Malacca Sultanate

DISCUSS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MALACCA SULTANATE IN MALAYSIAN HISTORY INTRODUCTION The history of Malaysia was started since 13thcentury with the manifestation of tradition in which administration empire being carried outs and controlled by a set of laws, the Malacca Sultanate. During the fifteenth century Malacca rose to become one the most important trading centers in the world. After the fall of Malacca to European powers, no other Malay states succeeded in recreating the greatness of Malacca but it remains an aspiration and source of strength to all of them. Malay politics and monarchy institution in Malaysia has been a continuity of this historical tradition as stated by Malaysian historian “ Malacca gave birth to a historical tradition in the Malay world since 15 th century and this tradition is being continued.” THE HISTORY OF MALACCA. Hindu-Buddhist and Islamic tradition influenced the Sultanate of Malacca. The ruler’s origin was from Palembang. Palembang was situated at the east of Sumatra. Based on history Palembang was under Majapahit ruler. It also had served as the administration center for the Sri Vijaya which also under Majapahit empire. The disintegration of empire of Majapahit had given Parameswara opportunity to release Palembang from the Majapahit Empire. Unfortunately Parameswara had failed his mission and retreat to Temasik with his associate. Parameswara and his associate arrived at Temasik in 1390 and they were welcome by the Temasik’s ruler and local. Once again Parameswara had disturb the Temasik organization by killing Temagi, the Siamese representative at Temasik. Parameswara take over the management of Temasik but he feels unsafe from Siamese attack and he once again retreats to Muar by sea with his associate on 1390. Even though he was safe at Muar but he proceeds to Malacca by land and arrive at Malacca on 1399 to 1400. From the history Malacca was name after the fight of king’s dog and a deer. The deer kick the king’s dog. The incident happen while the king was resting under a tree. Parameswara name the state as Malacca which based from the name of that tree, Amalaka. The meaning of Amalaka in Indian word was the spirit of wealthy, prosperity and physical fitness, while in Arabic Malacca (Mulaqah) was a place for trade meeting. Parameswara was also known to be an intelligence and brave ruler in handling most of all situations. He manages the Malacca port and the facilities, which became an attraction to the trader from Chinese empire. Chinese empires send Admiral Yin Ching in 1403 and Admiral Cheng Ho in 1409. By virtue of Malacca position in relation to the monsoon, Malacca became the most popular port for the Chinese traders. In 1414 Parameswara was converted to become Muslim. He changes his name to Megat Iskandar Shah and married to the Prince of Pasai, which situated at the northern tip of Sumatra Island. He then continues the trade relation with his neighbor, Pasai, Jawa, Siak and Kampar. Internationally he also makes a good trade -1- relation to China, Parsi, Arab and India. This had brought Malacca to be the famous region, and the kingdom quickly flourished as Southeast Asia’s regional trade center and as a center for the Muslim faith. The ruler also ensured that Malacca becomes the attraction to scholar and the missioner in order to encourage Islam in Malacca The Chinese traders, Ma Huan state: “The king of Malacca and the people are all Mohammedans and they carefully observed the tenets of this religion”1. Megat Iskandar Shah was died in 1424 and replace by Sultan Muzaffar Shah which makes a drastic improvement to the administration of Malacca. The system was introduced as the Four folded systems. The Sultan was still the main hierarchy in the management and in all aspect. The Sultan delegates the duty to the four key personnel namely ‘Bendahara’, ‘Penghulu Bendahari’, ‘Temenggong’ and ‘Laksamana’. The Bendahara taking the responsibilities as Sultan Advisers, Prime Minister, Chief of the Armed Forces, Chief of Justice and act as Acting Sultan if necessary. Penghulu Bendahari are responsible of managing the financing, tax, Secretariat and Mayor while Temenggong responsible of maintaining the security, Chief of the Police and Jail, Law enforces, Protocol Officer and ‘Hakim di Darat”. The Laksamana are responsible to manage the Navy, ADC and chief of diplomatic. There was another four ‘Pembesar Berlapan’, which the responsibilities were to take care the management of welfare; a system was introduced during Sultan Muzaffar Shah. The legendaries of five brothers was also contribute to the expansion of Malacca name Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang lekir and Hang Lekiu. Most of the battle or conflict was soften by them. Among the famous Bendahara was Tun Perak. He was an intelligent and brilliant planner. He manage to defeated two times Siamese attack using deceoption. The Siamese was cought by surprise and afraid with the preparation of Malacca state. Tun Perak was lightup the whole beach of Malacca using to handle was also among the famous Bendahara. “The size of Malacca’s trade is evidenced by the fact that as many as 2000 boats were routinely anchored in its harbor. Malacca’s reputation for security, wellordered government, and unrivaled commercial facilities contributed to its economic success. The kingdom’s prosperity enabled it to sustain a rapidly expanding population, which by the beginning of the 16th century had reached 100,000. “2 The kingdom’s economic growth was soon matched by its territorial expansion. By the mid-1420s, Malacca had acquired all the lands between Kuala Linggi and Kuala Kesang, which delineate the borders of the present-day state of Melaka. In the succeeding decades, Malacca’s sphere of influence spread to include the whole Malay Peninsula, as well as much of the east coast of Sumatra. 1 C.K. Wake, Melaka in the Fifteenth Century : Malay Historical Traditions and Politics of Islamisation”, in P. Wheatley and K.S. Shandu, (ed) Melaka: The Transformation of A Malay Capital, cir. 1400-1980, Oxford University Press , Kuala Lumpur p 142. 2 "Malacca, Kingdom of," Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 2 Islam spread throughout the kingdom, becoming one of Malacca’s most enduring legacies. The prosperity of Malacca has enabled the Malacca Sultanate to turn Malacca into a cosmopolitan and formed a management hierarchy in order to maintain the prestige. The ruler create international relationship with other powerful and closer neighbor ensure that the kingdom is protected , respected and able to assist in the growth of knew settlement. We would be able to see the influence of tradition , culture ,law, trade success, international relation, power of military, administration and development of knowledge during the Malacca Sultanate being instilled in Malaysian culture today. The significance of the institution to the Malaysian history is a topic that would encourage the next generation to understand their origin . THE FOUNDATION OF MALACCA Then trade began with the exchange of tin for rice or other essential things. Other trader started to come when the news of the flourished settlement was spread by the native. Malacca then turns into a city with protection from Siameese. The trade routes eventually extended eastwards to China and westwards through Ceylon, India and later Europe. The sea had become important not only for trade but survival to the community. Malacca was not only a maritime power but had become a cosmopolitan and need to defend their kingdom from the threat of Majapahit and Thai kingdom. In order to show how important defense was to Malacca it was said that out of 190,000 population, 100,000 were warriors .Later China proclaimed Malacca a city and a kingdom and the Parameswara its king and was ceased to be a dependency of Siam. Being associated to a powerful kingdom given Malacca the prestige and protection. MALACCA SULTANATE. Malacca Sultanate started in 15th century and the ruler , according to 'Sejarah Melayu', stood at the heart of all meaningful activity. The institutionalized of the Malacca ruling family may have been prompted by the requirements of the new environment. The position of authority had to be confirmed and accepted by the majority of the local inhabitant to exercise control over them according to its established conceptions of a people's loyalty towards their ruler. 3 The Sultanate is a monarchy institution that is a manifestation of a relationship between the ruler and the ruled The ruled means the subject or 'rakyat' is divided into two Categories which are slave and free man. The ruler and the ruled has a symbiotic relationship but the subject is submissive in total to the ruler which means that they cannot go against the ruler. This symbiotic relationship has been described as follows : "The tree can only be perished if the roots are strong". It has been instilled in the mind of the subject that in other words that the Malay cannot rebel against the king. 3 Barbara Watson Andaya & Leonard Y Andaya , A History of Malaysia , London ; Mac Millan , 1987 , p . 46 . 3 The Sultan illustrious role was fulfilled by the ministers for they were the practical administrators of government. The hierarchy of the administrator was lead by the Bendahara, the highest official with whom foreign traders dealt and arbiter in disputes between Malays and foreigners or among Malays themselves. The Penghulu Bendahari was head of all the Shahbandar and controlled all state revenues. Followed in the Malacca hierarchy was Temenggong whose principal concern was Malacca security and then Laksamana , the military counterpart of the Bendahara. These are the most prominent ministers posts in Malacca Sultanate period. Then come the various titled nobles whose position stemmed from their territorial holdings or from privileged association with the royal family. A meeting of nobles constituted a form of council or assembly in which all views could be heard and then a decision taken by consensus. It was this collective decision-making processes which normally prevented arbitrary acts by a ruler and guaranteed that a resolution taken would be faithfully implemented.4 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MALACCA SULTANATE It had been stated by Tome Pires about Malacca's affluence and importance after its capture, " Men cannot estimate the worth of Malacca on account of its greatness and profit ". The Malacca Sultanate had been the greatest period in Malaysian History. The distinguish legacy is too valuable that it had been recorded not only by local historian but international writer. The legacy left by Malacca Sultanate is the institutionalized tradition that did not die with the 'Sultan' but had lived in every one of Malay people in Malaysia. Hang Tuah had once said, " Takkan Melayu hilang di dunia". It has been so until now. The Malacca Sultanate has been the instrumental in shaping the Malay world view. The Malay that has been doctrinaire by the Malacca ruler had been a nation with identity and strength in principal, great economic achievement, respected by international associates, invaluable culture and these characteristic still lies within our Malay society today. The continuity of these tradition shows how the period of Malacca Sultanate had left great significance in our history. Culture And Tradition Second commandment in 'Rukun Negara' stated 'Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara'. It is a manifestation of the relationship between the ruler and the ruled that is being carried on by Malaysian. Malacca Sultanate had instilled this tradition and it still applied also in the 'Institusi Raja' in Malaysia . The subject or 'rakyat' is expected to give their undivided loyalty to the 'sultan' . The concept daulat and derhaka which had been reinforced formed the basis of exclusiveness of Malacca Sultanate.5 In order to differentiate the status of monarchy from the common people , the Malacca Sultanate left a legacy in a form of symbol. It was also used to uplift the monarchy. Symbol is comprises of culture instruments and language. Culture instruments were used in ceremony such as umbrella and regalia. As a protocol in the palace, people had to come to the ceremony formally dressed and kris had to be tucked in front of his waist belt as a sign that he came in peace. The colors of yellow 4 5 Ibid. , p . 47 . Barbara Watson Andaya & Leonard Y Andaya , A History of Malaysia , London ; Mac Millan , p . 45 . 4 and white were exclusive to Royalty. So was the wearing of gold ornaments unless they were the gift of a ruler.6 'Anugerah' or rewards could only be given by the ruling monarchy which was considered as the king's right (hak diraja). It was given as a title which determine the political status in society. 'Laksamana' is an example of title given to the head of military administration . This title always comes with material benefit . 'Anugerah' also has its own hierarchy and the aim of giving the anugerah was to show the power of the king and to harmonize the relationship between the ruler and the recipient. The symbol of monarchy in terms of language is still being used until now. For example 'sembah diraja' . The word "kita", "titah", "beta", "patik", could only be used by the royalty. 'Bersiram' instead of "mandi" and "santap" instead of "makan" are the words that show the difference between the royal and the common people. History is still being continued now in Malaysia due to the legacy left by Malacca Sultanate. Muslim State And Administration Law Being declared as a Muslim Sultanate and Islam as the State religion, Malacca marked a new era in the history for the transition of Hindu- Buddhist to Islamic period . 'Sultan' is a Muslim title that adopted by Raja Kasim who changed his name to 'Muzaffar Shah' . However, the process of the conversion of the Malays from Hinduism and Buddhism to Islam was gradual and was not completed in the peninsula until about the middle or end of 17th century.7 As the power of Malacca extended, so did it religious influence and it became the center for the teaching and study of Muslim theology for the entire Indies. "What we think should be done we do, for the ruler is not concerned with the difficulties we administrator encounter, he only takes accounts of the good results we achieve." Tome Pires's Suma Oriental in conjunction with the analysis on the Sejarah Melayu , conveys some idea how this ideal concept function. The minister faithfully executing their duties according to their hierarchy and helped dissociate the ruler from the mundane tasks of government so that his more sacred function within the society could be preserved.8 Due to the expansion of Malacca from a city to a cosmopolitan and the active trade activities in Malacca port , the administrators or ministers had to enforce set of rules or law to ensure the control over local inhabitants and foreign traders in the kingdom. There was a lot of written law during the Malacca Sultanate but the most outstanding were ‘Undang-Undang Melaka ' and ‘Hukum Kanun Melaka’. The law comprises of Islamic law and customary or tradition . Both elements became the fundamental of the laws. The law was being enforced by the ministers with the assistance from other noble men who formed a meeting called council and they will always make any decision through collective opinion from the council. This 6 7 8 Harry Miller , The Story of Malaysia , London ; Faber & Faber , p . 33 . Ibid. , p . 35 . Barbara , A Historical of Malaysia , p . 46 . 5 collective decision is known as’muafakat’ which has continued tradition. in our present Politics And Economy View The Sultanate of Malacca had determined its continuity by having a successor to replace the sultan when he died. The choice of his successor rested with the most senior chiefs for there were no automatic rights of succession by a son or a brother. A ruler could designate his successor who however had later to gain the support of the chiefs. The element of imperialism had developed along with the prosperity of Malacca. Tun Perak had been ‘the brain of Malacca’s imperialist policy in Malaya and Sumatera for more than three reign’. He began to launch his campaign for territorial expansion. after the death of Sultan Muzaffar Shah. After defeated the Siamese off Batu Pahat, Tun Perak urged Sultan Mansur Shah to spike Siamese influence by attacking its vassal state of Pahang . Pahang then embraced almost the whole of the southern part of the peninsula. An important trade route connected Pahang with Muar and Malacca.9 Sultan Mansur Shah was content to leave policy to Tun Perak who fanned the heat of a new Malay spirit.. Malay expeditions conquered the eastern Sumatera states of Kampar, Siak, Indragiri and Rokan. When Malacca defeated Kedah, it gave Malacca the control over the river states of Perak. This was the peak of Malacca ‘golden age’. Being powerful, Tun Perak overruled the late Sultan Mansur Shah choice of successor, Raja Ahmad, by persuading the major chiefs to place his nephew , Raja Hussain, on the throne. Tun Perak , with single-minded devotion had created Malay empire and also deliberately maneuvered his own relatives on to the Malacca throne. As a Bendahara, he had been the real ruler of Malacca.10 The history expansion of territory has developed the idea of politic and military strategy of Malay people . Loyalty, unity, bravery and other distinguish characters become our tradition. The greatest significance of Malacca Sultanate is the international relation and trading activities that had been generated at the Malacca port from the 14th century until 19th century. The administration had provided the facilities and conducive environment for foreign traders to exchange trading goods and material. The prestige and respect provided by superior kingdom like China enables Malacca to become a safe area to do business. The wisdom of the administrator with enforcement of laws has created systematic port management that attracted more local and. foreign traders. Being an Islamic state contribute to the preference of Indian traders who were the most active foreign traders with products like the spices and cloth. When Malacca Sultanate manages to expand their territory a lot more trade routes are being created thus added to the prosperity of Malacca. Hierarchy in Society Malacca’s Sultanate with the influence of the administrators had left us the 9 10 Harry , Story of Malaysia , p . 36 . ibid. , p . 39 . 6 legacy of Malay ideology. A nation has to be administered with people playing each one of their own roles. People in a society have to be placed in a hierarchy so that they can contribute to the nation within their own capacity and status . This classification of people do not mean society was not democratic. It means people have to live in a community by respecting each other and to fulfil their responsibilities to the country. A ruler is the Supremes in the hierarchy of society but he is being supported by the administrators . A group of administrators formed their own hierarchy according to the importance of the designation and role from the highest to the lowest rank For example : Bendahara, Penghulu Bendahari, Temenggong, and Laksamana. They were assisted by group of noble man who were the royal kin of blood and they formed a council to to make collective decision on matters that needed to be discussed. Lastly the lowest hierarchy of people in society was common people comprise of free man and slave. A commoner was rarely permitted to enter the rarefied atmosphere of the ruling class. This practice is still being continued until now but with adjustment to the requirement of modern society in Malaysia . Therefore the significance of the community hierarchy in Malaysian History does exist because the tradition has continued until now. CONCLUSION Every man has their origin that started long time ago. So is Malay in Malaysia. But what does we know about our origin ? . We might be surprise to find out that our root was once a race that we have never knew. Being a Malay and Islam by religion we are proud to be a Malaysian for our society is known to be rich with culture and tradition. Islam has been the official religion of the country but other races are free to have their own religion. Malaysia still maintains the Monarchy Institution even though we are a parliamentary democracy government. The monarchy system were an inheritance from our ancestor that carried along with it the royal tradition and hierarchy of people in society . Administration and laws of the government is being enforced by the ministers and counsel. The Malay idea of politics is applied in the government policy making. The people who really influence the ruling of the country are the ministers. The Malay politic view also has been inherited and developed through the centuries by the repetition experience of being conquered by the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japan. The above-mentioned segments are traditions that are still being carried out as a continuation of our culture from the Sultanate of Malacca. The significance concluded has been extracted from every aspect of our modern life as a result of that history continuity. We were not only part of the history, but we have used the history to formed a better society and develop the country further . For example, Malacca Sultanate had developed a system for port management during their glorious era as a trading entrepot. With that invention we have improvised the system to suit our requirement and modern world. Malay language and Islam had been very synonymous with the Malaysian due to the fact that the Malacca Sultanate has ensured that the kingdom had been the center of both the language and religion development. 7 Now with the technology of the new cyber era, the government is following another footstep of the history in transforming the country into the center of information technology. Another significance of Malacca Sultanate is the international relation that had become the initiation of foreign policies being formed by the government due to the increase of economy activities. We have to be thankful to our heritage of the Malacca Sultanate that had formed the yardstick and instruments that enable us to learn from the Malaysian History and continue to create our own history. 8