What did Former Menteri Besar Tan Sri Rais Yati say?
The former Menteri Besar Tan Sri Rais Yatim sided with the Undangs. Legal experts disagree.
Tan Sri Rais Yatim, who served as Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan from 1978 to 1982 (his entire term falling within the reign of Tuanku Ja’afar) has publicly stated that the decision of the Undang Yang Empat1 action was constitutionally legitimate.
On the right of the Undang to remove the Yang di-Pertuan Besar
On the validity of the 19 April declaration, Rais told Malaysiakini that the Undang Yang Empat1 had the right to remove the Yang di-Pertuan Besar under Article 10 of the Negeri Sembilan State Constitution 1959, provided two conditions were met: a complete report must exist, and the grounds must be listed. (Malaysiakini, 21 April 2026)
Rais later appeared to contradict this position. In a video interview on Keluar Sekejap with Shahril Hamdan , he argued that the Yang di-Pertuan Besar’s conduct during the 17 April Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) sitting was itself an overt act visible to all present, and that this rendered a formal written enquiry unnecessary.
He also characterised the events of 17 April as Tuanku personally ordering Mubarak’s removal, stating that “Tuanku commanded that the Undang Luak Sungei Ujong step down and be stopped.”
(Note: This characterisation is constitutionally inaccurate. The removal of an Undang is a luak decision. The DKU merely hears and acknowledged the decision, it was not a unilateral royal command.)
Shahril pushed back, noting that the word “enquiry” appears explicitly in the State Constitution and that natural justice principles could not simply be set aside. Rais acknowledged the point, conceding that “both sides have their shortcomings and their merits.” (Keluar Sekejap, Facebook Reel, 30 April 2026)
It is worth noting the lineage dimension here. The proclamation of April 19 did not merely seek to depose Tuanku Muhriz — it sought to install Tunku Nadzaruddin, the third son of the late Tuanku Ja’afar, in his place. The current dispute is, in part, a contest between two royal lines: the Munawir line (Tuanku Muhriz’s father, who ruled 1960–67) and the Ja’afar line (which held the throne from 1967 to 2008).
Rais served as Menteri Besar from 1978 to 1982, a term that fell entirely within the reign of Tuanku Ja'afar, the father of Tunku Nadzaruddin, the man the Undang Yang Empat sought to install in Tuanku Muhriz's place. Readers can decide for themselves what weight to give that alignment. (Rais Yatim, Wikipedia)
On Mubarak’s dismissal
On Mubarak’s dismissal, he took the opposite position. Rais told Malaysiakini that the termination of Mubarak’s position at the DKU special sitting on 17 April was not valid. (Malaysiakini, 21 April 2026)
On the MB’s handling of the crisis, Rais said that evicting the Undang Luak Sungai Ujong from the Balai Sungai Ujong and his official residence was deeply regrettable and carried larger implications, adding that the MB should have taken positive steps and not gone too far before the situation became irreversible. (Malaysiakini, 30 April 2026)
On the path forward, Rais called for an inquiry into both Mubarak’s dismissal and the Undang Yang Empats¹ declaration, and asked the MB to refrain from taking further action until that inquiry was concluded. (Sinar Harian, 30 April 2026)
What did the legal community say?
Rais’s position has not found support among serious legal opinion. The weight of expert commentary has lined up firmly against the validity of the Undang’s declaration.
Datuk Seri Mohd Hishamudin Yunus, a former Court of Appeal judge writing in The Edge on 23 April 2026, identified three grounds of invalidity: the absence of due process accorded to the Yang di-Pertuan Besar, the participation of a biased party, and the missing signature of the Menteri Besar required by Article X. His conclusion was that the proclamation is legally unenforceable. (The Edge, 23 April 2026)
Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a senior constitutional lawyer writing in FMT on the same day, walked through the Article X pre-conditions in detail and concluded that none of them had been satisfied. The Ruler had not been put on notice of any specific defect, had been afforded no opportunity to be heard, and no proclamation bearing the signatures of the Undang and the Menteri Besar had been produced. His conclusion, given that the DKU had already acted and the Menteri Besar had confirmed Mubarak’s removal, was striking in its simplicity: there is in reality no constitutional crisis in Negeri Sembilan. (Free Malaysia Today, 23 April 2026)
A separate opinion piece in The Vibes on the same date framed the dispute in less technical terms, describing it as nothing traditional about prioritising board seats, land premiums and state-linked perks over the welfare of the people, and characterising it as greed dressed up in ceremonial finery. (The Vibes, 23 April 2026)
Three different vantage points, a former appellate judge, a senior constitutional lawyer, and an editorial column, converge on the same conclusion.
Where Rais claims procedural legitimacy, legal experts see a process that was unconstitutional from the start.
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Sources:
Laksana enkuiri sambung kembali tali muafakat di Negeri Sembilan (Sinar Harian, 30 April 2026)
Usir Undang dari kediaman rasmi keterlaluan, kes belum selesai (Malaysiakini, 30 April 2026)
Why Negeri Sembilan is not in a constitutional crisis (Free Malaysia Today, 23 April 2026)
Undang row raises questions over MB post (The Star, 22 April 2026)
Mohd Hishamudin Yunus: The proclamation is legally unenforceable (The Edge, 23 April 2026)
Is Negeri Sembilan’s future being held hostage? (The Vibes, 23 April 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.
