GLORIOUS PAST OF MALAY SEAFARERS

By Lt.Cdr.Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli RMNVR

INTRODUCTION

The people of the Malay race were great seafarers and had expanded their influence in the Malay Archipelago through a number of maritime expires that once dominated Southeast Asia. 

Facilitated by the concept of the open seas (mare liberum), trade fluorished among kingdoms within this region. 

The Malays have been advocating mare liberum or freedom of the seas lng before it was propagated by Hugh Grotius, a renowned Dutch  scholar whom most have regarded as the father of international law. Is feedom of the seas in the Malay Archipelago a forgotten 'International Custom' under the modern law of the sea? 

MARITIME - PORT EMPIRES OF THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO

Based on archaelogical findings, the earliest Malay Port that existed within the Malay Archipelago was Takuapa, or Langkasuka, which emerged sometime in the third century AD. 

By fifth century AD, the Jiecha Kingdom,  otherwise known as the Old Kedah was established in areas south of the modern day Malaysian State of Kedah. Jiecha was once a prosperous transit port for ships from Arabia, Persia and India, before continuing their voyage to the East. The people of Jiecha were actively engaged in trade with foreign merchants. 

By seventh century AD, however, Pan-Pan, Langkasuka and Jiecha were subjugated to the dominance of the powerful Malay Kingdom of Srivijaya. Srivijaya, participated actively in a growing world economy at that time and prospered well by engaging in extensive commerce in camphor, cloves, sandalwood, nutmegs and other valuable commodities with traders and merchants from different parts of Asia namely China, India and the Middle East. 

Centuries later, the Malacca Sultanate prospered until 1511 as a crucial link in world trade. It was said that the population of the port of Malacca before the fall of the Sultanate was probably around 100,000, and thus was as large as other European cities at the that time such as Naples and Paris. 

Malacca's glorious moments were short-lived with the arrival of the Portuguese in the region in the early sixteenth century. The fall of Malacca led to the establishments of a number of relatively influential Malay empires namely Johor, Aceh and Gowa. 

CONCLUSION

These brief historical episodes have shown that the Malays have been practicing mare liberum in engaging trade with other nations long before Hugo Grotius came up with that concept. 

As skillful seafarers, the Malays have, in the past dominated the seas. During its golden epoch, the influence of the Malay Kingdom of Srivijaya was so great that it reached as far as Madagascar to the west. The Malays, particularly the Makassarese have also sailed to Arnhem Land in Australia to trade with the aboriginal community as early as the seventeenth century AD. 

This should not forever be left forgotten. The glorious part of the Malay seafarers must be revived in our modern Malaysia towards realising the vision of becoming a respected maritime nation. 

** Lt. Cdr. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli RMNVR is an Associate Professor at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia and a visiting Professor at School of Law, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia. 

Majalah Samudera Edisi 4/19

2/11/2022 : 8 Rabiulakhir 1444H: 8.17 pm