Appointment Of Muhammad Faris As Undang Luak “Not Valid” In Latest N9 Drama Twist

Those who appointed him were allegedly “fired” from their positions earlier, rendering the appointment invalid according to Sungei Ujong chieftains.

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The Majlis Dato Lembaga Adat Sungei Ujong recently announced Muhammad Faris Johari, a 29-year-old accountant, as the 11th Undang Luak (district chief) of Sungei Ujong.

Orang Kaya Dato’ Laksamana Shaharumzaman Abdul Malek said several of the state’s key adat (customary) figures came to a consensus and appointed Muhammad Faris to become the newest Sungei Ujong district ruler in Negeri Sembilan.

Shaharumzaman leads the Waris Nan Tua Klana Hulu, a key customary body holding the hereditary rights to the Dato’ Klana Petra title in Sungei Ujong.

He also said in the statement that based on Clause 48 (VI) of the Sungei Ujong State Genealogy and Genealogy Act 1910, the appointment was confirmed by Dato’ Andulika Mandalika Zainol Ariffin Ibrahim, which is valid and recognised by the Negeri Sembilan Government.

Zainol is the Tua Lembaga Waris di-Darat, a high-ranking traditional customary title in Luak Sungei Ujong.

Sungei Ujong chiefs say the appointment was not valid because those who announced and validated it were dismissed earlier

A statement published today (6 May) by the Dato’-Dato’ Lembaga Adat Ujong claimed that Shaharumzaman was sacked from his position on 20 March 2026 and that his dismissal letter was received by the Office of the Council of Justice and Customary Law of Negeri Sembilan on 30 March.

Because of this, the Dato’-Dato’ Lembaga Adat Ujong said that Shaharumzaman therefore has no authority in appointing Muhammad Faris as the 11th Undang Luak of Sungei Ujong.

The statement also claimed that Zainol, who validated the appointment, was also dismissed on 28 December 2024, rendering him ineligible when it comes to any appointment process in Sungei Ujong.

Majlis Dato Lembaga Adat Sungei Ujong an “unauthorized council”

The statement described Majlis Dato’ Lembaga Adat Sungei Ujong as an entity that was formed without the knowledge of the Yang Teramat Mulia (YTM) Undang Luak Sungei Ujong.

It emphasized that this council has not been recognized or validated by the Dewan Keadilan dan Undang Negeri Sembilan (the state’s highest council for customary and constitutional matters), therefore reinforcing the claim that the appointment of Muhammad Faris was invalid.

The statement outlined legitimate titleholders

In the second page of the statement, it provided a formal justification for why the appointment of Muhammad Faris was considered invalid according to traditional customs. It also identified the legitimate titleholders for the Luak of Sungei Ujong.

The document clarified that the valid holder of the Dato’ Andulika Mandulika title is YM Sazali Mohamed Yasin, who was appointed on 1 April 1 2025, with confirmation from the Negeri Sembilan State Council (Dewan Keadilan).

The council also reaffirmed their full loyalty to YTM Dato’ Klana Petra Mubarak Dohak as the currently recognized and legitimate Undang Luak Sungei Ujong.

Mubarak Dohak

The entire Undang Luak Sungei Ujong saga began when former Undang Luak Sungei Ujong, Datuk Mubarak Dohak, read a proclamation to depose Negeri Sembilan’s ruler, Yang Di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir on 19 April.

However, it was later reported that Mubarak had no authority to do so as he had already been dismissed from his hereditary title of Dato’ Klana Petra since 13 May 2025.

Since then, the situation has only been escalating as the power struggle among Negeri Sembilan’s nobility continues.

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