: :: Background
ROYAL SUNGEI UJONG CLUB (RSUC)
Background Information:-
Sungei Ujong Club was founded in 1887 by the British Government servants and planters.
It was originally housed at the old High Court building along Jalan Datuk Hamzah.
Originally, membership was exclusively for the British and the local Royalty.
In 1954, after 67 years of existence, three locals were invited as honorary members. They were Tuan Sheikh Ahmad, Mr. Lee Fong Yee and Dr. J. Samuel, who were leaders of their respective community. Datuk Mahima Singh, a senior member was later invited as a honorary member.
W.F.B. Paul, the British Resident of Sungei Ujong from 1891 to 1894, was the first President of the club.
In 1959, the club shifted to the present premises which was then the Yang DiPertuan Besar's old Istana Hinggap. The first Agong stayed here for several years. Tunku Imran was born in the room where the present office is situated.
In 1966 Mr. Lim Ewe Law was elected as the first Malaysian President of the club.
The club now has a new swimming pool with a jacuzzi, steam baths in the new washrooms, a gymnasium and a banquet hall.
The new banquet hall was officially declared open on the 2nd of February 2002, by His Royal Highness, DYMM Tuanku Yang DiPertuan Besar, Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus.
The Club was conferred Royal Status on the 2nd of February 2002 which was approved by the Registrar of Societies on the 12th of March 2003.
HISTORY OF
NEGERI SEMBILAN
Many of us, Serembanites must have wondered why our beloved state is so
named. Negeri Sembilan was a
confederation of nine states as follows :-
(i) Jelai or
Inas;
(ii) Jelebu;
(iii) Johol;
(iv) Kelang
(Klang) (now Selangor State);
(v) Nanaing (Naning) (now mostly in the
Malacca State);
(vi) Rembau;
(vii) Segamat and
Pasir Besar (Segamat is now in Johor State and Pasir Besar is in Tampin);
(viii) Sungai Ujong
(Sungei Ujong); and
(ix) Ulu Pahang
(now divided between Jelebu and Pahang State).
Negeri Sembilan was founded in 1773. It was reduced and renamed Sri
Menanti in 1876. Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus re-established in 1897.
The Minangkabau from Sumatra settled in Negeri Sembilan in the
15th century under the protection of the Melaka Sultanate, and later under the protection of its
successor, the Sultanate of Johor. As Johor weakened
in the 18th century, attacks by the Bugis forced the
Minangkabaus to seek protection from a prince of their homeland. The
Minangkabau ruler, Sultan Abdul Jalil, obliged by sending his near relative,
Raja Melewar. Arriving to find that a certain Raja
Khatib had already established himself as ruler, Raja Melewar was
forced to compromise with the lesser chiefs in order to secure his position. He
defeated Raja Khatib with their help, receiving Seri Menanti as his personal domain. The
Sultan of Johor, confirmed his position by granting the title Yang di-Pertuan
Besar Negeri Sembilan (‘He Who is Highest Lord of the Nine States’)
in 1773. After Raja Melewar's death, a series
of disputes arose over the succession. For a considerable period, the local
nobles applied to the Minangkabau ruler in Sumatra for a ruler. However,
competing interests supported different candidates, often resulting in
instability and civil war.
In 1873,
the British intervened militarily in a civil
war in Sungai Ujong to preserve British economic
interests, and placed the country under the control of a British Resident. Jelebu followed in 1886, and the remaining states in
1895. In 1897, when the Federated Malay
States (FMS) was established, Sungai Ujong and Jelebu were reunited
to the confederation of small states and the whole, under the old name of the
Negeri Sembilan, was placed under a single Resident and became a member of the
FMS.
The number of states within
Negeri Sembilan has fluctuated over the years. The “federation” now consists of
six states i.e., Jelai (Inas), Jelebu, Johol,
Rembau, Sungai Ujong (Sungei Ujong) and Tampin and the sub-states are Jempol, Ulu Muar, Gunung Pasir and
Teraci under their suzerainty. The former state of Naning was annexed by Malacca, Kelang
by Selangor and Segamat by Johor. The current administrative
districts of Negeri Sembilan are Jelebu, Jempol, Kuala Pilah, Port Dickson, Rembau, Seremban and Tampin.
Negeri Sembilan endured Japanese occupation in World War II between 1941 and 1945, and joined the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and became a state of Malaysia in 1963.
