بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
On February 22nd 2017, an article that was posted on a local blog shook the local social media with the claim that the elderly man seen sitting in the following picture is the famous Maharaja Lela of Perak.1
The picture is believed to be first uploaded onto Flickr by the National Archives (UK) on August 29th 2012 and the picture is part of the Colonial Office (CO) photographic collection.2
Unfortunately, the researcher has to make it clear that the elderly man seen in the picture is not the famous Maharaja Lela of Perak!
Sri Maharaja Lela of Sayong, NOT Maharaja Lela of Pasir Salak
The famous Maharaja Lela in the history of turbulent Perak was one of eight major chiefs of Perak, he lived and breathed at Pasir Salak, not Sayung (or Sayong).
If the above picture was taken in or circa 1874, then the elderly man seen in the photo is actually Sri Maharaja Lela Alang Jaman or To' Muda Alang Jaman. Sri Maharaja Lela Alang Jaman was the head of the sixteen minor chiefs of Perak and apparently supported Sultan Ismail. Sri Maharaja Lela interestingly was the brother of the famous Che Mida and Sayung (Sayong) was indeed his home for he had a house there that was known to J.W.W. Birch himself.3 The Sri Maharaja Lela of Sayong back then also had two subordinates or assistants that had interesting titles, To' Raja Duamat and To' Raja Biji Dewa.4 Another picture that was taken at Blanja in June 18745 interestingly has the same background with the picture shown earlier, thus raising the possibility that it was shot or taken at Blanja too.
Do we actually have a picture of Maharaja Lela of Pasir Salak?
The famous Maharaja Lela in the history of turbulent Perak was Pandak Adam6 and he was often described as the brother of Ngah Jabbor (Ngah Jabor)7 and nephew of the equally famous Shah Bandar (Collector of Customs)8 who we all know by heart had strongly supported Sultan Abdullah. Ngah Jabor on the other hand was the third person (after Pandak Indut and Kulup Ali) to inflict a fatal blow (but not deadly?) to J. W. W. Birch.9
The researcher would not be surprised at all if one or more pictures of the famous Maharaja Lela are actually available online but for some unknown reasons, remain unidentified because nobody bothered to identify him in the first place.
If (a big if) Mohamed Jabor bin Bardot (the following photo) was indeed the famous Ngah Jabbor (Ngah Jabor), then his brother, the famous Maharaja Lela in the history of turbulent Perak, would most probably share some of his facial features and likenesses.
Mohd Hashim bin Sam Abdul Latiff tried his best to unravel the identity of the famous Ngah Jabor. Despite his best efforts, Mohd Hashim bin Sam Abdul Latiff who happened to be the grandson of Mohamed Jabor bin Bardot ended his excellent research in a cliffhanger, neither denying nor affirming that his grandfather was the famous Ngah Jabbor (Ngah Jabor).10
Ngah Jabor, brother of Maharaja Lela, NOT Ngah Jabar (To' Gemok) the Panglima Kinta
Unless proven otherwise, the famous Maharaja Lela in the history of turbulent Perak will always be known as the brother of Ngah Jabbor (Ngah Jabor) and nephew of the Shah Bandar who had strongly supported Sultan Abdullah.
With that being said, the famous Ngah Jabbor was certainly not Panglima Kinta To' Gemok (Gafar or Ngah Jabar). A passage from an old book regarding the history of Hulu Perak made it all clear;
Dalam masa suasana perhubongan Perak-Reman sedang di-liputi mendong di-sebabkan oleh perbuatan orang2 Reman menchuri2 masok ka-Kelian Intan itu maka tiba2 datang-lah orang2 Kedah mena'alokkan negeri Perak dengan surohan Raja Siam dalam tahun 1818, serta memaksa negeri ini menghantar Bunga Emas ka-Siam pada tiap2 tahun. Akan tetapi Perak tiada lama menghantar Bunga Emas ka-Siam kerana Raja Siam ada berjanji, jika Sultan Perak dapat mencharikan baginda sa-ekor gajah yang berkuku dua puloh maka tidak-lah payah lagi Perak menghantar Bunga Emas pada tiap2 tahun. Pada suatu hari Dato Panglima Kinta Ngah Abdul Sam telah mendapat sa-ekor gajah jantan saperti yang di-kehendaki oleh Raja Siam itu lalu di-namakan Chapang Pileh. Gajah itu kemudian di-hantarkan dengan isti-'adat ka-Siam. Maka sa-lepas ini tidak-lah Perak menghantar Bunga Emas lagi.11
Chakri Siam certainly did order Kedah to attack Perak in 181812 and the troops of Raja of Quedah (Kedah) successfully invaded Perak in the same year.13 Years later, the Burney Treaty that was sealed in 1826 finally gave Perak the assurance that Bangkok (Siam) would stop their attacks.14
Based from the quoted passage (as shown earlier), Ngah Abdul Sam was already a full-fledged Panglima Kinta or territorial chief of Kinta anywhere between 1818 and 1826. To' Lasam (Ngah Abdul Sam, Ngah Lasam or recently more commonly named as Ngah Lassam) was the 8th Panglima Kinta and he was also Panglima Kinta To' Gemok's successor.15 A quick look at the timeline is more than enough for anybody to see that Panglima Kinta To' Gemok (Jabar or recently more commonly named as Ngah Jabar) couldn't have been involved in the murder of J. W. W. Birch.
To those unfortunate descendants of Datoh Kulup Lembang bin Mohamed Kassim that have been fooled and misled, you must know all these facts disclosed today by heart for you might need them one day to counter some of the bizarre claims made by certain quarters and even by your own huge extended family. Your parents, forefathers, foremothers and ancestors could have been fooled and misled but that doesn't mean that you should be a fool too. Knowledge is enlightenment, knowledge is also the best defense, not blind loyalty nor blind obedience. The choice is yours.
1. Tok Changkat Langgor, “Wajah Sebenar Dato’ Maharaja Lela,” Orangperak.com, 2017, http://www.orangperak.com/wajah-sebenar-dato-maharaja-lela.html.
2. The National Archives UK, “CO 1069-484-119,” Flickr, 2012, https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalarchives/7886260630/in/album-72157631302263418/.
3. J. W. W. Birch (James Wheeler Woodford), The Journals of J. W. W. Birch : First British Resident to Perak, 1874-1875 / Edited and Introduced by P.L. Burns., ed. Peter Laurie Burns (Kuala Lumpur ; London : Oxford University Press, 1976), 14, 14 N. 7, 72, 72 N. 1.
4. R. J. Wilkinson, Papers on Malay Subjects : History. Part I, Events prior to British Ascendancy. Part II, Notes on Perak History (Federated Malay States Government Press, 1908), 85.
5. The National Archives UK, “CO 1069-484-118,” Flickr, 2012, https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalarchives/7886260798/in/album-72157631302263418/.
6. The Straits Times, “MR HEWICK’S EXPEDITION.,” The Straits Times, January 22, 1876, 1.
7. Straits Times Overland Journal, “THE PERAK TRIAL,” Straits Times Overland Journal, January 25, 1877, 4.
8. Straits Times Overland Journal, “THE FATE OF THE CHIEFS.,” Straits Times Overland Journal, January 11, 1877, 5.
9. Abdullah Zakaria bin Ghazali, “Pembunuhan J.W.W. Birch: Suatu Kajian Tentang Pembunuhannya,” Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies, no. 9 (1979): 59–72, 72.
10. Mohd Hashim bin Sam Abdul Latiff, “The Identity of Ngah Jabor and Mohamed Jabor Bin Bardot (1858-1921),” Journal of the Malaysian Branch, Royal Asiatic Society 53, no. 2 (1980): 16, 16.
11. Raja Razman bin Raja Abdul Hamid, Hulu Perak Dalam Sejarah (Ipoh: Regina Press Ltd, 1963), 11.
12. Ooi Keat Gin, Historical Dictionary of Malaysia (Lanham, Md : Scarecrow Press, 2009), xlviii.
13. J. H. Moor, Notices of the Indian Archipelago and Adjacent Countries: Being a Collection of Papers Relating to Borneo, Celebes, Bali, Java, Sumatra, Nias, the Philippine Islands, Sulus, Siam, Cochin China, Malayan Peninsula, Etc. (London: Cass, 1968), 72.
14. Takashi Shiraishi, Across the Causeway : A Multi-Dimensional Study of Malaysia-Singapore Relations (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2009), 38.
15. R. J. Wilkinson, Papers on Malay Subjects: History Part IV, Council Minutes, Perak, 1880-1882 (F.M.S. Govt. Press, 1909), 63-65.
Bibliography
Ghazali, Abdullah Zakaria bin. “Pembunuhan J.W.W. Birch: Suatu Kajian Tentang Pembunuhannya.” Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies, no. 9 (1979): 59–72.
Gin, Ooi Keat. Historical Dictionary of Malaysia. Lanham, Md : Scarecrow Press, 2009.
Hamid, Raja Razman bin Raja Abdul. Hulu Perak Dalam Sejarah. Ipoh: Regina Press Ltd, 1963.
Journal, Straits Times Overland. “THE FATE OF THE CHIEFS.” Straits Times Overland Journal, January 11, 1877.
———. “THE PERAK TRIAL.” Straits Times Overland Journal, January 25, 1877.
Langgor, Tok Changkat. “Wajah Sebenar Dato’ Maharaja Lela.” Orangperak.com, 2017. http://www.orangperak.com/wajah-sebenar-dato-maharaja-lela.html.
Latiff, Mohd Hashim bin Sam Abdul. “The Identity of Ngah Jabor and Mohamed Jabor Bin Bardot (1858-1921).” Journal of the Malaysian Branch, Royal Asiatic Society 53, no. 2 (1980): 16.
Moor, J. H. Notices of the Indian Archipelago and Adjacent Countries: Being a Collection of Papers Relating to Borneo, Celebes, Bali, Java, Sumatra, Nias, the Philippine Islands, Sulus, Siam, Cochin China, Malayan Peninsula, Etc. London: Cass, 1968.
Shiraishi, Takashi. Across the Causeway : A Multi-Dimensional Study of Malaysia-Singapore Relations. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2009.
The Straits Times. “MR HEWICK’S EXPEDITION.” The Straits Times, January 22, 1876.
UK, The National Archives. “CO 1069-484-118.” Flickr, 2012. https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalarchives/7886260798/in/album-72157631302263418/.
———. “CO 1069-484-119.” Flickr, 2012. https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalarchives/7886260630/in/album-72157631302263418/.
Wilkinson, R. J. Papers on Malay Subjects : History. Part I, Events prior to British Ascendancy. Part II, Notes on Perak History. Federated Malay States Government Press, 1908.
———. Papers on Malay Subjects: History Part IV, Council Minutes, Perak, 1880-1882. F.M.S. Govt. Press, 1909.
Woodford), J. W. W. Birch (James Wheeler. The Journals of J. W. W. Birch : First British Resident to Perak, 1874-1875 / Edited and Introduced by P.L. Burns. Edited by Peter Laurie Burns. Kuala Lumpur ; London : Oxford University Press, 1976.
A word of thanks to the National Library Board Singapore for making this humble research possible.
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