The Negeri Sembilan Crisis Timeline Explained (Updated 30 July 2026)

Apr 25, 2026

Detailed Timeline

29 December 1993 Mubarak Dohak appointed as the 10th Undang Luak Sungei Ujong.

27 December 2008 Tuanku Ja’afar passes away. Throne of Negeri Sembilan becomes vacant.

29 December 2008 The Undang Yang Empat choose Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir as the 11th Yang di-Pertuan Besar, passing over Tunku Naquiyuddin, eldest son of Tuanku Ja’afar.

27 March 2016 Precedent set: the 14th Undang Luak Johol, Datuk Mohammad Jan Abdul Ghani, removed by the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) for 13 offences relating to pesaka and adat. This confirms the process used against Mubarak is not unprecedented.

13 May 2025 Telaga Undang and Waris Klana Hulu of Luak Sungei Ujong formally remove Mubarak Dohak from his hereditary position as Dato’ Klana Petra. This decision, made nearly a year before the public crisis, means all of Mubarak’s decisions from this date are considered invalid under adat.

14 January 2026 Tuanku Muhriz delivers a public speech expressing shock and disappointment at parties who continue supporting individuals convicted of serious corruption charges.

1 April 2026 A meeting is held at Telaga Undang Sungei Ujong regarding Mubarak’s removal.

17 April 2026, 10:00am Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) convenes a special sitting at Istana Besar Seri Menanti. Tuanku Muhriz personally presides, invoking Article 24 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959. Ibu Soko Klana Hulu and Waris Klana Hulu are formally invited to attend. All 33 grounds for Mubarak’s removal are presented to the full DKU. The DKU unanimously advises acceptance of Mubarak's removal, his removal having occurred under the custom of the Luak. Under Article 16(3) of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959, DKU advice on such questions is final and cannot be challenged in any court.

17 April 2026, evening Menteri Besar Aminuddin issues official media statement confirming Mubarak’s removal.

18 April 2026 Mubarak’s supporters, Dato’-Dato’ Lembaga Adat Sungei Ujong, issue a statement claiming he is still the legitimate Undang. The counter-narrative begins.

19 April 2026, approximately 6:15pm Mubarak, along with Undang of Jelebu, Johol and Rembau, stage a public declaration at the Balai Undang Luak Sungei Ujong, livestreamed on the official Luak Sungei Ujong Facebook page. Two declarations are read: (1) Tuanku Muhriz is removed as Yang di-Pertuan Besar, and (2) Tunku Nadzaruddin ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar is installed as the new ruler. No specific misconduct against Tuanku Muhriz is named. The declaration is witnessed by Datuk Syahbandar Sungei Ujong Datuk Baharudin Abdul Khalid.

20 April 2026, early hours Menteri Besar Aminuddin issues a firm statement rejecting the declaration. He states it cannot be accepted or recognised as Mubarak no longer holds any authority as Undang, and the action contravenes Articles 10 to 12 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution 1959.

20 April 2026 Police issue a public warning against spreading content that touches on the 3R sensitivities, Race, Religion and Royalty, in connection with the crisis.

20 April 2026 Telaga Undang Sarifah Norzaidah Al-Qadri issues a statement confirming she never gave Mubarak a mandate to make the declaration. She sides firmly with Tuanku Muhriz.

21 April 2026 The Undang's camp issues a counter-argument claiming Mubarak's removal was invalid because two of the Dato'-Dato' Lembaga who participated in the DKU sitting had themselves been previously dismissed. Legal experts dismiss this argument, Article 16 of the Negeri Sembilan Constitution makes DKU decisions final and unchallengeable in any court. Former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Seri Mohd Hishamudin Yunus notes that even if the DKU process was flawed, this does not retroactively legitimise the declaration against Tuanku Muhriz.

21 April 2026 In an escalating sequence of claims, the Undang's camp goes further, asserting not only that Mubarak's removal was invalid and that the Dato'-Dato' Lembaga who participated should themselves be removed, but that the Menteri Besar Aminuddin should also be dismissed from his position for his role in the DKU sitting and his subsequent rejection of their declaration.

22 April 2026 State secretary’s office confirms the DUN opening will proceed as scheduled. Multiple legal opinions begin emerging from constitutional lawyers firmly rejecting the validity of the declaration.

23 April 2026, morning Former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Seri Mohd Hishamudin Yunus publishes opinion in The Edge identifying three grounds of invalidity. Malik Imtiaz Sarwar publishes in FMT concluding there is no constitutional crisis.

23 April 2026, 10:00am Tuanku Muhriz opens the first sitting of the fourth session of the 15th Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly at Wisma Negeri. All four Undang and Tunku Besar Tampin boycott, the first such absence in 17 years. Tuanku Muhriz delivers his royal address, stating the absence of dignitaries does not affect the validity of proceedings.

24 April 2026 Prime Minister states the crisis should be resolved according to state laws. The Conference of Rulers has not publicly intervened.

26 April 2026 The crisis remains unresolved. Tuanku Muhriz continues as the recognised Yang di-Pertuan Besar. The declaration has no legal standing. The standoff continues.

27 April 2026 Jalaluddin Alias announces all 14 UMNO-BN ADUN (Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri) unanimously withdraw confidence in Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun, citing the royal crisis as trigger. He states that UMNO was never informed or consulted about the crisis until it became public.

27 April 2026 Tuanku Muhriz directs the state administration to continue as usual following an emergency audience with Aminuddin. Aminuddin confirms he will remain in office as a minority government. DAP’s Anthony Loke rejects any attempt to form a backdoor government. All 11 DAP assemblymen confirm continued support for Aminuddin.

27 April 2026, evening Ahmad Zahid distances UMNO central leadership from the state chapter’s withdrawal, saying the final decision rests with him. He announces an emergency UMNO Supreme Council meeting and a joint meeting with Anwar Ibrahim and the 14 assemblymen. Jalaluddin Alias is reported as the proposed successor Menteri Besar.

27 April 2026 Constitutional expert Aziz Bari raises the possibility of federal emergency powers under Article 150 to meet the state assembly’s six-month reconvening deadline. Former Menteri Besar Rais Yatim urges Aminuddin to reconvene the DKU to ease tensions.

27 April 2026 All 14 Barisan Nasional assemblymen announced they had lost confidence in and withdrawn support for Aminuddin. UMNO’s Negeri Sembilan chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias linked the move directly to Aminuddin’s handling of the royal crisis. Perikatan Nasional (PN), holding five seats, offered to cooperate with BN (all UMNO). A combined BN-PN bloc would hold 19 of 36 seats. Pakatan Harapan (PH) Communications Director Datuk Fahmi Fadzil described the move as a betrayal and a backdoor attempt to take over the state administration.

28 April 2026 UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi chaired an emergency UMNO Supreme Council meeting. The state chapter and the central leadership were no longer reading from the same page.

28 April 2026 Anwar issues an official statement confirming a palace audience with Tuanku Muhriz and publicly backs the decree for Aminuddin to continue. Zahid states UMNO will not interfere in adat matters. BN rejects the “backdoor government” characterisation, calling its withdrawal “openly, formally and based on principles.”

29 April 2026 Anwar rules out a near-term dissolution of the state assembly and directs all assemblymen, including PN’s five, to abide by the royal decree. No formal vote of no confidence has been tabled. The standoff across the adat, constitutional and political dimensions remains unresolved.

29 April 2026 UMNO’s Political Bureau issued a statement acknowledging the assemblymen’s loss of confidence while stopping short of endorsing a new government. It called for urgent talks with Pakatan Harapan (PH) under the Unity Government MOU. The same day, the Negeri Sembilan State Secretary’s Office served the ex-Undang Mubarak with a letter directing him to vacate the official residence and Balai Undang Luak Sungei Ujong with immediate effect.

30 April 2026 UMNO reversed. Ahmad Zahid met the 14 assemblymen in Putrajaya and announced that all 14 assemblymen from UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) in Negeri Sembilan had agreed to remain within the framework of the unity government. He told Cabinet he opposed any backdoor government formation. Transport Minister Anthony Loke described the situation as stable.

1 May 2026 The UMNO state wings counter-escalated, undeterred by the federal reversal. The Negeri Sembilan UMNO Wanita, Youth and Puteri wings issued a joint statement condemning the eviction order as “inappropriate, insensitive, and an abuse of administrative powers,” and said it only confirmed that Aminuddin had failed to manage the crisis. They stood by the 14 assemblymen’s withdrawal of support.

1 May 2026 Speaking the same day, the UMNO president made clear that the wings’ statement represented their personal opinion and nothing more. The decision of the 14 BN assemblymen to remain in the unity government was a party decision, he said, and must be respected.

3 May 2026 12 UMNO Reps said they want to stay in the unity government.

5 May 2026 The Majlis Dato Lembaga Adat Sungei Ujong announced a new Undang, Muhammad Faris bin Johari.

5 May 2026 Mubarak and three Undangs filed an originating summons at the Seremban High Court today, seeking to compel the state government and the DK to release the minutes of an April 17 meeting.

5 May 2026 A separate statement, claiming to speak for the Sungei Ujong Adat leadership, declares the installation of Muhammad Faris invalid on the grounds that those who carried it out had themselves been dismissed.

9 May 2026 The Ibu Soko Tua of Luak Rembau challenged the legitimacy of the selection of the Undang of Rembau, citing Adat defects.

10 May 2026 Abd Rahman Limat, 70, is declared the 11th Undang Luak Sungei Ujong at Telapak Tua Kampung Chedang, with sanction from a different perut to the one that installed Muhammad Faris Johari on 22 April.

13 May 2026 Mubarak and three Undang asked for an interim stay (a pause) of the 17 April DKU acknowledgement of his removal. The court declined. Justice Roz Mawar Rozain directed the defendants to file an affidavit supporting their jurisdictional objection within seven days. The substantive hearing on jurisdiction is fixed for 28 July 2026. The state government took a separate procedural objection, arguing that only DKU members are entitled to copies of DKU minutes.

19 May 2026 A fourth claimant to the Undang Luak Sungei Ujong position emerges. Othman Ismail tells Malaysiakini he was installed in 2009 with a watikah pemasyhuran, but the DKU at the time affirmed Mubarak as the rightful holder of the pesaka Datuk Klana Petra Ke-10 and the state government refused to recognise his installation.

21 May 2026 Six signatories among the ruling chiefs, named in the later court filings as Mubarak, the Undang of Jelebu Maarof Mat Rashad, the Undang of Johol Muhammad Abdullah, the Undang of Rembau Abdul Rahim Yasin, the Tunku Besar of Tampin Tunku Syed Razman Tunku Syed Idrus Al-Qadri, and the Syahbandar of Sungei Ujong Baharudin Abdul Khalid, issued a directive calling for a special sitting of the DKU. Article 24 provides that a sitting of the DKU is convened and presided over by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, and the standing of a sitting summoned by the chiefs is contested.

29 May 2026 Reports indicated that six of the eight members of the DKU had moved to suspend its secretary, Raja Norazli Raja Nordin, citing his asserted failure to comply with an order to convene a special sitting. Raja Norazli has maintained that the authority to remove the secretary rests with the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

3 June 2026 The State Secretary’s office stated that the DKU secretary is appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, addressing the question of who holds the authority to remove the office-holder.

4 June 2026 Following an audience with Tuanku Muhriz at Istana Hinggap that evening, Menteri Besar Aminuddin announced that the State Legislative Assembly would be dissolved with effect from 5 June, with the consent of His Highness, returning the mandate to voters. He said Pakatan Harapan would contest all 36 seats, and that notice would be sent to the Election Commission to set nomination and polling dates, with the election to be held within 60 days.

5 June 2026, morning The High Court at Seremban, before Justice Roz Mawar Rozain, granted ad interim injunctions sought by Raja Norazli and the DKU. The orders restrain the six plaintiffs from convening any DKU meeting, including the special sitting announced for that day, from suspending or removing Raja Norazli as secretary, from establishing any committee to assume his functions, and from altering the status quo of the DKU as it stood before 21 May. The injunctions hold pending the court’s determination of the jurisdiction and justiciability questions.

5 June 2026 Police briefly locked the gate of the official residence of the Tunku Besar of Tampin, where the special sitting was to be held, and several adat leaders and invited guests, among them three Undangs, the Syahbandar, and former Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Rais Yatim, were initially barred from entering. The gates were opened after a short standoff.

5 June 2026 Rais Yatim announced that Tunku Nadzaruddin had been proclaimed the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar at a hotel in Alor Gajah, Melaka, hours after the Tampin standoff. The proclamation took place after the interim injunction had been granted, and its legitimacy is disputed.

5 June 2026 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reaffirmed that Putrajaya continues to recognise Tuanku Muhriz as the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, and described the election as the means to resolve the uncertainty surrounding the state’s royal institution.

6 June 2026 Raja Norazli said he would initiate committal proceedings for contempt of court against six individuals, including three ruling chiefs, on the ground that they had defied the interim injunction by proceeding with the proclamation of a Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

9 June 2026 Istana Besar Seri Menanti announced that the proclamation of Tunku Nadzaruddin ibni Almarhum Tuanku Ja'afar as the 12th Yang di-Pertuan Besar carried no legal effect. The Comptroller of the Royal Household, Datuk Azizi Mohamad Ali, said that by his own action in accepting that proclamation, Tunku Nadzaruddin had relinquished the hereditary title of Tunku Panglima Besar, which then fell vacant.

11 June 2026 Tuanku Muhriz proclaimed his second son, Tunku Zain Al-'Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, as the new Tunku Panglima Besar.

12 June 2026 Mubarak and three Undangs, with two others, filed an application at the Seremban High Court to set aside the ad interim injunction restraining the DKU from convening. The application was listed for case management before Justice Roz Mawar Rozain on 18 June and fixed for hearing on 7 July 2026, with the DKU and its Secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin represented by the firm of Steven Thiru.

19 June 2026 Mosques across the Luak of Sungei Ujong, Jelebu, Johol, and Rembau, and the Tampin territory, were directed to pray for Tunku Nadzaruddin in the Friday sermon, following a letter dated 9 June from the chieftains and the Tunku Besar Tampin to the Negeri Sembilan Mufti, Faudzinaim Badaruddin, invoking Article 181(1) of the Federal Constitution. The Mufti confirmed receiving the letter and said the matter lay outside his department’s jurisdiction and sat with the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Religious Affairs Department. The Comptroller of the Royal Household, Azizi Ali, separately stated that the 5 June proclamation is invalid and unrecognised under the constitution, law, and custom of Negeri Sembilan.

19 June 2026 At the Masjid Dato’ Undang Luak Jelebu, a yellow carpet was laid for Tunku Nadzaruddin’s arrival and the prayer was read, with Malaysiakini’s Malay-language report placing the styled title in inverted commas, as ‘Yamtuan Besar’, and noting that his proclamation as successor to Tuanku Muhriz remains disputed.

23 to 25 June 2026 The Conference of Rulers meeting scheduled for these dates was postponed.

25 June 2026 The Buapak and Ibu Soko of Luak Rembau selected Hassan Ab Hamid, the Buapak Kampung Tanjong, as the 22nd Undang Luak Rembau, with Kampung Tanjong confirmed as the Kampung Benih. A rival camp aligned with Abdul Rahim Yasin rejected the selection, with 17 Adat leaders and Datuk Perba Abdul Razak Mohd Yassin maintaining that his 2024 proclamation stands.

25 June 2026 At Istana Besar Seri Menanti, the Tunku Besar Seri Menanti, Tunku Ali Redhauddin, received the Dato’-Dato’ Adat of Luak Rembau, who came to present Hassan and to seek consent for the date of the ceremony.

27 June 2026 Tuanku Muhriz conducted the istiadat installing Muhammad Faris Johari as the 11th Undang of Luak Sungei Ujong and formalising the appointment of Hassan Ab Hamid as the 22nd Undang of Luak Rembau, and used the occasion to call for loyalty.

29 June 2026 The Rembau District and Land Office ordered Abdul Rahim Yasin to vacate the official residence and Balai Undang Luak Rembau, two days after Hassan's installation.

8 July 2026 The Seremban High Court granted the DKU and its Secretary leave to begin contempt proceedings against six plaintiffs for allegedly breaching the 5 June ad interim injunction, refused a stay, and fixed the substantive hearing for 28 July 2026, which remains sub judice. Under that order, the plaintiffs are barred from convening or attending any DKU meeting, from interfering with the Secretary of the DKU in carrying out his functions under the Laws of the Constitution of Negeri Sembilan 1959, from setting up any committee or person to assume his powers or to act and issue statements for the DKU, and from taking any decision or action that disturbs the status quo as it stood before 21 May 2026.

15 July 2026 DKU secretary Raja Norazli Raja Nordin issued letters revoking the hereditary titles of three Rembau nobles, Abdul Razak Yassin, Zaharuddin Idris and Azmi Ahmad, citing a decree of Hassan Ab Hamid as 22nd Undang. The revocations were backdated to August 2024, when Abdul Rahim Yasin was the recognised Undang.

17 July 2026 Abdul Razak Yassin, Dato’ Perba, said the three do not recognise the decision, arguing Hassan was not appointed by the Council of Dato’ Lembaga and that the injunction preserves the chieftains’ positions.

18 July 2026 Nomination day. 103 candidates for 36 seats, polling 1 August.

23 July 2026 The six plaintiffs applied to the Seremban High Court for the recusal of Justice Roz Mawar Rozain from the suit and from the 28 July committal proceedings, alleging a “real danger of bias”. According to the filing, the plaintiffs verified that the judge had attended a Maal Hijrah (Islamic New Year) event on 16 June at which she was seated beside the Tunku Ampuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan and at the same table as the wife of the Menteri Besar, the wife of the State Secretary and two state executive councillors, all of whom the plaintiffs say have close links to the subject matter of the originating summons. They also sought a stay of the originating summons. The 28 July hearing remains sub judice.

28 July 2026 On the date fixed for the contempt hearing, the Seremban High Court adjourned the committal proceedings against the six after they applied to the Court of Appeal to halt the process, fixed 28 September for case management, and the DKU and its Secretary filed a fresh contempt application, their counsel citing the six's avoidance of service in the first.

30 July 2026 Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz revoked the two royal titles held by Rais Yatim, two days ahead of the Negeri Sembilan state election, with the state secretary citing preservation of the throne's ‘majesty, sanctity and dignity’. Sources close to the palace told The Straits Times that the move by Muhriz came in response to a string of Rais’ actions against the throne stretching back several years. These include his involvement dating back to 2022 in encouraging the Undang of Jelebu to refer to himself as “Sultan” and his proclamation of Muhriz’s cousin Nadzaruddin Ja’afar as the new Yang di-Pertuan Besar, or Yamtuan, on June 5, 2026. The article also reports Rais had been secretly serving as legal adviser to the Undang.

If you are new to this Substack, and are not sure where to begin, visit our Start Here page, where we list all our articles organised by theme.

Start Here

Sources:

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.

What Are the 33 Offences Mubarak Was Accused Of?

What Are the Corruption Allegations Against the Undang of Jelebu?

Negeri Sembilan Crisis: What Social Media Is Revealing That Mainstream Media Is Not

The Royal Family of Negeri Sembilan: Service over Spectacle

What Misconduct Did The Undangs Accuse Tuanku Muhriz of?

Discussion about this post

Ready for more?