Down Memory Lane

Malaysia Today:

THE MAN WHO SHOULD BE KING
Posted by admin
Friday, 03 April 2009 01:59

Last weekend I had the pleasure of renewing my 30-year acquaintance with a really lovely guy I've always known as Bok, though his official name is Raja Zailan Putra Raja Dato' Seri Haji Azam.

A mutual friend introduced us back in 1979 or 1980. I knew at the time that Bok boasted a royal pedigree. I saw photographs in his modest house of colorful characters in courtly regalia.

One that stood out was of Bok's great-grandfather, Raja Muda Abdullah (right), who signed the 1874 Pangkor Treaty with Sir Andrew Clarke and was anointed Sultan Abdullah of Perak.

Things started to go awry soon after that when the British sent a colonial officer named James Wheeler Woodford Birch (3 April 1826 - 2 November 1875) to Perak to serve as advisor to the Sultan.

Link: Click here for more details.........

Our Comments:

1. To set the record straight once and for all, the late Sultan Alang Iskandar Shah had an admonition about Tengku Putra Ash-Sha'ari. His Highness said to Tengku Putra Ash-Sha'ari, "You have been chosen to take care of our family, so you cannot become a Sultan". So, that is what Tengku Putra Ash-Sha'ari has been been doing all this while with so much dedication. Not even once came across his mind to be a Sultan, although he is of this breed. He knows that he was entrusted with this very important and heavy responsibility on all the affected States, including Brunei. All of us in the group are like this.

2. A final warning to all and sundry, let the Royals handle their own Royal matters themselves. Do not interfere, especially the UMNO politicians.

3. We condemn Antares, the author of the MAGICK RIVER blog to the bones for his latest post in distorting the facts of Perak's history, especially on the Royals.

4. Dato' Maharaja Lela was a pious and knowledgeable man. Sultan Abdullah entrusted him to be the Qadhi at that time. He was known as Dato' Maharaja Lela 'Pancung Tak Bertanya' (Behead without asking).

5. The killing of Birch was not due to him bathing in a river naked. At that time, Birch was having a shower in his bath when he was killed. Birch was very obnoxious and repressive towards the people of Perak at that time. He wanted to control Sultan Abdullah and his subjects to the letter. So, that is why the subjects at that time revolted and assassinated Birch. Furthermore, the people of Perak wanted to free themselves from British rule. Then, the colonial masters blamed Sultan Abdullah for the uprising and exiled him. For a better account of the incidents that had happened, read here, here, here, here, here and here.

6. This was what the colonial journalist wrote about Sultan Abdullah:

"As for Raja Abdullah, who started off by receiving British recognition but ended up by being exiled to the Seychelles, Birch found him 'eminently silly and foolish' and conveyed in his reports the lowest possible estimate of the prince's moral character. But Birch obviously had an axe to grind. Sir Andrew Clarke, the freshly arrived Governor of the Straits, formed a different impression when he interviewed Abdullah. 'It may be here stated that the Raja Muda has been represented as a person of such debauched habits, and bad health, mental and bodily, as to be unfit to rule: but it was only necessary to be in his company for a few minutes to see that this was an erroneous opinion. The Raja Muda not only looked well in health, but was alert and ... more than ordinarily sharp and intelligent'. 'It is charitable to suppose', observed Swettenham, 'that early disappointment had embittered his life, for he possessed good qualities. He was undeniably intelligent, and had a wider knowledge of his country than any other man in it. He knew his own mind, was determined to obstinacy, and asked counsel of few.'"

Reference:

Page 83
STRAITS AFFAIRS
THE MALAY WORLD AND SINGAPORE
Being Glimpses of the Straits Settlements and the Malay Peninsula in the Nineteenth Century as seen through THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS and other contemporary sources

Compiled by: D.J.M. Tate

1989
JOHN NICHOLSON LTD
HONG KONG

For more details, read this book to know more about our history from the perspective of the colonial masters.

7. There is no information in our records that showed Dato' Maharaja Lela at that time had used the native people as slaves. What we know was that Dato' Maharaja Lela and his people Islamized the natives. The native leader in Perak, Tok Bayas, became a Muslim and married one of our family.

8. So, we condemn Antares again to the bones for distorting the history of Perak. Antares and whoever like him shall suffer the wrath of Allah s.w.t. for their traitorous acts towards the Royals, now and then, inshaAllah.

9. So, learn history in the correct perspective so that we can get the wisdom that came with every incident. Truth will always prevail, inshaAllah.

Best Regards.........