Tunku Besar Seri Menanti Tunku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir was chosen as the 11th ruler of Negri Sembilan following the death of his uncle, Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Ja'afar Tuanku Abdul Rahman on Saturday.

tunku mukhriz tuanku munawir Tunku Muhriz, 59, was selected by the state’s four-member council of ruling chiefs, or datuk datuk undang , through a tradition that began about 250 years ago by the Minangkabau settlers who hailed from Sumatra in the 15th century.

Tunku Muhriz was appointed to the position over three of the former ruler's children, following a secret meeting of the four powerful chieftains.

Negri Sembilan customs on electing the ruler is different compared to the hereditary monarch practice by the other Malay states.

The ruler is selected by the Council of Undangs which is made up of chieftains from four of the state's biggest districts - Sungai Ujong, Jelebu, Johol and Rembau.

Overlooked are three other likely candidates - the late Negri Sembilan ruler’s sons, Tunku Laxamana Tunku Naquiyuddin Tuanku Ja'afar, Tunku Muda of Serting Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar and Tunku Panglima Besar Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja'afar.

The announcement was made by Klana Petra Mubarak Dohak, the Undang Luak Sungai Ujong at the Istana Besar Seri Menanti in Kuala Pilah at about 3.50pm according to the 'Adat Perpatih' of Negeri Sembilan.

Coronation to take place in 40 days

According to RTM, Tunku Muhkriz's coronation will take place within ‘three months and ten days’ as stated in the 'Adat Perpatih'.

The late Tuanku Ja'afar, 86, was named ruler after the demise of his brother, Tuanku Munawir Tuanku Abdul Rahman, in 1967 as Tunku Muhriz was then still underage.

Tuanku Ja'afar, who was at that time the high commissioner to Nigeria, subsequently ruled the state for 41 years. He also served as the 10th Agong from 1994 to 1999.

Tuanku Ja'afar's eldest son Tunku Naquiyuddin was initially seen as the frontrunner for the post.

According to Bernama , Tunku Muhriz is married to Tengku Aishah Rohani Tengku Besar Mahmud of Terengganu and they have three children - Tunku Ali Redhauddin Muhriz, 31, Tunku Zain Al-'Abidin Muhriz, 26, and Tunku Alif Hussein Saifuddin Al-Amin, 23.

The ruler has a law degree from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom and is currently one of the directors of Bangkok Bank.

Tunku Muhriz is the only son of the Tuanku Munawir, who was the ninth ruler of Negri Sembilan.

With Tunku Muhriz now the new ruler, he could one day become king, or Agong, of Malaysia, which has had an elected monarchy since independence from Britain in 1957.

In a unique arrangement, the monarch is chosen by, and rotates among, the rulers of the nine states. Four other states are not headed by monarchs.

Business empire

The Negri Sembilan royal family head by Tuanku Ja’afar has huge stakes in a number of companies, including Antah Holdings, a conglomerate with interests in financial services, the oil and gas industry and manufacturing.

Tuanku Ja'afar Tuanku Abdul Rahman Tuanku Ja’afar’s demise came in the heels of a landmark decision by the Special Court - which was set up to hear cases involving royalty - ordering him to pay US$1 million (RM3.4 million) debt to Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad (SCBMB).

The suit arose after Tuanku Ja'afar, on or about Feb 12, 1999, established through SCBMB a standby letter of credit valued at US$1 million made in favour of the Connecticut Bank of Commerce in the United States for credit facilities to be extended to a US company, Texas Encore LLC.