UCAPAN SULTAN PERAK (2009) - PELANCARAN BUKU "THE MALAYS"

10 May, 2009

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Salam sejahtera.

Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim.

Segala puji milik Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala, Tuhan yang telah menciptakan manusia dari seorang lelaki dan seorang perempuan, dan menjadikan manusia berbangsa-bangsa dan bersuku-suku supaya saling kenal mengenal. Selawat dan salam ke atas Junjungan Besar Nabi Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalam, ahli keluarga dan para Sahabat Baginda serta kepada para Tabiin dan para ulama. Semoga memperoleh ihsan di hari kebangkitan.

2. Beta bersyukur ke hadrat ILAHI, kerana dengan izin dan inayat dari Nya jua, Beta dan Raja Puan Besar dapat berangkat ke Majlis Pelancaran Buku “The Malays” hasil kajian Profesor Anthony Milner, Profesor of Asian History, Australian National University.

3. Majlis Pelancaran pagi ini memaparkan lima elemen yang amat signifikan.

Pertama: “The Malays” dihasilkan dalam Bahasa Inggeris oleh seorang akademia Australia, namun Majlis Pelancarannya dilangsungkan dalam bahasa yang memberikan penghormatan kepada Bahasa Melayu; bahasa yang termaktub di dalam Perlembagaan Negara sebagai bahasa kebangsaan di negara ini.

Perjuangan menobatkan bahasa Melayu telah melalui perjalanan yang jauh dan memakan masa yang lama. Raja-Raja Melayu dalam mesyuarat Durbar pada tahun 1903 di Kuala Lumpur telah membangkitkan soal pengiktirafan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa rasmi.

Usaha menobatkan bahasa Melayu mencapai kemuncak apabila bahasa Melayu dilaksanakan sepenuhnya menjadi bahasa ilmu di pusat-pusat pengajian tinggi, dan menjadi lengkap apabila terlaksana penggunaannya di kamar mahkamah di negara ini.

Dalam ucapan di ‘Malam Teguh Bahasa’ pada 11 September 2005, Menteri Pelajaran Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin mengingatkan bahawa dari 6,000 bahasa yang dipertuturkan, hanya 300 sahaja yang dituturkan oleh lebih sejuta orang. Lima ribu tujuh ratus bahasa dituturkan oleh kurang dari sejuta orang. Dijangkakan separuh dari 5700 bahasa ini akan pupus dalam tempoh seabad lagi kerana tidak dipertuturkan dan tidak diajar kepada golongan muda.

Sejarah menunjukkan bahawa untuk sesuatu bahasa itu pupus, ia mengambil masa antara 50 ke 100 tahun, tetapi dengan keganasan gelombang globalisasi, kadar kebinasaan bahasa boleh berlaku dalam tempoh satu generasi sahaja. Bahawa globalisasi boleh mempercepatkan kepupusan bahasa, jika langkah-langkah bijak lagi tegas tidak dilakukan untuk memastikan bahasa milik bangsa Melayu ini tidak akan berakhir dengan nasib yang menimpa bahasa Latin.

Kedua: Majlis Pelancaran ini dilangsungkan di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; sebuah universiti yang dilahirkan sebagai puncak manifestasi perjuangan memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu. Universiti Kebangsaan merupakan universiti pertama di negara ini yang menggunakan Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa penyampaian ilmu di peringkat pengajian tinggi; sekali gus membuktikan keupayaan Bahasa Melayu berfungsi sebagai bahasa perantaraan ilmu. Universiti Kebangsaan adalah manifestasi kesungguhan negara bangsa melaksanakan Dasar Bahasa Kebangsaan dan melaluinya, telah membantu meningkatkan tahap pencapaian ilmu di kalangan ramai rakyat jelata, berupaya menjadi cerdik pandai di samping mengembangkan daya intelek di kalangan warga.

Ketiga: Walaupun bilangan orang Melayu di Malaysia hanya dalam lingkungan 15 juta orang, kurang dari 0.5% dari jumlah 350 juta orang yang tergolong dalam rumpun Melayu, namun Profesor Anthony Milner telah memberikan pengiktirafan kepada bumi Melayu di negara yang bernama Malaysia ini untuk di langsungkan pelancaran The Malays. Halaman 151, The Malays, mencatatkan;

Petikan:

“ Although Malaya (and its expanded form Malaysia) has in many ways been the ‘Malay’ success story – an experiment in nation building founded (at least in large part) on ‘Malay’ ethnic sentiment – this outcome was not inevitable”. Anthony Milner, The Malays, muka surat 151.

Anthony Milner turut merakamkan antara peristiwa yang memperlihatkan keyakinan rumpun Melayu terhadap kepimpinan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu (Malaya) seperti yang terkandung di halaman 168.

Petikan “Some 250,000 people signed a petition to the United Nations with the aim of incorporating Patani and other southern Muslim provinces (Yala, Narathiwat and Satun) in the emerging Malaya.” Anthony Milner, The Malays, muka surat 168.

Huraian dan analisis Anthony Milner dalam penerbitan beliau sebahagian besarnya ditumpukan kepada Malaysia, serta dinamik politik yang berlaku di Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara bangsa yang komposisi warganya terdiri daripada pelbagai agama, kumpulan etnik dan budaya tetapi termaktub di dalam Perlembagaan Negara status agama Islam, bahasa Melayu, Raja-Raja Melayu serta keistimewaan dan perlindungan kepada bangsa Melayu.

Keempat: Pengiktirafan yang diberikan oleh Profesor Anthony Milner kepada Kesultanan Melayu apabila beliau merafakkan sembah jemputan kepada Beta untuk berangkat bagi melafazkan titah menyempurnakan pelancaran “The Malays”. Beta mentafsirkan, pengiktirafan tersebut adalah pengiktirafan beliau, bukan atas batang tubuh peribadi Beta, tetapi pengiktirafan yang didedikasikan kepada institusi Kesultanan Melayu. Ini adalah selaras dengan kupasan-kupasan kajian beliau akan peranan penting Raja-Raja dan Kerajaan di kalangan rumpun Melayu. Di halaman 233, Anthony Milner mencatatkan;

Petikan:

“The Sultan could be presented as ‘cement ‘ helping to bond the bangsa, or as the ‘symbol’ of the Malay race.” Anthony Milner, The Malays, muka surat 233.

Di halaman 177, Anthony Milner turut memetik tulisan Wan Syaifuddin dalam tahun 2003, berjodol ‘Kronik Mahkota Kesultanan Serdang’ terbitan Yandira Agung, Medan.

Petikan:

“One prominent development in post-Suharto Indonesia has been a widespread revival of sultanates, including many described as ‘Malay’. Among these are Landak, Mempawah, Puntianak and Sambas (West Kalimantan); Bulungan, Kutei, and Pasir (East Kalimantan); and Serdang (North Sumatra). There is even a new interest in the Pagaruyung monarchy;…. The Sultan of Mempaweh in Kalimantan is reported to have declared that in times of uncertainty, ‘Dayaks’ run to the long house but ‘Malays’ run to the palace’;…Anthony Milner, The Malays, muka surat 177.

Milner turut memetik manuskrip tulisan Gerry van Klinken, bertajuk ‘Return of the Sultans: The Communitarian Turn in Local Politics’

Petikan:

“The Sultans have formed a ‘Communication Forum for the Kratons (royal palaces) of Indonesia’…” Anthony Milner, The Malays, muka surat 177.

Beta menghargai pendirian Profesor Anthony Milner mengiktiraf bahawa Raja Melayu itu adalah institusi penting warisan bangsa Melayu. Sesungguhnya sejarah mencatatkan bahawa Istana Raja Melayu itu berperanan sebagai pusat berkembangnya tamadun bangsa. Istana memperlihatkan sehalus budaya – mencerminkan secantik bahasa, melindungi khazanah tamadun bangsa – menyimpan kekayaan budaya bangsa. Raja Melayu itu adalah lambang kedaulatan negara – simbol kekuatan warga – payung mahkota negara tempat rakyat tumpang berteduh. Raja Melayu itu memberi identiti kepada negara bangsa. Raja itu adalah lambang Kerajaan. Rakyat yang memahami ‘budaya rakyat beraja – negeri bersultan’ memahami akan falsafah pemerintahan beraja; akan peranan Raja secara tersirat di sebalik yang tersurat, melindungi kepentingan bangsa Melayu.

Dalam puisi Korban Hang Tuah penyair Zurina Hassan cuba menyelami gelombang serba salah yang menghempas dada Hang Tuah ketika terpaksa membuat perhitungan untuk memilih antara kesetiaan kepada sahabat dan kesetiaan kepada Raja. Hang Tuah akhirnya terpaksa memilih, mengorbankan sahabat kesayangannya walaupun dituduh melakukan kesetiaan melulu. Zurina Hassan menghuraikan Hang Tuah sebenarnya tidak sekadar membunuh Hang Jebat tetapi menentang satu penderhakaan – menentang perebutan kuasa. Bagi Zurinah Hassan, Hang Tuah bukan sekadar mempertahankan seorang Raja tetapi mempertahankan lambang negara kepada sebuah kerajaan demi memastikan bahawa Melayu tidak akan hilang di dunia. Tanpa kerajaan apalah ertinya lagi sebuah negara.

Anthony Milner mencatat bahawa kerajaan-kerajaan berpaksikan Melayu itu adalah kerajaan yang mempunyai Raja baik di Riau, Lingga, Deli, Siak, Langkat, Kampar dan Inderagiri di Sumatera begitu juga di negeri-negeri Kutei, Bulangan, Puntianak, Landak, Mempawah dan Sambas di Kalimantan. Di Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, Raja-Raja Melayu diiktiraf bukan sahaja menjadi asas berkerajaan malah terlibat langsung dalam gerakan menentang Malayan Union demikian juga berperanan penting dalam usaha untuk memperjuangkan dan mencapai kata sepakat menuntut kemerdekaan. Kesembilan Raja Melayu memberikan perkenan untuk ditubuhkan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu dan turut berkenan untuk dilantik salah seorang daripada Baginda-Baginda itu menjadi Ketua Negara secara bergilir-gilir dengan gelaran Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di Pertuan Agong.

Kelima: Karya Anthony Milner menimbulkan semula catatan-catatan sejarah tentang bangsa Melayu di samping mengemukakan penemuan-penemuan baru. Profesor Anthony Milner dalam tahun 1982 telah menghasilkan penerbitan berjudul ‘Kerajaan: Malay Political Culture On The Eve of Colonial Rule’ dan dalam tahun 1995 menghasilkan penerbitan berjudul ‘The Invention of Politics in Colonial Malaya’. Bibliografi yang disenaraikan oleh Anthony Milner memperlihatkan senarai panjang, kumpulan penyelidik, pengkaji dan penulis tentang bangsa Melayu. Beta percaya terdapat banyak lagi bahan penyelidikan dan penulisan tentang bangsa Melayu yang telah, sedang dan akan terus dilakukan. Minat di kalangan bukan Melayu melakukan penyelidikan terhadap bangsa Melayu memperlihatkan bahawa bangsa Melayu itu adalah satu bangsa yang senantiasa mendapat perhatian dari pelbagai pihak.

4. Definisi ‘Melayu’ itu tidak terhenti daripada terus menjadi bahan diskusi dan subjek kajian. Definisi bangsa Melayu itu tidak terbatas kepada satu definisi sahaja. Tergabung dalam rumpun Melayu itu himpunan kekayaan pelbagai suku keturunan yang juga menguasai pelbagai dialek dan pelbagai sub culture. Alam Melayu itu merentasi kawasan geografi yang luas dari Filipina ke Madagascar, dengan saiz komuniti berjumlah 350 juta. Melalui perdagangan dan penghijrahan, rumpun Melayu itu turut merentasi kawasan geografi yang luas, mengembara jauh di luar gugusan kepulauan Melayu (The Malay Archipelago).

5. Terdapat pelbagai deskripsi menggambarkan watak Melayu. Melayu digambarkan bangsa yang bertoleransi, penuh beradat – sangat bersopan, juga digambarkan suka melatah – mudah mengamuk. Dalam hikayat-hikayat lama dan cerita-cerita rakyat, terkandung pula sifat-sifat dendam, khianat, dengki, menipu, zalim, bodoh dan malas yang diimbangkan pula dengan sifat-sifat mulia, adil, ikhlas, jujur, cerdik, rajin, tekun, taat dan setia. Jika demikian pelbagainya deskripsi tentang bangsa Melayu ini, rumusan yang dapat disimpulkan ialah bangsa Melayu itu adalah insan yang bernama dan bersifat manusia, kerana sifat dan karakter manusia yang pelbagai itu, terdapat di kalangan semua bangsa dan tamadun lain, baik di barat mahupun di timur.

6. Gugusan kepulauan Melayu itu berada di antara dunia barat dan dunia timur, demikian juga antara Asia Barat dan Asia Timur. Ia merupakan gugusan yang amat terdedah kepada dunia. Pelbagai agama, budaya dan bahasa sampai ke Gugusan Kepulauan Melayu; lalu berlaku proses integrasi dan asimilasi pengaruh daripada pelbagai agama, budaya dan bahasa. Bahasa Sanskrit dan Arab sebagai contoh telah mempengaruhi pemikiran dan tahap literasi bangsa. Perkataan daripada bahasa-bahasa Parsi, Mandarin, Tamil dan Portugis, turut terdapat dalam perbendaharaan kata Melayu. Pengaruh Bahasa Inggeris begitu dominan, susulan daripada pengembangan sistem pendidikan serta kemajuan sains dan teknologi. Ini telah mempengaruhi Bahasa Melayu itu berubah secara dinamik dengan perbendaharaan kata yang semakin bertambah. Bahasa Melayu telah melalui proses transformasi, berasal dengan bahasa lisan, diperkaya dan diperkembangkan melalui adaptasi penulisan, bermula dengan tulisan jawi, disusuli dengan tulisan rumi. Perkembangan Bahasa Melayu itu telah berperanan penting dalam meningkatkan daya intelek dan daya analisis bangsa.

7. Demikian juga proses penyerapan, pengubah suaian, percantuman yang berlaku dalam budaya Melayu. Nyatalah Melayu sebagai satu rumpun bangsa, sebagai satu budaya kehidupan, tidak statik. Rumpun Melayu itu berupaya melakukan adaptasi kepada dinamik yang berlaku di persekitaran kehidupannya dan berupaya melakukan perekayasaan sosial dan penyesuaian ideologi. Namun bangsa itu juga secara bijaksana berupaya mempertahankan identiti asas bangsanya, secara bijaksana berupaya mengimbangkan antara yang lama dengan yang baru, antara tradisi dan modeniti, antara lokal dan global. Bangsa Melayu yang memiliki jati diri yang tinggi telah berjaya melakukan perubahan tanpa melupakan tradisi dan nilai kesinambungan.

8. The Malays memetik dan mengulas kata-kata hikmat pesanan Hang Tuah, ‘Bahawa Tidakkan Melayu Hilang di dunia’; kemudian mencatatkan peringatan Munsyi Abdullah bahawa survival bangsa sebenarnya bergantung pada pelajaran, dan merakamkan kebimbangan Ishak Haji Mohamad bahawa ‘Melayu itu boleh hilang di dunia’. Berlaku pertentangan ungkapan kata antara pahlawan Melayu bernama Hang Tuah dan nasionalis Melayu bernama Ishak Haji Mohamad, dialas di tengah-tengah dengan peringatan kata seorang Munsyi bernama Abdullah.

9. Sewaktu menyampaikan titah di ‘International Conference on Malay Civilization’ pada 30 September 2002, Beta pernah memajukan persoalan menyentuh perkembangan antara tuntutan tradisi (claims of tradition) dan permintaan terhadap modeniti (demands of modernity) dalam masyarakat pada hari ini. Dikatakan bahawa budaya yang progresif menekankan kepada masa hadapan sementara budaya yang statik menekankan sejarah lama dan suasana semasa. Peringatan Beta, jangan bangsa sampai ke peringkat keterlaluan. Bahawa tidak semua yang berbentuk tradisi itu menghalang kemajuan kerana tradisi yang berjaya ditafsir secara bijak dan dilaksanakan secara arif dapat berfungsi sebagai pemudah cara memajukan bangsa. Bahawa elemen-elemen yang berperanan sebagai faktor penyatuan bangsa selama hari ini, adalah modal sosial yang amat berharga yang wajib dipertahankan. Dalam konteks bangsa Melayu di Malaysia, elemen-elemen tersebut terdiri daripada faktor-faktor agama, bahasa dan budaya yang berada di bawah payung naungan dan perlindungan Raja-Raja Melayu mengikut yang termaktub di dalam Perlembagaan Negara. Klausa-klausa menyentuh agama Islam, institusi Raja Melayu, adat istiadat Melayu, bahasa Melayu dan kedudukan istimewa orang-orang Melayu dimaktubkan di dalam Perlembagaan Negara. Takrif bangsa Melayu diperkemas, diikat dengan adat, disimpul dengan bahasa, disalut dengan agama. Itulah resipi kekuatan Melayu di bumi ini. Hari ini telah timbul usaha-usaha radikal daripada kalangan yang tidak mendalami muslihat di sebalik yang tersirat yang mahu mengubah resipi tersebut.

10. Survival Melayu sebagai satu bangsa bergantung kepada beberapa faktor yang telah selama hari ini memberikannya identiti dalam bentuk agama, bahasa dan budaya, termasuk budaya bernegara dan berkerajaan berpegang kepada prinsip rakyat beraja – negeri bersultan. Betapa malangnya bangsa apabila berlakunya tindakan-tindakan yang mahu menghapuskan tradisi dan meruntuhkan institusi Melayu. Betapa terancamnya survival bangsa apabila tradisi dan institusi sudah tidak lagi dihormati dan disifatkan sebagai antitesis kepada pemikiran rasional, modeniti dan sains. Betapa malangnya apabila generasi yang cetek terhadap latar belakang sejarah mengaitkan ‘tradisi’ sebagai amalan jahiliah, tahyul dan dogmatik.

11. Bahawa tidak ada tamadun agung yang dapat dibina tanpa menghargai, mengiktiraf dan meneruskan kesinambungan tamadun dengan sejarah masa lalu – merangkaikan antara satu generasi dengan generasi yang lain, mengkhazanahkan himpunan pengalaman dan pengetahuan bangsa untuk dijadikan ‘memori sosial’ bangsa lalu dijadikan asas utama dalam membina identiti sebuah negara bangsa. Setiap negara bangsa memerlukan minda sejarah dan penghargaan terhadap sejarah yang telah membina tamadun bangsa dan memberikan identiti kepada bangsa. Negara China sebagai contoh telah melalui proses evolusi dan juga revolusi budaya yang hebat; dari sebuah negara Maharaja menjadi negara komunis. Tetapi memori sosial dan memori budaya bangsa Cina tidak terpadam. Acara pembukaan Sukan Olimpik Beijing 2008, memperlihatkan bukti kebanggaan satu bangsa terhadap sejarah dan tamadun zaman silamnya.

12. Dalam mengharungi gelombang globalisasi dan dalam menghadapi dinamik politik yang sedang berlaku di negara ini, bangsa Melayu berada di persimpangan jalan – bangsa Melayu menghadapi dua kemungkinan. Kemungkinan pertama, bangsa Melayu itu akan terus ‘survive’, berkembang dan kuat, serta dihormati dan diiktiraf sebagai rumpun bangsa yang agung di dunia global; atau kemungkinan kedua, barang dijauhkan ILAHI dari berlaku, bahawa bangsa Melayu itu akan hanyut dalam gelombang globalisasi, menjadi lemah kerana akar budaya dan tradisinya telah dicabut. Pemikiran, gaya hidup dan nilai-nilai budaya bangsa makin disisihkan. Akhirnya Melayu itu akan pupus dan tinggal sebagai nama dan cerita yang terkandung dalam hikayat-hikayat lama. Ketika itu tidak akan ada lagi minat untuk dilakukan kajian sosiopolitik dan sosioekonomi bangsa Melayu secara dinamik. Kalau masih ada yang berminat mengkaji bangsa Melayu, ianya mungkin terbatas kepada sejarah kejatuhan bangsa ini ataupun lebih tertumpu kepada aspek antropologi dan arkeologi bangsa Melayu yang hanya tinggal dalam sejarah. Untuk itu perlulah bangsa mengambil renungan akan kisah kebodohan Pak Kadok, memiliki ayam sabung yang hebat, lalu dipermainkan oleh pihak lawan; akhirnya Pak Kadok menyerahkan ayam sabungnya kepada lawan; Pak Kadok sekadar bersorak menang sabung sedangkan kampungnya telah digadai.

13. Beta menzahirkan ucap tahniah kepada Profesor Anthony Milner atas daya usaha melakukan kajian mendalam dan komprehensif. Penemuan dan kupasan beliau pastinya akan menjemput pelbagai ulasan dan diskusi untuk mencambahkan perkembangan ilmu dan perkembangan intelek. Usaha-usaha beliau sewajarnya diberikan penghargaan oleh bangsa Melayu, paling minimumnya menjadikan “The Malays” sebagai teks yang wajib dirujuk oleh para pelajar sosiopolitik Melayu.

14. Dengan kebesaran dan semoga mendapat keberkatan kalimah Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim, Beta dengan sukacitanya merasmikan Pelancaran Buku “The Malays”.

Wabillahi taufik walhidayah

Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

**********************Al-Quran, Al-Hujurat, 13 

Abdul Aziz Bari, Majlis Raja-Raja: Kedudukan dan Peranan Dalam Perlembagaan Malaysia ( Kuala Lumpur): Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2002), 22. 

Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, ‘Ucapan Penangguhan Kembara Bahasa,’Utusan Malaysia, 12 September 2005, 11. 

C&P

5 July 2026 : 11.52 p.m

UCAPAN SULTAN PERAK (2022) - THE MALAYS : PATHFINDERS AND TRAILBLAZERS

TITAH

DULI YANG MAHA MULIA

PADUKA SERI SULTAN PERAK DARUL RIDZUAN

SULTAN NAZRIN MUIZZUDDIN SHAH

MAJLIS PELANCARAN BUKU

‘THE MALAYS: PATHFINDERS AND TRAILBLAZERS’

TARIKH: 11 JUN 2022 (SABTU), JAM 10.00 PAGI

TEMPAT: DEWAN TUN HUSSEIN ONN, WORLD TRADE, KUALA LUMPUR.

Salam Sejahtera.

Pengarang Buku

Saudara Tua Beta, Orang Kaya Kaya Seri Agar DiRaja

Dato’ Seri DiRaja Tan Sri Ramli bin Ngah Talib

Penerbit dan hadirin sekalian.

Alhamdulillah dengan rahmat Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala, Beta diizinkan berangkat untuk menyempurnakan pelancaran buku, “The Malays: Pathfinders and Trailblazers” terbitan Institut Terjemahan dan Buku Malaysia. Buku ini dikarang oleh Dato’ Seri DiRaja Tan Sri Ramli bin Ngah Talib, anak kelahiran Pasir Salak, sebuah perkampungan yang sangat bersejarah; yang dalam batang tubuhnya mengalir darah Ngah Kamdin, penyandang gelaran Dato’ Sagor yang dijatuhkan hukuman gantung sampai mati, disabitkan terlibat dalam peristiwa pembunuhan Residen Pertama Inggeris JWW Birch.

2. Jika pada tahun 1875, Dato’ Sagor Ngah Kamdin bersama Dato’ Maharajalela Zainal Abidin bin Uda, lebih dikenali dengan nama timangan Pandak Lam, telah dengan beraninya tampil ke hadapan menyanggah arahan Residen Inggeris secara bersenjata, kini pada tahun 2022, Orang Kaya Kaya Seri Agar DiRaja, Ramli bin Ngah Talib, tampil ke hadapan menyanggah secara intelek dan secara ilmiah tulisan dan huraian yang beliau sifatkan tidak memberikan keadilan serta gambaran tepat mengenai bangsa Melayu, sebagai usaha mahu membasuh arang yang diconteng di muka bangsa Melayu.

3. Beta menghargai usaha terpuji ini, setelah bersara daripada jawatan politik, setelah mengakhiri tempoh memikul amanah dan mengambil tanggungjawab sebagai Menteri Besar kelapan negeri Perak selama 17 tahun, tempoh perkhidmatan sehingga kini, merupakan tempoh paling lama bagi seseorang memenuhi tugas Menteri Besar Perak, Dato’ Seri DiRaja Ramli bin Ngah Talib menghalakan minda dan tenaga menghasilkan tulisan untuk menyuntik harga diri dan menyalakan semangat kebanggaan bangsanya.

4. I heartily welcome the publication of such a richly-detailed book on this important topic. It provides a wealth of information, some new, some already well-known, about our common heritage as Malaysians. We are all residents of this same archipelago, and so this history is shared by Malays and non-Malays alike. Quite apart from the in-depth knowledge they impart, books such as this also remind us just how important it is to revisit and learn from history. A deeper understanding of where we have come from will help us to inhabit the present with greater insight and awareness.

5. Revisiting the past in this way is particularly important for Malaysia, given its history of being ruled by others. As we know, history is written by the victors. The perspectives of other participants are sometimes lost as a result. In our case, understanding of our history has been indelibly shaped by the colonial period. It was British administrators, academics, and adventurers who took the lead in the preservation and translation of our key documents. It was they who took charge of re-telling our traditions and myths. Of course, Malaysian historians have also been engaged in researching, analyzing and recording this history. Fortunately, important manuscripts and other materials from earlier periods have survived. But the more recent written records are dominated by names such as Raffles, Leydon, R.O. Winstedt, Isabella Bird, and Henri Fauconnier.

6. These European names are the ones we see repeated in this book and elsewhere. And their analysis of our Malay history was inevitably filtered through their own subjective viewpoints. Our pre-colonial history was interpreted, or mis-interpreted, to serve the political interests of the colonial project. As occurred throughout the period of European colonization – in Africa, in the Americas, in Australia, and here in Asia – a core element of this strategy was to downplay the level of civilization of the colonized peoples. This made it easier to make the case for their colonization by force by the supposedly superior European powers. In our case, as the author points out, this gave rise to the myth of the ‘lazy and docile native’, and other equally denigrating views.

7. Books such as this provide a vital link back to our own proud pre-colonial heritage. They may still present a subjective viewpoint, as all books do. But it is a local one, not that of an outsider with their own interests and prejudices. Even when the book relates stories or events that we are already familiar with, it tells them without the distorting glare of the colonial lens. The book thus helps us to re-interpret our own history, challenging preconceptions, and bringing out elements that have been underplayed or forgotten. It adds layers of nuance and colour to the existing narratives.

8. As the book’s title proclaims, Malays have historically been both Pathfinders and Trailblazers. These two characteristics encapsulate some of the key elements of our heritage that we would do well to revisit and reconsider. They help us to understand the immense and under-valued contribution that Malays have made to world history. They conjure up our heritage of innovation and invention. And they point to the wide and varied international interactions, both commercial and cultural, that Malays have long engaged in. As the book highlights, these interactions started from the earliest times and continued throughout the pre-colonial period until modern times.

9. A key theme of this book, which comes through again and again, is just how outward-looking the Malay people have always been. Evidence for this trait can be found in some of the earliest records of our history. Artifacts still being unearthed in the Bujang Valley in Kedah suggest that trade and other forms of contact with contemporary early civilizations were already taking place in the millennium before our current era. The extent of the travel being undertaken at this time was impressive. Long distance trade with China, East Africa and Madagascar is recorded as early as 300 BCE.

10. The Malays were in fact one of the first cultures to develop ocean-worthy vessels, taking full advantage of the trade winds or monsoons – a blessing of our geography – to develop ships capable of covering long distances. But Malay innovation went one step further, as the book informs us. Malay sailors are also credited with inventing the so-called balance-lug sail, which enables boats to sail against the wind as well as into it. By reducing dependency on the monsoons, this greatly expanded trading routes. These innovations transformed the ability of the peoples of the world to interact with each other. Although relatively little-known, they are one of the important ways in which the Malays have shaped the modern world.

11. In fact, the Malay jong that used these sails seems to have been the proto-type for both the Arab dhow and the Chinese junk, rather than the other way round. This is but one example – highlighted through the retelling of our history in this book – of how historical facts can become modified through the way they are remembered. The names of both these other vessels remain well-known to this day, and are closely associated with the histories of those peoples. The Malay jong, in contrast, enjoys far less recognition.

12. Other cultures, such as the Arabs or the Ancient Greeks, are also far more likely than the Malays to be identified in the popular imagination as master sailors and conquerors of the oceans of old. This is despite the fact that it was the Malays who pioneered these navigation technologies. The book thus provides an important service by filling in some of these historical gaps.

13. Another interesting example of the way historical facts can be distorted relates to the story of Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation of the world in the early 16th century. The 700th anniversary of this journey is being commemorated this year. One important individual on this trip was Enrique or Henry of Melaka, who served as a translator, including in the Philippines where Magellan met his death. While this cut short Magellan’s own journey, Henry survived and is thought to have continued on and completed the circumnavigation. This fact is now being recognized, and the historical record revised, to reflect that it was probably an Asian, and a Malay at that, who was the first to circumnavigate the globe. Henry’s role as a translator also underscores the importance of the Malay language, a key lingua franca at the time, and to date the fourth most widely spoken language globally, as this book also reminds us.

14. An important aspect of Malay history which remains relatively little known, and which this book informs us about in rich detail, is the kingdom of Srivijaya. Historical records and other evidence about Srivijaya are sparse, partly due to its location on a floodplain – in Palembang in modern day Sumatra. What we do know is that it was a thriving centre of Buddhist practice and study, visited by the Chinese monk, I-Ching in the late 7th century. This is in addition to its role as a trading hub. As perhaps the first ‘entrepot’, Srivijaya can be seen as a model for future and much better-known trading centres of the medieval era such as Venice and Melaka, or Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai in later centuries.

15. As well as its influence and dependencies throughout the region, from Java to Kedah, this empire had links to India, Persia, the Middle East, Africa and China. Traders from all these far-flung places met and inter-mingled in Palembang. Some established small settlements there, where they conducted their business while waiting for the winds to change to make their return journeys. This arrangement contained the seeds of the later Kapitan system, perfected in Melaka, and then replicated in subsequent entrepots, including Shanghai and Singapore. Srivijaya was also a meeting point for the exchange of ideas and philosophies. According to I-Ching’s account, Palembang had a vast library of Buddhist texts. Both these roles played by Srivijaya – as a centre of knowledge and of trade – reflect again the intrinsically outward-looking nature of the Malay people throughout history.

16. Under the Kapitan system of 15th century Melaka, traders were allocated areas of the city for their communities, which they managed and administered themselves. So different quarters of the city were occupied by Bengalis, Gujaratis, Arabs and Javanese, as well as by the Malays themselves. The number of countries from which goods were traded in Melaka is even longer. According to colonial sources quoted by the author, merchandise could be found from China, the Philippines, the Moluccas, Sumatra, Makassar, Timor, Java, Cambodia, Vietnam, Siam, Burma, India, Persia, Arabia, Egypt. Cargoes included sugar, silk, porcelain, damask, satin, musk, rhubarb, iron, saltpeter, silver, pearls, copper, and others. Melaka was a flourishing entrepot indeed, and unequalled at its height as a global trading centre.

17. The success of Melaka has been attributed to the enlightened policies of its Malay rulers. As well as the effective Kapitan system of governing the various different populations, free trade was encouraged by the Sultans, while strong maritime and commercial laws ensured stability. Geography obviously helped as well. But ultimately it was the openness of the local Malays – their willingness to welcome traders from all corners of the world, and even allow them to live according to their own customs – that enabled Melaka to become such a beacon of tolerance and prosperity during this period.

18. In its rich historical details such as those on the Melaka sultanate, this book compellingly reminds us that our heritage is one of openness to foreign cultures and influences. We have always been open to adopting and adapting these, and in some instances have even improved on them. Illustrations of this tendency can be found in our textiles, as well as other forms of art and culture. The songket is a good example of how we have taken a fabric from overseas, borrowed elements from it, adapted it with local techniques and styles, and made it a rich and beautiful item of our own.

19. In the author’s own words, one of the aims of this book is to instill in Malays a greater sense of pride in their own ‘epoch-making’ history. It can also serve to re-balance our understanding of our own history. The book achieves these goals admirably, and I want to commend the author on this substantial and important work. It is certainly voluminous, but such length is necessary to cover in detail all the achievements and developments in the long and storied history of the Malay people. By reading it, we cannot fail to become far better informed about our own shared culture and history as inhabitants of this archipelago.

20. The book also demonstrates just how important it is to remain open in this way, both internally and externally, as this is how cultures thrive and grow. Stories such as those recounted in this volume show us how inter-connected we are, and always have been, with others both near and far. Our history teaches us that it is through such interconnectness that we have been able to flourish. The greatest achievements of our past, in Srivijaya, in Melaka, and those of our present, in modern-day Malaysia, have come about through our joint efforts. This is how we must continue and how we will go forward into a shared and thriving future together.

21. Globally, we are currently facing three severe and overlapping crises—the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and a growing food crisis. These combined challenges are forcing countries to rethink globalization. The pandemic greatly reduced contact between nations, companies, and people. Global supply chains are faltering, global economic growth is contracting, and energy and food prices are soaring. But as this book informs us, for many centuries, the lands of the Malay archipelago have been open to flows of trade, capital, labour, and ideas. And it is this very openness to foreign influences that has shaped who we are, and helped to make us successful. Malaysia today, therefore, must aim to maintain the values that have brought post-independence prosperity to all its communities, despite the challenges that we face. We must champion and remain an exemplar of multiculturalism.

Hadirin sekalian.

22. Buku ini menghamparkan santapan minda mengenai perkara-perkara yang dapat membantu orang-orang Melayu melawati sejarah bangsanya. Jika minda dan jiwa Melayu selama ini terpengaruh dalam perangkap dan orbit pemikiran yang menjadikannya berjiwa rendah, salahnya terletak kepada bangsa kita sendiri, yang memamah bulat-bulat juadah yang dihidangkan oleh orang lain. Keadaan tersebut berlaku berpunca daripada sikap bangsa yang tidak memberikan perhatian berat untuk merekodkan, apatah lagi menulis sejarah daripada lensa dan berdasarkan tafsiran bangsanya sendiri. Begitu banyak khazanah pengetahuan bangsa tertimbus dalam bentuk tacit knowledge atau pengetahuan tersirat. Pengetahuan yang tidak direkodkan akan lupus bersama pemilik pengetahuan tersebut, apabila dia meninggalkan dunia ini. Penulisan yang dikodifikasikan atau dijadikan codified knowledge, apatah lagi jika diterbitkan, akan tersebar lebih luas dan dapat dijadikan bahan sejarah berharga dan bahan rujukan yang memberikan manfaat pada generasi terkemudian.

23. Dalam para tertentu pengenalan buku ini, pengarang menyelitkan suara hati, kebimbangan terhadap bala yang dikhuatiri sedang melanda bangsanya. Penulis bimbang melihat bangsanya sedang berada di persimpangan. Bangsa Melayu yang tidak lagi menghargai laluan yang lurus tetapi bagaikan merestui perbuatan menyimpang yang mencetuskan keadaan bangsa Melayu menghadapi pelbagai persimpangan melalui pelbagai dakwaan yang melibatkan perlakuan jenayah, pecah amanah, sifat tidak jujur, tamak dan haloba, ketidakikhlasan, serta lagak sombong dan bermegah. Keadaan ini pada hemat pengarang telah merobohkan teras kekuatan bangsa sehingga bangsa Melayu semakin tidak dihormati dan semakin tidak dipercayai.

24. Sejak Beta dimasyhurkan sebagai Raja Muda Perak pada 15 April 1987, kemudiannya diamanahkan sebagai Pemangku Raja Perak, Dato’ Seri DiRaja Ramli bin Ngah Talib ialah Menteri Besar di negeri Perak. Sepanjang pengalaman hubungan Beta dengan beliau, banyak nasihat yang disembahkan oleh beliau, untuk memandu Beta memperkenankan perkara-perkara berkaitan tadbir urus negeri. Sehingga ke hari ini atas nama Orang Kaya Kaya Seri Agar DiRaja yang juga ahli Dewan Negara Perak beliau terus berperanan menyembahkan nasihat untuk memastikan kemuliaan dan kedaulatan takhta kekal terpelihara. Manfaat memperoleh nasihat berdasarkan pengalaman, pemikiran dan tafsiran beliau, kini akan memberikan manfaat kepada audiens yang lebih luas melalui penerbitan yang dihasilkan ini.

Dengan lafaz Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim, Beta melancarkan, “The Malays: Pathfinders and Trailblazers”.

C&P

5 July 2026: 11.39 p.m

MALAY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD

Source: EBSCO

The concept of "Malay in the Ancient World" encompasses the historical and cultural developments associated with the Malay people from ancient times through significant periods such as the Neolithic and Metal Ages. The Malay language is rooted in the Austronesian linguistic family, and the term "Malay" has evolved to signify not only a linguistic identity but also a distinct phenotype characterized by specific physical traits. The ancient Malay region saw the emergence of horticulture around 1100 BCE and the Neolithic Age by 800 BCE, marked by the domestication of various plants and animals, alongside hunting and fishing practices.

Cultural evolution in the Malay region was influenced by neighboring civilizations, including significant Chinese interactions. Notably, the Ban Kao culture, active from 3000 to 900 BCE, reflects a unique adaptation of Austronesian innovations and local materials, despite the absence of metal artifacts. The subsequent Metal Age, starting around 1000 BCE, introduced bronze and iron tools and saw the construction of megalithic structures, indicative of increased social complexity. Over the centuries, the Malay chiefdoms played various roles within emerging regional states and empires, often serving as vassals or allies, contributing to the rich tapestry of Southeast Asian history.

Authored By: Flores-Meiser, E. P. 1 of 4

Authored By:

Flores-Meiser, E. P.

Published In: 2022 2 of 4

Published In:2022

Related Topics:

Madagascar in the Ancient World;Malay Language;Neolithic Revolution

3 of 4

Related Articles:

Late Malayo-Polynesian: A new model of Austronesian linguistic relations.

Full Article

DATE: 8000 B.C.E.-700 C.E.

LOCALE: Malaysia and Southeast Asia

Malay in the Ancient World

Over time, the term “Malay” (muh-LAY) has conjured up various connotations and usages in the context of world history. The Malay language once formed half of a former linguistic family, Malayo-Polynesian (now called Austronesian); it was also used to denote a phenotype. This phenotype is characterized by a light brown skin color, medium to short stature, black and straight or wavy hair, and broad cheekbones. Distinct from the classical Mongoloid phenotype associated with populations in north China, Manchuria, and Siberia, the Indonesian-Malay phenotype is also known to physical anthropologists as that of the generalized Mongoloids. Being Malay also meant the trusteeship to the source of Southeast Asian spices or being a Muslim in Southeast Asia. Colonial and postcolonial partition relegated the term to the inhabitants of peninsular Malaya, if not the entire republic. The geographical consolidation of the republic makes Malaysia both mainland and insular Southeast Asia, and it embodies the respective cultural traditions of both.

Entrance into the Neolithic Age is indicated by three criteria: the presence of pecked or ground stone adzes, pottery, and horticulture. Although the Chinese influence on Southeast Asian cultural history is still acknowledged, greater recognition is being made of the creative and independent contribution of Southeast Asia to its own cultural history. Horticulture probably began around 1100 B.C.E. on the mainland, and by 800 B.C.E., the Neolithic Age was established in the Malay region. The sequence of cultural development was not uniform, however, varying with the site and locale. Also, the familiar cultural sequencing that accompanies events such as the start of agriculture or metalworking often does not apply in this area.

The late phase of the Hoabinhian tradition (c. 13,000-c. 5000/4000 B.C.E.) continued into the Neolithic period. Hoabinhian stone tools, mostly of the late phase and some bearing similarity to those in northern Vietnam, have been found at more than sixteen sites in Malaya. Cord-marked pottery, pounding and grinding stones, bone tools, burials, and red ochre are frequent finds. However, many sites in Malaya have no stratigraphic sequence, so interpretations of development must be based on comparisons of information from neighboring cultures with that from local sites. In Malaya, the Neolithic Age was characterized by the domestication of indigenous tubers, breadfruit and other fruit trees, fowl, and pigs, undoubtedly supplemented by hunting, gathering, and fishing.

Domestication of rice followed later; the earliest dates given are 4000-3300 B.C.E. for China and 3500 B.C.E. for Thailand. Rice cultivation was noted at Thailand’s Non Nok Tha site, judged to be Neolithic, although bronze had begun to be used. (The appearance of metal generally signals the end of the Neolithic period.) Modest by comparison, the Malayan Ban Kao culture (c. 3000-c. 900 B.C.E.), derived from various sites, gives rise to some puzzling interpretations. No metal was reported, and Ban Kao pottery differs from Non Nok Tha’s and appears to be connected with the Chinese Longshan tradition. The main Ban Kao site dates later than Non Nok Tha.

The Ban Kao site produced bark-cloth beaters, spindle whorls, and fishing equipment. Bark-cloth beaters are Austronesian innovations; their use on the prehistoric mainland is limited to southern Vietnam and Malaya. Both areas are Austronesian settlements, the result of Austronesian expansion from insular Southeast Asia around 4000 B.C.E. This expansion continued until around 1000 B.C.E., as people migrated eastward into the Philippines, Indonesia, Hawaii, and New Zealand, and westward into Madagascar, spreading Southeast Asian culture as they traveled.

The following metal age, beginning about 1000 B.C.E., was rich, with various sites producing fine bronze and bronze-and-iron objects such as plowshares, axes, spearheads, fishhooks, ornaments, and bronze drums. Between 100 B.C.E. and 100 C.E., the projected start of Indianization in the Malay region, megalithic structures were constructed. In the following centuries, various states and empires arose in the region, with Malay chiefdoms often playing the role of vassals or weaker allies.

Bibliography

Bellwood, Peter. Man’s Conquest of the Pacific. New York: Oxford University Press, 1979.

Beri, K. K. History and Culture of South-East Asia: Ancient and Medieval. New Delhi, India: Sterling Publishers, 1994.

Sorensen, P. “Neolithic Cultures of Thailand (and North Malaysia) and Their Lungshanoid Relationships.” In Early Chinese Art and Its Possible Influence in the Pacific Basin, edited by N. Barnard. New York: Intercultural Arts Press, 1972.

C&P

5 July 2026: 10.18 a.m

THE ROLE OF SOUTHEAST ASIA TRADE IN MUMMIFICATION

When we think about mummification, our minds usually travel straight to the hyper-arid deserts of ancient Egypt. However, historical and scientific breakthroughs have revealed that Southeast Asia actually played a dual, groundbreaking role in the history of mummification: first, as the home to the world's oldest known mummification practices, and second, as a vital supply chain hub that fueled the Egyptian embalming industry from thousands of miles away.

1. The Birthplace of Mummification (The Deep History)

For a long time, Egypt and Chile’s Chinchorro culture were thought to have invented intentional mummification. However, a landmark study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) completely rewrote this timeline.

Researchers analyzing hunter-gatherer burial sites across southern China and Southeast Asia (including Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia) discovered that communities were intentionally mummifying their dead between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago—predating Egypt by roughly 7,000 years.

The world's oldest know human mummies were created by smoke-drying corpses 10,000 years ago in Southeast Asia and China, long before mummificatioin became commonplace in Chine and Egypt, new researchers show. 

The Smoke-Drying Method

Because Southeast Asia features a highly humid, tropical monsoon climate, bodies left to the elements decompose aggressively fast. To counter this, ancient cultures developed a sophisticated, active preservation method:

• The Posture: The deceased were tightly bound into a hyper-flexed, fetal, or squatting position.
• The Fire: The bodies were placed over low-temperature, slow-burning fires for weeks or even months.
• The Result: The constant low heat and dense smoke thoroughly dehydrated the soft tissue and skin before burial, preventing bacterial decay. Bone analysis from these 95 ancient sites confirmed distinct cellular changes caused by long-term exposure to low-temperature heat.

A Living Tradition: This isn't just ancient history. Smoke-dried mummification is a cultural practice that has survived continuously into the modern era, most notably practiced by the Dani and Pumo peoples in the highlands of Papua, Indonesia.

2. Fueling Egypt’s Afterlife (The Global Trade Network)

While Southeast Asia was practicing its own ancestral rites, it was also acting as an indispensable economic engine for the global embalming trade.

In 2023, scientists analyzed molecular residues found inside 31 ceramic vessels from a 2,600-year-old Egyptian embalming workshop in Saqqara. The vessels were uniquely helpful because they were explicitly labeled with instructions like "to wash" or "to make his odor pleasant".

The chemical signatures proved that the ancient Egyptians were masters of microbiology—and that they relied heavily on a global trade network that stretched all the way to Southeast Asian rainforests to source their highly specific ingredients.

The Southeast Asian Ingredients

Among Mediterranean olive oil, Lebanese cedar, and Dead Sea bitumen, scientists detected two highly prized tree resins native exclusively to the tropical forests of India and Southeast Asia:

• Dammar Resin: Extracted from trees in the Dipterocarpaceae family (highly abundant in Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula).
• Elemi Resin: Derived from the Canarium tree genus, largely found in the Philippines and wider maritime Southeast Asia.

Camphor: Historical accounts and trade studies indicate that high-quality camphor (Dryobalanops aromatica), native to Maritime Southeast Asia (specifically Sumatra and Borneo), was a prized crystalline resin. Greek historian Pliny the Elder made records suggesting the use of Sumatran camphor in mummification, and ancient maritime centers like Kedah Tua are believed to have been active suppliers in these networks.

Why the Egyptians Bought Them

The Egyptians didn't just stumble onto these materials; they actively sought them out because of their unique chemical properties. Both dammar and elemi are powerhouse antifungal and antibacterial agents. When slathered onto the skin and linen wrappings, they sealed out moisture, trapped pleasant aromas, and physically prevented the microbes that cause liquefaction and rot from proliferating.

The Maritime Spice Route

Because there was no direct political contact between Pharaonic Egypt and ancient Southeast Asian kingdoms, these resins traveled along an intricate, multi-tiered maritime network. Indigenous foragers in Sumatra, Borneo, or the Malay Peninsula harvested the sap, which was traded across the Malacca Strait to ports in Southern India. From there, Persian, Arab, and Indian maritime traders navigated the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, eventually delivering the goods to Egyptian embalmers.

Significance of the Trade Network

The discovery of these materials fundamentally shifts our understanding of ancient globalization:

• Pre-Date of Traditional Trade Routes: The presence of these botanical materials demonstrates that sophisticated supply chains and long-distance trade routes connected Egypt with Southeast Asia as early as the first millennium BCE (and potentially up to 3,000 years ago), long before the formalization of the famous medieval Silk and Spice Roads.
• A Global Supply Chain: Archaeological findings show that the bulk of embalming substances were not native to Egypt. Instead, the Egyptians constructed a global procurement network stretching across the Mediterranean, tropical Africa, and all the way to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia to acquire the best antimicrobial and preservative agents for their dead.

Summary of Impact

Ultimately, Southeast Asia's relationship with mummification bridges two extremes. Domestically, its indigenous populations triumphed over a destructive tropical environment to create the world's earliest mummies using fire and smoke. Internationally, its rich biodiversity provided the elite, high-end biochemical shields that allowed the pharaohs of Egypt to successfully preserve their bodies for millennia.

Reference:

1. Science News Explores: Smoke-Dried Mummies found in Southeast Asia are the oldest known. 
2. Live Science: World's oldest Mummies were smoke-dried 10,000 years ago in China and Southeast Asia, Researchers find. 
3. Popular Archaeology : Pre-Neolithic mummification in Southeast Asia.
4. Explorers Web : How Did the Ancient Egyptians Make Mummies? Through Global Trade. 
5. Bangkok Post : 'Surprising' Ancient Egypt mummy ingredients discovered. 
6. Smithsonian Magazine : The Surprising Substances Ancient Egyptians Used to Mummify the Dead. 

C&P

5 July 2026: 7.29 p.m

SA HUYNH CULTURE - CHAMPA CIVILISATION

Wikipedia

The Sa Huỳnh culture (1000 BC – 200 AD) was a prehistoric, Iron Age civilization located along the coastal plains and islands of central and southern Vietnam. It is widely recognized by archaeologists as the direct predecessor to the Champa civilization. 

While the Chamic people share an ancestral, linguist ic, and seafaring connection with the wider Malayo-Polynesian family, the Cham are a distinct ethnolinguistic group and not ethnically Malay. Both the Chams and the Malays belong to the broader Austronesian language family, which explains their deep historical ties and cultural similarities. 

The Transition to Champa

• The Ancestors: Malayo-Polynesian seafarers originally migrated to central Vietnam, likely from Borneo, around 1000 BC. They settled along the coast and developed the Sa Huỳnh culture. 
• The Evolution: By the 2nd century AD, the late Sa Huỳnh settlements transitioned into semi-urbanized, riverine port-cities. 
• The Rise of Champa: This socio-political evolution culminated in the birth of the Kingdom of Champa, established after local Chamic leaders successfully rebelled against China's Han Dynasty. 

Cultural and Technological Hallmarks

• The Jar Burials: The defining characteristic of Sa Huỳnh culture was their unique funeral rite. They cremated their dead and buried the remains inside large, covered terracotta jars.
• Advanced Metallurgy: Sa Huỳnh was a highly advanced Iron Age society. They were skilled at crafting locally worked iron tools, axes, swords, and sickles.
• Distinct Artistry: They produced iconic jewelry, such as lingling-o (three-pronged earrings) and bicephalous (two-headed) animal ear pendants made of jade and glass.
• Maritime Trading Masters: Long before Champa became a dominant trading power, the Sa Huỳnh people operated vast maritime trade routes. Their trade networks stretched to Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. They exchanged goods for Indian carnelian, Mediterranean glass, and Taiwanese jade. 

The Malay-Cham Connection

While the Chams are a separate ethnic group, they maintained close relations with the Malay world throughout history: 

• Linguistic Ties: The Cham language and the Malay language are cousin branches within the Malayo-Polynesian language tree.
• Religious Alignment: Centuries after the fall of Sa Huỳnh, parts of the Champa Kingdom transitioned from Hinduism to Islam. This shift plugged them directly into the Malay-Islam Regional Network via trade and intermarriage with the Malacca and Kelantan Sultanates.

Reference:

1. National Geographic - The Cham: Descendants of Ancient Rulers of South China Sea Watch Maritime Dispute from Sidelines.
2. Wikipedia : Sa Huynh Culture

C&P

5 July 2026: 6.26 p.m

10 MANUSKRIPS MELAYU YANG DIKAJI OLEH PENJAJAH (BRITISH & BELANDA)

Sumber: Bangsa Melayu Nusantara

10 manuskrip Melayu terpenting yang dikaji oleh penjajah (British & Belanda) dan bagaimana hasil kajian tu memberi kesan kepada dunia moden hari ni.

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1. Sejarah Melayu (Sulalatus Salatin)

• Simpan di: British Library, London
• Asal: Istana Johor-Riau (±1612)
• Isi: Garis keturunan raja-raja Melayu dari Iskandar Zulkarnain hingga Sultan Mahmud Melaka.
• Kesan moden:
• Asas kajian politik tradisional Melayu dan konsep “daulat”.
• Jadi rujukan dalam kajian diplomasi dan monarki Asia Tenggara.
• Diguna di universiti dunia (Oxford, SOAS, Leiden) untuk kaji sistem sosial Melayu.

2. Hikayat Hang Tuah

• Simpan di: British Library & Leiden University
• Asal: Zaman Kesultanan Melaka
• Isi: Perjuangan dan kesetiaan Hang Tuah terhadap Sultan Melaka.
• Kesan moden:
• Jadi bahan kajian falsafah moral Melayu – “setia, maruah, dan daulat.”
• Digunakan dalam kajian etika kepimpinan Asia di universiti luar.
• Adaptasi dalam filem, sastera dan seni moden di peringkat antarabangsa.

3. Undang-Undang Melaka (Hukum Kanun Melaka)

• Simpan di: Leiden University Library, Belanda
• Isi: Undang-undang Islam & adat istiadat kerajaan Melaka.
• Kesan moden:
• Jadi asas kepada kajian sistem perundangan Islam Asia Tenggara.
• British gunakan struktur ni untuk faham cara mengurus koloni Melayu.
• Sebahagian konsep adat diadaptasi ke dalam common law British-Malaya.

4. Kitab Tib Melayu (Perubatan Tradisional)

• Simpan di: British Library, London
• Isi: Ilmu herba, rawatan, dan doa penyembuhan tradisi Islam-Melayu.
• Kesan moden:
• Jadi asas kajian etnofarmasi & perubatan tropika.
• Banyak penemuan herba moden dirujuk dari ilmu Melayu ni.
• WHO & universiti Eropah gunakan data ni dalam penyelidikan ubatan herba.

5. Hikayat Raja Pasai

• Simpan di: Royal Asiatic Society, London
• Isi: Sejarah kerajaan Islam pertama di Nusantara (Samudera Pasai).
• Kesan moden:
• Jadi asas kajian penyebaran awal Islam di Asia Tenggara.
• Bantu sarjana Barat memahami hubungan perdagangan Islam–Melayu.

6. Manuskrip Ilmu Pelayaran Melayu

• Simpan di: Leiden University, Belanda
• Isi: Carta bintang, arus laut, arah angin, sistem navigasi.
• Kesan moden:
• Bantu Eropah faham teknik pelayaran tropika lama.
• Kajian ni bantu pembangunan nautical science & oceanography moden.
• UNESCO akui pelaut Austronesia antara penjelajah laut tertua dunia.

7. Taj al-Salatin (Mahkota Segala Raja)

• Simpan di: British Library
• Oleh: Bukhari al-Jauhari (Aceh, 1603)
• Isi: Panduan moral dan politik untuk para raja.
• Kesan moden:
• Jadi rujukan dalam kajian etika kepimpinan Islam klasik.
• Diguna dalam political philosophy studies di Barat.
• Menunjukkan tamadun Melayu punya sistem pemerintahan berfalsafah tinggi.

8. Bustan al-Salatin (Taman Segala Raja)

• Simpan di: Leiden University, Belanda
• Oleh: Sheikh Nuruddin al-Raniri (Aceh, 1638)
• Isi: Gabungan sejarah, akhlak, dan spiritual Islam.
• Kesan moden:
• Dijadikan rujukan dalam kajian sastera Islam dan tasawuf Nusantara.
• Dikenali di Eropah sebagai “The Malay Encyclopaedia of Islam”.

9. Hikayat Nabi Bercukur & Hikayat Para Nabi

• Simpan di: British Library
• Isi: Kisah-kisah kenabian, syariat dan akhlak Islam dalam versi Melayu.
• Kesan moden:
• Digunakan untuk faham cara orang Melayu mengislamkan budaya tempatan.
• Sumber penting untuk Islamic inculturation studies (Islam & budaya setempat).

10. Hikayat Abdullah

• Simpan di: British Library, London
• Oleh: Munshi Abdullah (1830-an)
• Isi: Catatan pengalaman penulis Melayu pertama di era kolonial.
• Kesan moden:
• Jadi asas kepada kajian sosiologi kolonial Melayu.
• Menjadi model sastera moden Melayu (autobiografi, reformasi sosial).

Kesimpulan Besar:

Penjajah guna manuskrip Melayu bukan sebab suka seni semata-mata, tapi untuk:

1. Kuasai ilmu & cara berfikir bangsa Melayu.

2. Fahami sistem politik & undang-undang tempatan demi mudahkan penjajahan.

3. Ambil ilmu alam, ubatan & pelayaran untuk kegunaan sains moden mereka.

Hasilnya — dunia moden hari ini banyak “terhutang budi” kepada tamadun Melayu, cuma kita sendiri kurang menguasai semula warisan tu.

⸻

kredit fb: KOPI DONDE

C&P

5 Julai 2026: 2.52 p.m

Decades of waiting: A list of Malaysia's cold cases

By Raiham Mohd Sanusi

Sinar Daily

18 June 2024

A look at Malaysia's unsolved crimes

SHAH ALAM - The high-profile cases of six-year-old autistic child Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin's death and Selangor FC footballer Faisal Halim's acid attack continue to capture public attention, but the perpetrators remain unidentified.

Unfortunately, these recent cases join a list of other high-profile, unresolved cases.

One such high-profile case that has yet to be solved is the brutal murder of eight-year-old girl Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, who went missing when she went to a night market near her home in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur on Aug 20, 2007.

Her disappearance shocked the entire nation, even though social media was not as active as today.

The victim, who suffered from kidney complications and high blood pressure at the time, went out alone to buy hair clips.

The child's body was found in a tragic state stuffed into a sports bag without a stitch of clothing on the morning of Sept 17, 2007, almost a month after her disappearance.

The sports bag, placed in front of a shophouse in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, was discovered by the shop owner, who found the body positioned like a fetus inside. Police believed she had been dead for more than six hours before the discovery.

More heartbreaking, cucumbers and brinjals were found stuffed into the victim's private parts, causing her rectum to rupture.

However, the identity of the criminal remains a mystery as no suspect has been arrested to date.

Later, the country was again shocked by the case of the disappearance of Sharlinie Mohd Nashar on Jan 9, 2008, who was four years old at the time.

The third of four siblings, she was reported missing after playing with her sister, Sharliena, 7, at a playground in Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

On the way back to their rented house about 200 metres from the playground, Sharliena heard footsteps and turned around.

But when she turned back, she found that her sister, who had been walking in front of her, was gone and immediately went home to report her sister's disappearance.

The child, who depended on Ventolin medication for her asthma, has not been found to this day, but her mother, Suraya Ahmad, believes her daughter is still alive.

UNSOLVED MURDERS

The death of six-year-old William Yau Zhen Zhong also leaves numerous questions unanswered.

William was reported missing after leaving the Onking Electronics Shop in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, Selangor on Jan 16, 2013.

The mystery of his disappearance was solved when the body of a young boy was found eight days later, on Jan 24, 2013, near the Kampung Sungai Sireh jetty, Port Klang, Selangor.

After an identification session, post-mortem, and DNA testing, police confirmed the body was that of William.

What remains a question is the impact injury on his head and old scars on his body, indicating abuse.

To date, it is still unknown whether the cause of death was due to abuse by his parents, murder, or an accident due to walking alone without supervision.

Another case that shook the nation was the death of Customs Department Deputy Director General Datuk Shaharuddin Ibrahim, 58, who was shot dead on his way to his office in Putrajaya.

The victim, who was in the front passenger seat of a four-wheel-drive vehicle, was shot three times at close range by one of two men on a motorcycle at a traffic light intersection in Sentosa Boulevard, Putrajaya.

The murder was said to be carried out by the 36 Gang who wanted revenge for the drugs they smuggled being seized at the port or airport.

In the same year, Shaharuddin's son revealed that his father's murder was linked to a car smuggling syndicate based in the tax-free island of Langkawi.

On July 2, 2014, the main suspect in the murder was arrested at a house in Ampang, Selangor, and three of his accomplices were also detained in other raids in Batu Caves, Selangor.

The gang was active in various criminal activities, such as smuggling, drug trafficking, and container theft.

The remaining murder suspects are believed to be still in the Klang Valley area, and the police are pursuing them. So far, no one has been brought to justice.

A NATION WAITS FOR ANSWERS

The disappearance of a young man known as Acap, or Mohammad Ashraf Hassan, 29, during the Gopeng Ultra Trail run in Gua Tempurung, Kampar on March 24, 2019, drew widespread attention.

Before he went missing, Acap and 485 other participants started the run from Gua Tempurung, but his friend reported that Acap did not reach the finish line.

Upon receiving the report, the police dispatched 11 personnel for a search operation. The operation also involved the Malaysian Civil Defence Force and the Perak Fire and Rescue Department.

Even Acap's mother, Siti Maznah Khamis, 62, joined the search mission, despite her poor health.

All search efforts failed, and his disappearance remains a mystery as no new leads have been found.

The death of Cradle Fund CEO Nazrin Hassan in a fire at his home in Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya on June 14, 2018, a day before Hari Raya Aidilfitri, also remains unresolved.

Forensic reports confirmed traces of petrol on the victim's body, bed, mattress, and mobile phone, and the case was classified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code based on the fire department's report and post-mortem findings.

On March 12, 2019, Nazrin's wife Samirah Muzaffar and her two children along with another individual still at large, Indonesian Eka Wahyu Lestari, were charged at the Shah Alam High Court with the murder.

However, on June 21, 2022, Samirah and her two children, aged 19 and 16, were acquitted after the court found the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case at the end of the prosecution's case.

The murder of former model Noritta Samsudin, 22, remains unsolved as no one has been found guilty of the crime.

Noritta, who was also a marketing executive at Transpro Sdn Bhd, was found dead in her bedroom in a luxury apartment in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur on Dec 5, 2003, naked with her hands tied with a bra and several iron wires, and her head covered with a pillowcase.

There were no signs of injury except for strangulation marks on her neck and towel fragments in her mouth.

An engineer, Hanif Basree Abdul Rahman, was detained for the murder. He was believed to be the last person to see Noritta that night.

However, during the trial, it was believed that someone else had met her after Hanif Basree.

The charge against Hanif Basree was deemed too weak, and he was acquitted after a conspiracy surfaced suggesting the murder was related to Noritta's social life.

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Melissa Bathinathan was reported kidnapped, raped, and murdered on her way to school on the morning of May 17, 1999.

The Methodist Girls' School, Kuala Lumpur student and only child of graphic designer Margaret Francis was on her way to school, walking with a friend before they parted ways.

Margaret became worried when her daughter did not return home, and according to her friends at school, Audrey was absent that day, prompting her family to search for her.

Unfortunately, the next day, Margaret received a call from the school principal informing her that her daughter's body, still in her school uniform, had been found on Jalan Kinabalu next to a Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) substation.

Police found a head injury on Audrey, believed to have been caused by a rock. Two drug addicts in the area were detained but later released due to insufficient evidence linking them to the crime.

The death of former beauty queen Jean Perera Sinappa, who was found stabbed in the chest and abdomen in a car parked by the Federal Highway on April 6, 1979, remains unsolved.

Also at the scene was her fiance, who was also her former brother-in-law, S Karthigesu. He was found unconscious on the ground beside the car.

Karthigesu was detained and became the main suspect in Jean Perera's murder.

Further investigations revealed Jean Perera had a relationship with a Sri Lankan doctor, Dr Narada Warnasurya, and they had exchanged love letters before her husband's death in an accident.

Police believed the murder was motivated by jealousy, but Karthigesu was released in 1981, and the case remains unresolved.

On June 7, 1974, the country was shocked by the murder of the third Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Hashim, linked to communist attacks.

At the time, Abdul Rahman was in a car heading to Bukit Aman. The car driven by Sergeant Omar Yunus was showered with bullets on Jalan Tun Perak.

Two unidentified assailants fired 11 shots at the car, seven of which hit Abdul Rahman. At that time, Malaysia was fighting subversive communist forces. It was reported that the leader of the Malayan Communist Party, Chin Peng had issued the kill order but it could not be proven in court.

C&P

5 July 2026: 2.11. a.m

KISAH UMMU SIBYAN, adakah ia kisah shahih?

Ini kisah yang telah tersebar......

Bukan Tamu, Inilah Wanita yang Suka Datang ke Rumahmu Pada Waktu Maghrib

Memang siapa yang hendak bertamu ke rumah orang pada waktu maghrib? Maghrib adalah saat dimana matahari sudah tenggelam namun masih muncul dengan sinar yang terkadang berwarna jingga atau merah menyala. Pada waktu itulah, seluruh umat Islam diperingatkan untuk segera menutup pintu dan jendela sambil mengucapkan bismillah agar wanita ini tidak datang ke rumah.

Siapakah wanita itu? 

Apa yang dia lakukan di dalam rumah kita? 

Ketahui bahwa dia bukanlah wanita baik, namun mampu membahayakan anak dan wanita yang sedang hamil.

Mungkin ada yang pernah dengar nama *Ummu Sibyan* atau pun tidak sebelum ini, *Ummu Sibyan* ini adalah kaum jin dari kaum perempuan yang suka mengganggu bayi dan anak yang berusia kurang dari 2 tahun serta wanita hamil. Sebab itulah anak-anak yang baru lahir harus diazankan terlebih dahulu agar bayi itu tidak di ikuti oleh jin ini.

Apa Kerja Jin *Ummu Sibyan?*

Kerja dia tak lain tak bukan adalah Mengganggu bayi yang baru lahir dan anak-anak (biasanya kurang dari 2 tahun) serta wanita yang hamil.

Jin *Ummu Sibyan* memiliki wajah yang mengerikan dengan mata 1 yang besar dan berjalan di dinding seperti cicak , *Ummu Sibyan* juga dapat mengikat rahim wanita serta membunuh bayi yang masih dalam kandungan.

Seperti yang di ceritakan dalam kisah “jin *Ummu Shibyan* Dengan *Nabi Sulaiman*”, jin ini mampu masuk ke dalam rahim orang perempuan dan mengikat rahimnya serta menyumbat dengan tujuan agar kaum itu tidak mengandung.

Diceritakan juga jin ini masuk ke dalam perut orang perempuan yang hamil, di waktu janin di dalam kandungannya sedang tumbuh jin ini akan menendangnya, maka berlakulah keguguran dan jadilah rahimnya kosong semua.

Sungguh mengerikan bukan? 

Bagaimana tandanya jika seorang bayi terkena gangguan jin *Ummu Sibyan*, diantaranya adalah.

1. Bayi menangis melalak (matanya terbeliak memandang keatas/sudut tertentu)

2. Anak-anak jatuh seakan-akan didorong

3. Mengigau sambil menggemerutukkan gigi berulang kali

4. Demam panas hanya setelah Asar sampai sebelum Subuh

Akibat gangguan di atas akan mengakibatkan hal seperti ini.

1. Sawan tangis

2. Autisme (over hiperaktif)

3. Nakal dan keras kepala

4. Malas

Tanda-tanda Wanita Hamil Terkena Gangguan Jin Ummu Sibyan

1) Rasa sesak dada terutama setelah waktu asar, yang mungkin berlangsung sampai tengah malam

2) Kusut fikiran

3) Sakit di bahagian tulang-tulang belakang

4) Mengigau ketika tidur

5) Bermimpi dengan mimpi yang menakutkan

Cara Mengelak dari Gangguan Ummu Sibyan

1) Tutup pintu dan jendela rumah waktu Maghrib

2) Jangan angkat atau masukkan baju yang sudah dijemur diluar rumah pada waktu Maghrib (jemuran tak kering)

Cara mengatasi gangguan pada bayi/anak

1) Meniarapkan bayi/anak jangan matanya melihat ke arah itu, baca ayat Qursi dan Surah 3 Qul kemudian tiup ke ubun-ubunnya sampai berhenti menangis. 

2) Halau dengan bahasa sendiri seperti "wahai Ummu Sibyan pergilah kau keluar dari rumahku dan jangan ganggu anak anakku"

InsyaAllah....Ummu Sibyan akan pergi......

SOALAN :

Assalamualaikum Dr Rozaimi, adakah kisah berkenaan UMMU SIBYAN ini shahih? Sudah ramai yang sebar.

DR ROZAIMI RAMLE MENJAWAB:

Waalaikumussalam

HADITH tentang UMMU SIBYAN ini DAIF namun hadis larangan kanak-kanak berkeliaran pada waktu senja sahih kerana waktu syaitan berkeliaran.

Dari sahabat Jabir radhiallahu’anhu, bahwa Nabi Shallallahu’alaihi Wasallam bersabda:

( إِذَا كَانَ جُنْحُ اللَّيْلِ أَوْ أَمْسَيْتُمْ فَكُفُّوا صِبْيَانَكُمْ ، فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنْتَشِرُ حِينَئِذٍ ، فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ سَاعَةٌ مِنْ اللَّيْلِ فَخَلُّوهُمْ ، وَأَغْلِقُوا الْأَبْوَابَ ، وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ ، فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَا يَفْتَحُ بَابًا مُغْلَقًا ، وَأَوْكُوا قِرَبَكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ ، وَخَمِّرُوا آنِيَتَكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ وَلَوْ أَنْ تَعْرُضُوا عَلَيْهَا شَيْئًا، وَأَطْفِئُوا مَصَابِيحَكُمْ ) رواه البخاري (3280)

“Jika malam datang menjelang, atau kalian berada menjelang maghrib maka tahanlah anak-anak kalian (di rumah), kerana ketika itu syaitan sedang bertebaran. Jika telah berlalu sesaat dari waktu malam, maka biarkan mereka (jika ingin keluar). Tutuplah pintu dan berzikirlah kepada Allah, kerana sesungguhnya syaitan tidak dapat membuka pintu yang tertutup. Tutup pula bekas minuman dan makanan kalian walau sekadar dengan meletakkan sesuatu di atasnya dan matikanlah lampu-lampu kalian” 

(HR. Bukhari 3280, Muslim 2012).

Tingkap dan pintu rumah perlu ditutup dan menyebut nama Allah dimalam hari dan tidak digalakkan dibuka jika tidak ada keperluan sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga dari kejadian yang tidak baik berlaku.

Dan jangan biarkan bekas-bekas makanan dan minuman tidak ditutup dan dianjurkan menyebut nama Allah ketika menutup bekas-bekas tersebut.

Ini semua dilakukan untuk mengelakkan gangguan syaitan. Wallahua'lam.

Page Dr Ustaz Rozaimi Ramle - Hadith

C&P

5 Julai 2026: 1.53 a.m