The Tamesis
May 5, 2026
Kuala Lumpur – Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has laid down the law for his party amid the Negeri Sembilan ministerial crisis.
He told the media on Thursday that Umno MPs who withdrew their support for Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun had agreed to stay within the framework of the coalition government in the state.
On April 27, 14 Umno MPs, led by Negri Sembilan Umno Chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin, withdrew their support for Aminuddin’s leadership, triggering a ministerial crisis. This effectively collapsed the government’s majority, as Aminuddin’s Pakatan Harapan coalition was left with just 17 seats, two short of the 19 needed to govern.
On the same day, the National Alliance, which has five seats, announced its support for Umno to form the new state government, further exacerbating political uncertainty. Umno and its alleged archrival Perikatan Nasional appear ready to take over the state government, with Jalaluddin appointed as the next minister.
In short, there is concern across the country that the Negeri Sembilan crisis could lead PN to support Umno, triggering a domino effect in other states, such as Perak and Pahang, where PN and Umno seats could form state governments.
This, of course, opens up the possibility that the Madani government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim may collapse.
But this is only a short-lived possibility as Ahmad Zahid remains loyal to the prime minister.
So, now that the Umno president has spoken, is the Negeri Sembilan assemblyman crisis over?
I called my colleague Sarban Singh, The Star’s Negeri Sembilan bureau chief, for insight.
After Ahmad Zahid’s speech, Saban said the 14 Umno MPs remained silent to calm the situation. However, yesterday Jalaluddin reiterated the position of 14 MPs: they have lost confidence in the leadership of the minister. He also said that Negeri Sembilan Umno was prepared to become part of the state opposition party until the next state election or general election.
Earlier on Friday, the three branches of Negeri Sembilan Umno – Wanita, Pemuda and Puteri Umno – issued a joint statement slamming the state government’s decision to seal off the official residence and balai (hall) in Sungai Ujong, claiming the move preempted customary procedures and proved Aminuddin’s inability to manage the state’s unique traditional institutions. These three wings sparked another crisis in the state: the Yamtuan Besar crisis.
On April 19, the Undang Yang Empat (four territorial chiefs) led by Sungei Ujong Undang Datuk Mubarak Dohak shocked the country by announcing that they had “fired” the current country ruler (also known as Yamtuan Besar) Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir and appointed a successor.
The state government immediately dismissed the move as unconstitutional.
This follows a special council meeting on April 17, where the government moved to strip principal chief Undang of Sungei Ujong of his title over 33 alleged breaches of tradition.
The Negeri Sembilan Umno leadership lashed out at the incident, saying the Menteri Besar failed to deal with the state’s customary sensitive issues.
The state party said it only became aware of the deepening rift between the Yundang and Yam Tuan communities through social media, and argued that the minister should have consulted 14 Umno MPs before taking such drastic action against the chief.
In Negeri Sembilan, where the Um party system is highly regarded and its four elected members hold significant power, Umno’s rationale for withdrawing support is simple: it favors royal tradition over political convenience.
Now that Ahmad Zahid has spoken, is Aminuddin’s position safe?
It currently appears that he will remain in office, largely due to the lack of viable alternatives within his own party. The party has five seats, but Aminuddin is the only Malay male PKR MP in the state – a key factor given the traditional criteria for the position. The other two Malay Justice Party representatives are women.
While Umno Negeri Sembilan, especially Jalaluddin, may want one of its own in the top job since it holds 14 seats, such a change is unlikely to happen in the short term.
Even if Umno does not come back to support the government, the question of Aminuddin’s ability to continue as Menteri Besar can only be answered by the state assembly, which could delay it for six months.
Furthermore, Aminuddin continues to enjoy significant support from Negeri Sembilan ruler Tuanku Mukhriz, who has directed him to continue carrying out his duties despite the constant political noise.
In addition, the DAP, which has 11 members, is firmly opposed to Umno taking over the ministerial position. The party said it would withdraw support for states such as Perak if that happened, possibly leading to the collapse of local governments.
The political math in Perak illustrates why this threat is influential: Pakatan Rakyat has 24 seats, 18 of which belong to DAP MPs, while Barisan Nasional has only nine seats (UMNO eight; MIC one), but notably has Datuk Seri Sharani Mohamed as minister.
But if Umno and Perikatan Nasional form a government in Negeri Sembilan, they can do the same in Perak. The Perak State Assembly has 59 seats and requires 30 seats to gain a majority. The PN’s 26 seats and the Barisan Nasional’s nine seats will add up to 35 seats, easily surpassing Pakatan Harapan and handing the state over to the new alliance.
Back in the still tense state of Negeri Sembilan, will Tuanku Muriz stay on as ruler and continue to support Aminuddin?
The situation is unstable. Experts on Negeri Sembilan’s constitution and the state’s unique Adat Perpatih customary system, where royal rulers are elected, said Undang cannot simply remove a ruler without following strict procedures: “It is not easy to remove a ruler,” said a political source in the state who asked not to be named.
Mubarak Sungei Ujong Undang has been evicted from his official residence by the Office of the Negeri Sembilan State Secretary and issued a directive ordering him to vacate the residence immediately
In response, Mubarak demanded disclosure of the minutes of a special April 17 meeting to check whether a quorum was reached and specified the reasons for his removal.
The matter will most likely be settled in court or by the Negeri Sembilan Royal Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (Justice and Customs Commission).
Ahmad Zahid delivered a speech, and the Umno rebellion in Negeri Sembilan has been suppressed. But the Menteri Besar crisis is a stark reminder that Umno/Barisan Nasional may leave the Pakatan Harapan alliance and compete alone in the upcoming 16th general election.
