September statement held a press conference in Seremban at which they repeated its main points, including the warning to the Prime Minister against using federal agencies in ways they said would paralyse the state administration (FMT, 25 September 2026, The Edge, 25 September 2026).

25 September 2026, Fri: The names and photographs of the ten members whose appointments had been revoked were taken down from the Negeri Sembilan government’s official portal, which now lists Ismail as the only member of the State Executive Council (Berita Harian, 25 September 2026, Sinar Harian, 25 September 2026).

26 September 2026, Sat: Attorney General Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said that the revocation of the ten appointments was valid under Article 38(5), which provides that an EXCO member other than the Menteri Besar holds office at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, and described the gazette as standard procedure. He added that the AGC had consistently held that the Menteri Besar and EXCO had no unilateral power to remove the Yang di-Pertuan Besar or declare the office vacant (Sinar Harian, 26 September 2026, FMT, 26 September 2026, The Sun, 26 September 2026).

27 September 2026, Sun: G25, a group of retired senior civil servants, called on Ismail to resign, saying he had lost credibility and moral authority. The group pointed to his signature on the proclamation on 3 August, his later claim that he signed under duress, and his recognition of the proclamation as valid on 16 September. It cited the DKU’s position that the 19 April proclamation was void and the AGC’s view that neither the Menteri Besar nor the EXCO could remove the Ruler, and urged enforcement agencies to act against those involved (FMT, 27 September 2026, Malay Mail, 27 September 2026).

27 September 2026, Sun: Inspector-General of Police Mohd Khalid Ismail confirmed that police would begin recording statements from the ten EXCO members whose appointments had been revoked. He said numerous police reports had been lodged over the crisis, that other individuals, including potential witnesses, would also be interviewed, and that police did not rule out the Sedition Act or other provisions. He added that the investigation papers would go to the AGC, which will decide whether to prosecute (Bernama, 27 September 2026, Malay Mail, 27 September 2026).

27 September 2026, Sun: BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi met the state government’s 25 BN, PAS and Wawasan assemblymen, including Ismail, for about three hours at UMNO headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Before the meeting Zahid said he had given Ismail full authority to seek a solution, including an audience with Tuanku Muhriz and the Undangs, and rejected suggestions of an emergency declaration. No statement was issued afterwards, and the assemblymen declined to speak to reporters (The Edge, 27 September 2026, Malay Mail, 27 September 2026, UtusanMelayuPlus, 27 September 2026, FMT, 28 September 2026).

Commentary worth reading

COMMENT | Assault on constitutional sovereignty of N Sembilan monarchy, rule of law, 21 September 2026: A signed comment piece by former presidents of the Malaysian Bar argues that the EXCO had no constitutional mandate to unseat a Ruler, calling the reported conduct of the exco “an egregious violation of the state constitution, and a direct and unlawful assault on the institution of the constitutional monarchy”. It sets the EXCO’s 16 September announcement against the positions already taken by the DKU, the AGC and the State Secretary’s office (Malaysiakini, 21 September 2026).

Anarchy in Negeri Sembilan, 23 September 2026: Kalimullah Hassan, former group editor-in-chief of NSTP, asks what did Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir actually do that led to UMNO bringing anarchy to Negeri Sembilan in trying to remove him as the ruler of the state? He notes that no scandal has attached to the Yang di-Pertuan Besar in 18 years. He connects the timing to Tuanku Muhriz’s public criticism of support for Najib Razak after his conviction (The Vibes, 23 September 2026).

Stop manipulating facts, academic tells ‘4 undangs’, 25 September 2026: FMT put the signatories’ claim of an exclusive power to appoint and remove the Ruler to Faisal Tehrani (an academic) and (Rosli Dahlan) a senior lawyer, both of whom rejected it. Both challenged the standing of Mubarak and Maarof, pointing out that each had already been removed earlier in the year (FMT, 25 September 2026).

Negeri Sembilan: Umno’s constitutional miscalculation, September 2026: An opinion piece by P Ramasamy argues that the attempt against Tuanku Muhriz reflects UMNO overreach after its state election win (FMT, 25 September 2026).

How UMNO and PAS undermined their own political advantage in Negeri Sembilan, 26 September 2026: Lim Sue Goan, chief leader writer of Sin Chew Daily, argues that BN and PN have undone the advantage their state election win gave them. He counts four reversals by Ismail in ten days and sets his signature on the proclamation against the former Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun’s refusal to sign. He also notes that the state assembly must sit within six months of its last sitting to avoid automatic dissolution, which he puts in January 2027 (Sin Chew Daily, 26 September 2026).

What we are watching for

28 September 2026: Case management before the Seremban High Court in the contempt proceedings, in which the DKU and its secretary are seeking to have six individuals cited for contempt over the alleged breach of the interim injunction of 5 June

7 October 2026: The parties in judicial review WA-25-201-07/2026 return before Judge Norliza Othman at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, where the DKU’s application to intervene is still pending.

19 October 2026: Case management at the Court of Appeal in the appeal by Mubarak and five others against the Seremban High Court’s grant of leave for committal proceedings.

27 October 2026: Mention of Rais Yatim’s case at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court

What statements the police record from ten members whose EXCO appointments were revoked
Whether Ismail seeks an audience with Tuanku Muhriz and the Undangs, as Zahid directed
Whether Ismail submits a new EXCO list as the palace directed on 20 September
Whether the contempt proceedings threatened by Halim & Ismail on 16 September, on behalf of the DKU and its secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin, are filed

New posts written by this publication last week

Did the 22 September Joint Statement by the “Undang Yang Empat” ¹ and Tunku Besar Tampin Go Too Far?: An analysis of the statement’s legal claims and the questions it raises under the Sedition Act 1948, Section 121B of the Penal Code and the law of defamation. The full English translation is in Joint Media Statement, 22 September 2026.
What Is the Sedition Act 1948, and Why Does It Matter in Negeri Sembilan?: Rais Yatim was charged on 25 September under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948 and pleaded not guilty. This article covers what the Act says, how it applies to the Negeri Sembilan royal crisis, and who can be liable under it.
Updated: What Are the 33 Offences Mubarak Was Accused Of?: The article now also sets out the background to Mubarak Dohak’s removal as Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong and where that removal stands today.

Sources:

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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.

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