Cheah - Pengadilan Moral terhadap Sultan Mahmud dan Kejatuhan Empayar Melaka

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GREAT MELAKAN EMPIRE: MORAL JUDGEMENT IN TUN
BAMBANG'S "SEJARAH MELAYU"
Author(s): CHEAH BOON KHENG
Source: Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 71, No. 2 (275)
(1998), pp. 104-121
Published by: Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41493366 .
Accessed: 21/06/2014 17:05
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
.

Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend
access to Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GREAT MELAKAN
BAMBANG'S
EMPIRE: MORAL JUDGEMENT IN TUN

SEJARAH MELAYU*

by
CHEAH BOON KHENG

AndletnotyourHighnessyieldto thelustsoftheflesh,formanyare theprinces
whosekingdomhsavebeendestroyebdyAlmightGyod becausetheyyieldedtotheir
fleshlylusts.

- The dyingBendaharaPaduka Raja, Tun Perak's last injunctionto Sultan
Ala'u'd-dinRi'ayatShah,fromSejarahMelayu, (Cf.Brown,p.Ill; AbdulRahman,p.
206)

AsfortheMalays, howevergrievouslytheymayoffendb,e nothastyinputtingthem
to deathexceptin cases wherethatpenaltyis orderedbythelaw ofGod [hukum
Allah]...Ifyouputthemtodeathwhentheyhavedoneno wrongy, ourkingdomwill
be destroyed.

- SultanAlau'd-dinRi'ayat Shah's last injunctionon his death-bedto Raja
Mamat,whosucceededhimas SultanMahmud,thelastrulerofMelakabeforeitsfall,
fromSejarahMelayu,transliteratbeydAbdulRahmanHj Ismail,p.212(Mytranslation).

Introduction
am greatlyhonouredbytheinvitatioonftheCounciloftheMalaysianBranchofthe
RoyalAsiaticSocietytodeliverthislectureontheSejarahMelayu on theoccasion

I of thelaunchof its new Romanisedtransliteratioonf RafflesMS No. 18 of the
Sejarah Melayu.The transliteratiownas doneby AssociateProfessorAbdulRahman
Haji IsmailoftheUniversitSiainsMalaysia.I wouldliketo beginbyfocussingon the
authoroftheRafflesMS. No.18,TunBambang,andthendiscussthesignificancoefhis
text,thevariantextsoftheSejarahMelayu,thecentratlhemeofthisgreatworkandthe
moraland ethicalprinciplesb,othIslamicand traditionaol,n whichit is based.I shall
also discusstheunityandintegritoyfitsthemeandstructure.

T'in Bambang and the First Author
Tun Bambang's name, unfortunatelyh,as been neglectedif not forgottenI.t is
overshadowebdythatofTunSeriLanang,a latercopyistoftheSejarahMelayu,because
rfaueecwtohpgoenrooifptRiloeanrfT.efhalleeisMrseeSahrNies,oio.mf1cp8oo.uArrtmsaeno,dcneegIt.ttrhiaescmttioismrwtsehhteooMbraeellsaiteyovsrectehhhoiamltaTrtuA,on.hSBiaasmmparbdoaApnehgrimsplnaadoc,te1btohufte
as I intendtoargue,TunBambangshouldbe recognizedas theauthorofthistext.

* Publilcecturdeliveroend11Decembe1r9,98atthePresidenRto'somR,oyaSlelangoCrlubinKuala
1 LAu.SmampuaArd.hmaSdu,latuSsalatinp,.308).

104

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

JMBRAVSOL.LXXI
In fact,neitherTunBambangnorTunSeriLanangwas thefirstwriterorcopyist
of theSejarah Melayu.The nameof thatauthoris stillunknownT. he EnglishMalay
scholarR.O. Winstedbtelievedthathewasa MelakamanofthecourtofSultanMahmud
of Melaka, the last Sultan of Melaka. He outlivedthecaptureof Melaka by the
Porutugesein 1511,wrotedownhis textup to theyear1535 anddied sometimeafter
1535. Winstedpterceptiveloybservedthatthelastepisodeinhismanuscriprtelatestoa
Portuguesaettackon a fortatSungeiTelor,a tributaroyftheJohorRiver,inJune1535,
whichis verifiedin Portuguesesources.2Of thisfirstauthorW, instedthas written":a
scholarp, ossiblyofmixedblood,whowas interesteidnhistoryandinsuchlanguagesas
Javaneseand Arabicand even Persian,an observerwho could noteand mimicthe
foreignerosf a cosmopolitanport,a manwhoknewand coulddescribeintimateltyhe
courtandnobilityofthelastSultanofMalacca."3
Apparentltyhisfirstauthor'stextcameintothehandsofTunBambangwho,as he
begancopyingit,addedontoitmoredetailsandimproveditas well.Thisartofcopying
and writingwenton each timea copyistdid his workin thosedays. Therewas no
photocopyinmg achineas we havethesedays,so theworkofcopyingwas an arduous
one exclusivelyleftto theeducatedpeople who could readand write.Theywielded
considerablepowerand knowledge,addingin, deletingor amendingwhateverthey
wishedandnoonewasthewiseras tothetruthoftheirstatements.
WinstedhtasestablishedthatthistextbyTunBambangt, heRafflesMS. No. 18,is
theoldesttextoftheSejarahMelayu intheworld.He hasarguedthatthefirstauthoror
copyistrecordedgraphicdetailsof thelastdaysof theMelaka Sultanateo,f whichhe
was an eye-witnessO.therfactortso supporthisviewthatthiswas theoldesttextwere
thearchaicnatureoftheMalaylanguagehe used,hisknowledgeofold Persian,Arabic
and Javaneselanguagesas well as thebrevityof his Preface,of whichmorelater.
RecentstudiesoftheRafflesMS No. 18 textbytheDutchscholarDr R. Roolvinkand
by Associate ProfessorAbdul RahmanHaji Ismail now confirmthisjudgementof
WinstedtthattheRafflesMS No. 18is theoldesttextoftheSejarahMelayu.

The Variant Versions
Therearenowavailable32 varianteditionsoftheSejarahMelayu, in variouslibraries
throughouttheworld,each one differenftromtheother.Therehave been threemore
acquisitionsofJawimanuscriptosftheSejarahMelayu in Malaysia,since 1970 when
Dr R. Roolvinklastcountedthetotalnumberas 29. Ofthese32 editionseveralinclude
differenvtersionsofTunBambangs' manuscrip(tof whichthreeat leastexist- besides
RafflesMS No. 18, thereis theBlagdenrecensionand an 1896 Frenchtranslation,4
whileseveralmoreof Tun SeriLanangs' manuscripetxist.Thereare also one or two
othermanuscriptbsearingothernamesofcopyists.

The firstranslatioonfSejarahMelayu intoEnglishwas madebyJohnLeyland,
whoworkedfortheEnglishEastIndiaCompanyandservedThomasStamforRd affles.
The text,whichwas publishedposthumousliyn 1821,was editedbyRaffleswhowrote
an introductionIt.was entitledM, alayAnnals: translatefdromtheMalay language....

2 WRSeoeioWnlsvitinenosd"ktpTte,.,hc"diTeVttph.,a.reD5i0aat.nVetA,erustihonaoonfrstdhIdeMenaltaioytAfytnhneOarlspi,g."xinvDairli.afotfTheMalayAnnalsp,p" .47-48.
3
4

105

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

PART2,1998

withan introductionbySir ThomasStamfordRaffles (London, 1821). The second
edition in Jawiis thatbyMunsyiAbdullahbinAbdulkadirR,affles'Malay scribeand
was publishedin Singaporeabout 1831. Abdullahgave it thetitleSejarah Melayu,
althoughitsactualtitleis Sulalat-us-Salatina(The Genealogyof Sultans).Abdullah's
editionhas been republishedtwice,in 1884 and in 1952,thelatter,in a romanized
edition,by Teeuw and Situmorangin Jakartand AmsterdamT.he thirdwell-known
editiona,lso a Jawieditioni,s thatbytheChristianmissionaryandMalayscholarW, .G.
aSmhealllgabameaart,fiiornosftptuwboltisehxetds-ina 1896 andreprintesdeveraltimes. Shellabear'stextis an
longtextanda shorttext.Althoughhe wrotePrefacesfor
thefirstJawitext(1896) andforthefirstromanisededition(1898) andfor thesecond
romanisededition(1909), he neverexplainedhowhejoinedthetwotextsor gave any
detailsaboutthesetexts. Shellabear'stext,describedas "hybridb" yDr Roolvinkwho
has triedto identifyboththetexts,5is actuallya corrupttextand utterlyuseless.By
mixingup twotexts,Shellabearhas addedfurthetro theproblemsofinterpolationbsy
previouscopyistsas wellas tonumeroudsiscrepancieosffactsandstoriesI.t is timeto
discardtheShellabeartextwhich,unfortunatehlya,s beenwidelycirculatedin schools
anduniversities.
AccordingtoWinstedtm, ostothertextsarelaterversionsofTunBambang'stext.
Winstedwt as abletoestablishthisfactbymakinga comparativsetudyofthePrefacesof
severaldifferenttexts.6For instancei,n thePrefaceofTun SeriLanang'seditionsthere
is a referencteo an assemblyofchiefsa,mongwhomoneofhigherpositionspeaksout.
He sayshe had heardofa "hikayat[historyb]roughftromGoa [believedto be Goa in
Sulawesi]",andinquireswhethe"ritcouldnotbe improveds,o thatitmightbe knownto
ourdescendantasfterus,andbe rememberebdythemtotheiradvantage.T" he assembly
pickstheBendaharaSeriPadukaTunSeriLanangtorewrittehehistoryor"hikayaft rom
Goa". This passage,Winstedtobserves,does notappearin TunBambang'sPrefaceof
his text.What Tun Seri Lanang has done is to interpolateso skilfullyinto Tun
Bambang'sprefacetheroyalordertocompiletheworkandthatofhisnameandidentity
in betweenthelines of Tun Bambang'sascriptionof theorderto himselfs,o thatit
appearsas thoughTun Bambangis thecarrierof theroyalorderto Tun SeriLanang.
AnyoneinterestesdhouldcomparethetwoPrefacesandsee howTun SeriLananghas
donehisworkofinterpolationIt. is duetotheingenuitoyfWinstedtthathe was ableto
detectthis.
The insertionofthenameofa writeorra copyistintoa Malaytextintheold days
was an uncommonpractice.Mostwritersuppressedtheirindividuaildentityand did
notclaimauthorshiopf theirownworks. It was onlytherareoutstandinpgersonality
who daredto identifyhimselfl,ikeAceh's seventeentchenturyreligiouswriterSheikh
Nuru'd-dinar-Ranirin his book,Bustanu-us-Salatin(Gardenof Kings),whichwas
begunin 1638 and in whichhe citesa textof theSejarah Melayu whoseauthorhe
merelyrefersto as "BendaharaSeriPaduka,"whichmostscholarshaveinterpretetdo
meanTunSeriLanangon thebasishe heldthattitle.Ifso,he musthavehada copyof
TunSeriLanang'stextinhishands. In thecase ofan officially-commissionteexdt,the
insertionof theauthor'sor copyist'snamewas oftenprobablydictatedby political
reasonstoensurethatthewritern,otthepatronb,orethewholeresponsibilitfyorwhathe
wrote.However,iftheworkwonanypraise,thatpraisewouldgo tothepatronn, otto

5 WRoinolsvtie1nd19kt93,,74"0,Tp,.hxePxriieif. aoceftheMalayAnnals".
6

106

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

JMBRAVSOL.LXXI
thewritera,s ifthepatronhimselfhadwiselywritteintorcommandedittobe writtetno
hiswishes.

Serious Discrepancies
Thereare seriousdiscrepancieosf facts,storylines,characterizatioandphilosophical
argumentbs etweenthevarioustextsof theSejarah Melayu.This indicatesthatthe
copyistshavemadevariousinterpolationofs theirown,as andwhentheyliked,raising
doubtswhethetrheSejarahMelayu couldbe acceptedas a seriousworkofhistoryL. et
us takea fewexamples.Forinstancet,heRafflesMS No. 18 ofTunBambangdescribes
thenameoftheQueenofBentanas "WanSeriBeni,"whiletheShellabeartextofTun
Seri Lanang uses thatnameto referto herdaughterT. he famousduel betweentwo
Malay warriorisn Melaka,Hang Tuah and Hang Jebati,s a storywhicheveryMalay
schoolboyprobablyknowsandis narrateidnthefamousHikayatHangTuah, butinboth
theTunBambangandTunSeriLanangtextstheduelis saidtotakeplacebetweenHang
TuahandHangKasturi.The storyis identicalb,utthecharacterasredifferentO.nlyin
onetextoftheSejarahMelayu, thatoftheeditiontransliteratbeydtheMalaywriterA.
SamadAhmadentitledSulatusSalatin (SejarahMelayu), publishedbyDewan Bahasa
danPustakain 1979,doesthepopularversionoftheduelbetweenHangTuahandHang
Jebatappear.

AnotherdiscrepancyappearsbetweentheTun Bambangand Tun Seri Lanang
textswithregardtothestoryofthebeautifuflairyprincessPuterGi unungLedangwhois
wooed bytheSultanof Melaka.This princesswhosehandhad beenaskedforby the
kingappearsas a mythicaul nattainablefigurewho setsimpossibledemandson the
sultan:

Ifthekingdesiresme,lethimmakeformea bridgeofgoldanda bridgeof
silverfromMalaka to GunungLedang;andfora betrothagliftlettherebe
seven traysof mosquitoes'hearts,seven traysof mites'hearts,a vat of
youngareca-nuwt atera, vatoftears,a cupoftheRaja's bloodanda cupof
hisownson's blood.7

To this,theSultanreplies:
Acalnl tnhoatptsrhoevdidemef,aonroduswrheecaarntwproouvldidneos,tasvuefofneulrystthoetbalkoeoidt.o8fourson;thatwe

Thisis a moraltalewhichis meantto symbolisethesultan'sinsatiablelustforwomen.
In TunBambangs' account,thestoryis ascribedtoSultanMansurShah,whileTunSeri
Lanang's textascribes it to the last Sultan of Melaka, SultanMahmud.Tun Seri
Lanangs' interpolatiownasprobablyduetohisbeliefthatSultanMahmudwhowastruly
lecherousdeservedtobe associatedwiththestoryandnotthegoodSultanMansurShah
whowas thegreatesrtulerofMelaka.Anotherdiscrepanciys theinsertioonfthepseudo-
propheticelementsor warningsin thelast-minutienjunctionswhichTun Perak,the
famousBendaharaPadukaRaja [orPrimeMinisterg] avetohishouseholdon hisdeath-
bed. Accordingto RafflesMS No.18 of Tun Bambang,Tun Perakdied duringthe

7 BIbriodw. np.,96.
8

107

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

PART2,1998
sultanateofAla'u'd-dinandso thispartofhistestamenotrwill[wasiat]was addressed
toSultanAla'u'd-din:"AndletnotyourHighnessyieldtothelustsofthefleshf, ormany
are theprinceswhosekingdomshave beendestroyedbyAlmightyGod becausethey
yieldedto theirfleshlylusts."9 In theShellabeareditionof Tun Seri Lanang's text,
SultanAla'u'd-dinhaddiedearliera,ndtheseadmonitionws eregivenbyTunPerakto
SultanAla'u'd-din'sson,SultanMahmud.10

The Name of Melaka and Its Founder
One otherdiscrepancyrelatesto thenameof Melaka itselfand to thename of its
founderM. ost of theSejarah Melayu textssay thatthenameof "Melaka"is derived
froma tree.The firstrulerof Melaka, SultanIskandarShah, was a refugeefrom
SingaporeaftertheforcesofMajapahithaddestroyedhiskingdomO. ne daywhileout
huntingn,otfarfromtheriverBertramh,e stoppedundera treeandnoticedthatone of
his houndshad been kickedby a whitemouse-deer". This is a good place," Sultan
IskandarShahsaid,"whenevenitsmouse-deeirs fulloffight!We shalldo welltomake
a cityhere."And on enquiringthenameof thetree,he was toldthatit was called
"Melaka".Thereuponh, e decidedto nametheplace Melaka.11Tomé Piresalso has a
similarstoryof thewhitemouse-deerturningon a huntingdog of a princenamed
XaquemDarxa (IskandarShah?)whoaskshisfatherforpermissionto erecta city,but
thereis no mentionofhimcallingthecityhe setup on thissitewherethemouse-deer
stoodas "Melaka".

Pires, however,narratesa differentaccount of how Melaka got its name.
Accordingto him,it was called Melaka by thefirstfounderw, hosenamehe gave as
"Parameswara,"thefatheroftheabove-mentioneXdaquemDarxa (IskandarShah?).12
But,strangelyP,arameswaras' namedoes notappearat all in anyof thetextsof the
Sejarah Melayu, althoughSultanIskandarShah's nameappearsas thelast kingof
Singapuraand thefirstkingofMelaka.Winstedwt as misledbybothTomé Pires' and
theSejarahMelayu's accountsb, utdecidedto upholdtheSejarahMelayu versionand
arguedthatPires mighthave made a mistake.He also dismissedChineseimperial
recordsclaimingthattheirhistorianshad made mistakes,too. So he dismissedboth
PortugueseandChinesehistoricaslourcesoutrightW. orsestill,Winstedht eldthatboth
Parameswarand IskandarShah werethesameperson,discountintghefactthatPires
henadteerxepdMlicailtalyyssitaantheditsthoartXysacqhuoeoml teDxatrbxoaowka1ss,2Pabaercaammeescwoamrasp' uslosno.rHyriesaidnintegrapnrdehtealtdion
swayforatleasttwodecades.Itcreateda controversaymonghistorianws hichwas only
solvedin 1974byProfessorWangGungwu,formehreadoftheHistoryDepartmenatt
UniversityofMalayain his 1974Lectureto theMBRAS. In hislectureentitled"The
FirstThreeRulersofMelaka,"Wangusedtheimperiarl ecordsofChina'sMingDynasty
to showthenamesofMelakakingswhohadvisitedChina.WangarguedthatWinstedt
didnotreadChineseandshouldnothavedismissedthesourcesoutrightI.n fact,Wang
911111022aSTwBOSehornhjmeoaeiolrwclPéfhahanptMihberhe.,e4eereSa2slSrsreaA,;tueoj,yeabmnxrutdeatO,aruoMhbRaruloaniaesreoAhsllwgnaky.bmyutasdpsapueahtupl.dnR.,2h,i1l.s,31aaA4Ph8t22Ha.0ms;re.iaseapamtnlo.s2,eroo0syC,f6wM..cWaoarnlaaalvyles"Ma,rLtaeerogIdiascclaoaaynmfntadhnSedFoanastsshuS,imenrgeptsd,ha.5"pet0oi.tr1leo9e,f6I2spk, pa.n46dS-a4hr7ainh.

108

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

JMBRAVSOL.LXXI
meticulouslsyhowedthatParameswarwa as thefirstkingto visitChinaon 16 February
in 1409.He did notembraceIslam.Pires'accountshowedthatitwas his sonXaquem
Darxa whoembracedIslam.Chineserecordsgave Parameswarsa' nameas "Pai-li-mi-
su-la,"and on his death,his son,Mu-kan-sha-ti-er-svhiasitedtheimperialcourtto
informtheEmperorthathisfatherPai-li-mi-su-hlaad died.13The MinistryofEducation
acceptedWang's interpretatioann,d thereafteMralaysianhistorytextbooksfollowed
Wang'schronology.

One probablereasonforthisomissionofParameswarsa'namein thetextsofthe
Sejarah Melayu is thattheHindunamesof theearlierMelaka kingswhichappearin
Portugueseaccountshavebeenobliterateodr IslamicisedH. owever,withregardto the
nameofMelaka,ToméPiresstatesthat"Melaka"means'hiddenfugitiveP'. arameswara
is said to haveinformehdis followers",You alreadyknowthatin ourlanguagea man
whorunsawayis calleda Melayo,andsinceyoubringsuchfruitome whohavefled,
letthisplace be calledMalaqa, whichmeans'hiddenfugitive'...."1T4he Arabtraders,
howeverc,alledtheplace 'Malakat",saystheSejarahMelayu.15

Thediscrepancieasretoonumeroutsolistbutarewortha studyinitselfA. lthough
themainoutlineandthegeneraldriftofthestoriesin theSejarahMelayu is generally
identicalt,henumeroudsiscrepanciesh,owevers,houldalertus tothefactthatthereare
problemws ithinMalaysianhistoriographwyithregardtotheMelakaSultanateandinthe
differenrteadingsofthevariantversionsoftheSejarahMelayu. Sincenosingletextcan
be regardedas definitiveit, wouldbe wellnotto treattheSejarahMelayu as a factual
accountoftheMelaka SultanateM. oreimportantlayl,l thetextsoftheSejarahMelayu
exhorthereadernottoplacetoomuchtruthinwhathereadswithinitstext.The author
says, "Let not him who reads it concernhimselfwithit to the exclusion of all
else....concernthyselfwiththeMajestyof God and troublenotthymindover the
Essence of God."16 Throughoutthe texts,each chapterends withthe following
expression":God knoweththetrutht;oHimwe return.T"hisis theconstanrtefrainthat
appears.Whatthismeansis thatGod aloneknowswhatis trueandwhatis nottrueinthe
textT. hatsucha statemenatppearsshouldalertus tothefactthatsomeifnotmostofthe
storiesin theSejarahMelayu maynotbe trueandhavebeennarratedsimplyto drive
homea purposethatis onlyknownto God. We mortalreaderst, hereforaer, e unlikely
evertoknowtherealTruthabouttheTruth.
T'in Bambang's Mukadimmah
Whatdo we knowaboutTunBambang?Littleis knownabouthimexceptwhatappears
in his Preface(or Mukadimmah).He helda titleSriNarawangsaw, as theson ofRaja
Akar,theRaja ofPetani,andwasprobablytheStateTreasurerA. tthetimewhenhewas
commissionedto writethemanuscripti,t was about 100 yearsafterthePortuguese
captureofMelaka,thegreatMelakaSultanatehaddisappearedandhewas intheservice
ofthesuccessorstate,theJohorKingdomwhichhadtworulers.The olderrulerSultan
Ala'u'd-dinRiayatShahwas thetitularulerofJohorwhoresidedat PasirRaja, while
13 tFhoredaefbualtdoleinstchuisissssiousneee.,WangGungwu,"FTihresTthreRe ulerosfMalaccaJ,"MBRA4S1,,1,1968a,nd
111456TBBorrmoowwPénnppir..,,29e;0AsSA,;ubmbdduOaRulRraliahehmnmtaappanpln..,6,2.,1838.40. .

109

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

PART2,1998

theyoungerrulerliveddowntheJohorRiver(inShellabear'seditionwhichis writtebny
TunSeriLanang,heis referretdoas theYangDipertuanHilir,SultanAbdullahMa' ayah
Shah,17a) ndto whomtheolderrulerhadhandedoverthereinsofgovernmentI.n his
PrefaceTun Bambangexplainshowhe receivedhis commissionfromtheyoungerruler
to writethemanuscripitn A.H. 1021 or 1612,whichis theonlydateto appearin the
manuscript:18

Now intheyear1021,in a dulal-awalyearon the12thofthemonthRabi'ul-awal,
on Sunday,at thetimeof theforenoonprayeri,n thereignof SultanAla'u'd-din
RRai'jiaay[iantJShoahho[r-o]fJatothhoartt]s,ihmadetohweorfecGamodeotnheeSarritNhw,arhaiwleahneghsaawd, ahsoestetnlaemmeewnaatsPTausinr
LBoawmebraRnega,scohneosf...t.AhneSdrtihAebgeahrResatjoafoHfiPseHtaignhi,wneitshswa acsotmhmusa:-n"dIftriosmmthyweRiushletrhinattthhee
Bendaharashallmakea chroniclseettingforththegenealogyoftheMalayRajas and
theceremonialof theircourts,fortheinformatioonf mydescendantswho come
afterme, thattheymay be conversantwith the historyand derive profit
therefrom..w.."henhe heardthewordofhisHighnessh, e tookthecommandupon
his head and his limbswerebowedbeneaththeweightof it. Thendid he bestir
himselfto diligencea, t thesametimeprayingforhelpfromGod,theCreatorofthe
Universe,and fromhis Prophet,thechiefestof mankind.And he wrotethis
chronicleas he receiveditfromhisfatherandhisforbearsa,ssemblingin itall the
storiesofthemenofbygonedays,forthegreateprleasureofhislordtheKing.And
hegavetoitthenameofSulalat-us-Salatin, tahatis tosay,thegenealogyofkings.

Theproperandoriginatlitleofthistextis,thereforne,otSejarahMelayu butSulalat-us-
Salatin. The titleSejarahMelayu was,howeverf, irstgivenbythenineteentchentury
writerMunsyiAbdullahbinAbdulKadir,thescribeofThomasStamforRd afflest,o the
firsteditionof thetextwhichAbdullahpublishedin 1831. The Englishtitle,Malay
Annals, was used firstby JohnLeydenas thetitleof his Englishtranslationof the
SSetjaamrafhoMrdRealafyfulewsofhtichhewEaasstpIunbdliiasChoemdpopsatnhyuwmhooualsslioynw1r8o2t1e.aInt winatsreoddituecdtbioynTIn.hootmhaesr
words,AbdullahborrowedthetitlefromLeydenand translateidt back intoMalay as
SejarahMelayu.BoththeseMalayandEnglishtitleshavebecomeso popularinuse that
theyarenowpubliclyaccepted.
In thispaperI treattheSejarahMelayu as a romancea, workoffictionas wellas
formof literaryfictionI,
a formof moraldiscourse.In treatinSgejarahMelayu as a
agreewithmuchthatDr UmarYunus,formerloyf theUniversityof Malaya's Malay
StudiesDepartmenth,as statedaboutthedifferenetlementsof historicityf,ictionand
eimlemageinnatt.1io9nItwihsipchrocboambplyefteowrtihthesienirtesatseoxnts,tshoatththatehSiesjtaorrahiciMtyefloarymu saissgeceonnedraalrlyy
recognizedas a greatworkofliteraturwehichhasbeenhighlypraisedbyseveralEnglish
writerlsikeR.O. WinstedtandR.J.WilkinsonW. insteddtescribestheSejarahMelayu
as "themostfamousd, istinctivaendbestofall Malayliterarwy orks,"2a0nditsauthoras
"notonlya punditbuta literaryartist."21C.C. Brownwhohas translatetdheSejarah

2211110789IWBUSbhrmiieodnlaw,plsYrat.npub1e.,n0ed"1(a9Aeut;Ard.H,Ss,.bei)Sjs,dateuroRjlaaroaMrhyfhaMeMhmlaaelaypalnMayu.L6,yie5putn.e.,2er.matuu"kDrpaie.rn1,iK06e.mbapli.,21.

110

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

JMBRAVSOL.LXXI

Melayuregardsitas "thefinestliterarwy orkinMalay".22

A Form of Moral Discourse

The authorofSejarahMelayu, in fact,reconstrucatns imaginaryworldoftheMelaka
Sultanatewhichno longerexistsexceptin memoryb,utskilfullyuses languageto weave
bothmythsandfactsas wellas moralandethicalprincipleisntoitsnarrativeT.hrough
tfhoreSmeojafrgaohvMerenlamyeunt-thtehMe"etlarkadaiStuioltnaanglaotledisenraegper"e2s3ewntietadhsitas traditionaMl alay ideal
own concepts,beliefs,
images,systemofpoliticsl,awsandsocialbehaviourI.tis a complexwork,embodyinag
diversityofthemesb, utitsmoraltoneis obviousin theinitialroyalordergivenbythe
rulerto theauthorto "makea chroniclesettingforththegenealogyoftheMalayRajas
andtheceremoniaolftheircourtsf, ortheinformatioonfmydescendantws hocomeafter
me,thattheymaybe conversanwt iththehistoryandderiveprofittherefrom."2It4is in
thiscontexthatI viewthehistoryofMelakakingsintheSejarahMelayu as a formof
moraldiscoursei,n whichtheirhistoryandthehistoryofthedeclineandfallofthegreat
MelakanEmpireis intertwinetdo illustratteo futuregenerationosf Malay kingsthe
causes whichbroughatboutthisdisasterandhowfuturke ingscouldavoiditandlearn
fromthislesson.
The textof theSejarah Melayu has been ideologicallyconstructedR. unning
throughitis an Islamicdiscoursewithitsownideas,rhetoricp,ersuasionandargument.
Thereare severalthemesin itstext. But itscentralthemeis notthegreatnessof the
MelakaSultanatea,s Brownclaims,2b5utinjusticeI.tshowshowunjustw, icked,corrupt
and lustfulrulersinitiallybroughtdown the Kingdomof Singapura,and laterthe
KingdomofMelaka.Inthecase ofthelattern,omattehrowgreatwasthiskingdomG, od
broughittdownbecausetherulerS, ultanMahmud,didnotfollowtheIslamicprecepts.
At itsheightt, heMelakanEmpireduringthereignof SultanMansurShah,thesixth
ruler,extendedfromMelaka throughoutthewholeof theMalay Peninsulat, heeastern
coastofSumatras,outhernThailandt, heRiauIslandsandeventoBorneo.Yet,itwas in
thereignof the ninthruler,SultanMahmudShah, thattheMelaka kingdomwas
destroyebdythePortuguese.

Influence of Earlier Islamic Works
The SejarahMelayu is writtenin thetraditioonfan earlierwork,Taj-us-Salatin(The
Crownof Thorns),believedto be Persianin originand writtenbyBokharaal-Jauhari,
whichwas firstranslateidnMalayin 1603.Al-JauharlaiysdownIslamicprincipletso
guiderulersto achievegoodgovernmenptr, esentesxamplesofjustandunjustrulerst,he
qualificationosfrulersandtheirdutyto subjectsM, uslimandinfidela,ndtheirneedto
keep faithand how to be liberal.He cites suitablesayingsand examplesfromthe
Prophet,well-knownCaliphs fromOmar to Harun u'r-Rashid,rulersof Persia,

22 WBSereiolPkwrien"nfI,snaPooctnaefrpS,oeedirauosrncaMtMhpioa.eilnxal,ayS."yuuBb,jreocwtpsn,.t3'sr8a.nslatpio.1n.,
23
24
25 MBraolawcn"cIai,nt,strruoledrausncdtcpiho.xnie:,"f".as.n.,idittshtoe'bSeuepxepreicotroteifhdttyahtthe'meceennotfrMtahalleamcwceaoo'vuelbdraell,aostihtiesr,tsh."eGreatneosfs

Ill

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

PART2,1998
AlexanderandAristotlaell pointingto thevariousmoralsbyincidentisn theirlives/0
Probablyinfluencedby thisgreatwork,theMalay authorof Sejarah Melayu has
structurehdis historyof thedeclineand fallof theGreatMelakanEmpireto reflecthe
truthof thesemoralprinciplesaboutjust and unjustrulers,and how injusticebrought
aboutitsdownfall.

In hisevaluationofthemoralconductoftheninerulersofMelaka,theauthorof
Sejarah Melayu has describedonlyfourof themas "just" rulers.Theyare Sultan
MuhammadShah,No. 3; SultanMuzaffarShah,No. 5; SultanMansurShah,No. 6; and
SultanAla 'и' d-dinRi-ayatShah,No. 7. By implicationt,heotherfiverulers'conduct
are open to doubt.All theserulershave beenevaluatedin an impartiaalnd objective
manneras shownby theway theygovernedthroughthemoralprinciplesenunciated
earlierthroughthemouthsofillustrioursoyalancestorso,rthroughtheirSocial Contract
[Wa'ad] withthepeopleorthroughwordsof advicegivenat theirdeath-bedtso their
sons.27Suchwarningasndadmonitionhsadearlierbeenreiteratetdhroughstoriesofthe
rulersofPasai andSamuderaw, hichweretakenfroman earlierMalaytext,theHikayat
Raja-Raja Pasai. This hikayata,fterwhichtheSejarahMelayu also modelleditself,
emphasisedthethemeof theobligationsof rulersand subjectsand theirreciprocal
relationshipwshich,ifnotfollowedthroughw,ouldresultinthedestructioonftherulers'
kingdomsbyGod. The readerwhohas constantlhyeardthesemoralpreceptspreached
will knowwhichleaderhas livedup to them,or whichone had violatedthem. Apart
fromindicatingwhichrulerswere"justkings,"theMalay authorof Sejarah Melayu
makesno othercomment.Beingofnon-royabllood,he hadto be carefulnotto make
commentosn thekingslesthe commitlèse majesté.

The Social Contract/Covenant
WithreferencteotheSocial ContracotrConvenanbtetweena pre-Islamikc ingSeriTri
Buana and DemangLebar Daun, whichappearsveryearlyin Tun Bambang'stextin
ChapterTwo,itis nottrueas somescholarshavearguedthatthemainideologyinserted
rbuyltehresS,tehjaatrtahheMpeeolpayleumisutsthneottrraedsiitsitoannaodlnteakofeubplinardmloysaaglatiynofsttthheepreuolperlest,aonwdatrhdasttahse
shadowsofGod oneartht,heMalayrulerscancommitanycrimesagainstthepeopleand
stillremainrulers.28In fact,theideologypreachedbytheSejarahMelayu is thatthe
Mnoatlhayurmuilleiratsmeoruostprpurleejsuststhleym,th;ifetyhmeuirssturbesjepcetcshtthadehduonmeawnrriognhgtt,oshfetyhsehirosuulbdjbeectjusmd, guesdt
tanhde kpiunngi;sahneddbiyf tthheeIrsulalmeriscvliaowlast,hetuhkeulmawsysaorfak,G2o9adn, di.ne.oHtbuyktuhmewSyhairmaksa,nredsfiasntacniecseoisf
pHcauooimtnshsdmiobuBrol-iyetBf.tuSiinendasjdganerhraaitnhspitnaeMcrgtheiholraidosyoSnufoitschmhibaaesyledCianerolclniyobtarernpracaocetrtsseaotltlyoaierniatdsorghfdleytoIshawlteankmtthihniecegbltasehwogefsimtn,thnehoeifeMnhigneouljfkaukhusatmisisScytueaealnxtradtan,kIasan,iltnademtt,bohaiyce

26 eFWCSseohpieraanAenfcsbdtiudaeMrllAuldCalR-ulytHhlaz,eaihanspfmstgtftoIteTauarIohrnIrhdtyf.oM,'ryesPfatranhloasteylLesititecteetesrotrParpaaet?m.tni8uo6ae1nran.n9en,Ag3t,ds,9alpid,rpma.n91o3,9n-7i99pt5iu.ostenfsesCo,r.Wwaatrlhld"siL,asreggaucmoyfetnhteF.athers,"
27
28
29

112

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

JMBRAVSOL.LXXI

moralityas theideologyof his text. Besides includingtraditionavl alues of 'blind
loyalty'and 'face',theauthorhas stressedthepredominancoeftheНикит Syarak,as
theethicalandmoralcodewhichmustbe followedbybothkingsandcommoners.

LetmeexplainwhyandhowtheSocialContracctameabout.A mythicarlulerS, ri
-TriaBnuaaknra,aojanetuorfutnhdeatrhirkeeepurdinarcea,sw30hhoahsadasckoemdefdoorwthnethoaPnadleomf tbhanedg"afurgohmtheeroafvetnh,e"
Palembangking,DemangLebarDaun. Butsinceall the40 princesseshe had takenas
wifepreviouslyhad contractedleprosyafterhe had sleptwiththem,implyingthathe
possessed daulat [mysticalpower] and transmittetdhispowerwhichcaused this
disease,he haddiscardedeachone ofthemthefollowingday.Fearingfora similarfate
forhis beloved daughter,Demang Lebar Daun decided to enterintoa contractor
covenantoprotecht isdaughtearndwhichthereaftewrouldbe usedtogovernthefuture
relationshipbsetweenkingsand theirsubjects.Bothpartiesreachedagreemenotn the
covenanta,ndafterthemarriaghe adtakenplaceandbeenconsummatedD,emangLebar
Daun's daughteremergedunscathedthenextday.This impliesthatthedaulat of the
"people's representative,D"emang Lebar Daun was equallypowerful,and thatthe
CovenantupholdingGod's laws,Никит Syarak, andGod's authorithyadprevailedover
theking'sdaulat.

Thecontracgtoesas followsD, emangLebarDaunmakinghisdemandfirst":Your
Highness,all of mydescendantswill be subjectsof yourMajesty,buttheymustbe
treatedwell byyourdescendants.If theycommitoffencesn, o matterhowgrave,they
mustnotbe disgracednorabusedwithevilwords.Iftheoffencies greatl,etthembe put
todeath,ifthatis accordingtoMuslimlaw,hukumsyarak.31Thekingagreed,butadded
thisclause:

Your descendantsto timeimmemoriaslhallneverrebel[derhaka]against
mydescendants,no matterhow tyrannicatlheyare norhow evillythey
behave.

DemangLebarDaun answered:
Verywell,Your Highness.But ifyourdescendantseverdepartfromthe
termsofthisagreementt,henso willmine.
To whichthekingagreed.Whereupontheysealedtheiragreemenwt ithan oath

warningeach partynotto breaktheconvenanatndurgingGod to overturhnishouseif
eitherpartydidso. Thenthenarratocromments:

"Andthatis whyGoddoesnotallowMalayrulerstoshametheirsubjectsn, ormay
theybe bound,hangedordisgracedwithevilwords,no matterhowgravetheiroffence.
If a kingshamesone ofhisMalaysubjectst,hatis a suresignthathiskingdomwillbe
destroyedby God. SimilarlyGod does notpermitMalay subjectsto everrebelnorbe
unfaithfutlo theirrulers,even if theyare treatedevilly and sufferoppression."32
However,despitetheMalay narrator'sinterpretationit,shouldbe pointedthatthe
provisoadded by DemangLebar allows forresistanceif thekingor his descendants
failedto observethecovenantandalso theMuslimlaw,hukumsyarak.Thismeansthe

30 ST8e6rj.aanrasMlhateCiloa.nyWuAa,lblsdp,u.R5la8h;fmortaphn.eo,8r5i.gintaelxts,eeSejaraMh elayut,ransliterbaytAedbduRl ahmapn.,
31

32 TranslatCio.Wn allsp,.58.

113

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

PART2,1998
predominancoefIslamoverthekings,whoaremeremortalasndwhoseconductmustbe
governedbythehukumsyarak,thelaws ofGod. Thereaftetrh, eadmonitionsw,arnings
andtestament[swasiat] of severalkingsdeliveredat theirdeath-bedto theirsonswhich
arescatteretdhroughoutht etextre-assertthiscentratlheme.

Amusing and Colourful Anecdotes
The readeroftheSejarahMelayu is easilydistractefdromthisthemebythenumerous
interestinagndcolourfualnecdotesnarratebdytheauthorb,uttheauthormakessurethat
he neverloses sightofhistheme.He leadsus finallytothegreatessttoryofall,thatis,
how SultanMahmuddestroyedtheGreatMelaka Empire.Winstedthas presentedan
excellentsummaryoftheauthor'snarrativaendwritinsgkillsandthecolourfuelpisodes
foundintheSejarahMelayu:

He gives us a vividpictureof a portthrongedwithIndiantraders,Hindu and
Muslim, with settlersfromChina, Java and Sumatra.His pages are full of
adventurerws ho frequentedtheprecinctsof a flourishincgourt,Tamil archers,
Pathanhorsemen,bibulous mahouts,Indian missionaries,self-importanatnd
eccentricc,owardlyin battle.Thereare vignetteosf Malays:Tun Isak theNippy
becausehecouldcrossa ditchona dippingbranchso quicklythathedidnotwethis
feet;thePrimeMinisterwhohada longpier-glasasndconsultedhisonthesetofhis
hat;theold chiefwho scatteredgold-dustalongtheskirtingand panelling[ofhis
house]forhis grand-childretno playwith.Especiallygood are theskilfultouches
delineatintgheportraiotfthatamorousc,leverhalf-castreulerM, ahmudlastSultan
ofMalacca.33

AnotherMalay scholar,R.J.Wilkinsonh,as captureda differenetssenceoftheSejarah
Melayu inhissummary:

We readof a governmenstt,ern,severeand corrupto;f municipalsurveyorws ho
inducedtheSultantodecreethata streemt ustbe straighitn, orderthattheymightbe
bribedto certifyto thestraightnesosf whatwas crooked;ofjudges who took
presentfsrombothsides;oftheelectionofa primeministebrythesimpleprocessof
settingall thecandidatesin a row and lettingtheSultan'smothersay, 'Choose
Uncle Mutahir'.In sucha cityof thestrongno weakcitizencouldbe free;every
mansoughta patront,hemightietrhebetterf,oritwas safertopayblackmaitl oone
robberthanto many....HangTuah becamea Malay heroand a darlingof Malay
ladies.Inhiscountrytherecouldbe onlyoneendtoa reputatioonfthissortM. odern
romancepresenths imas circumspecitnhisrelationws iththeSultan'slady-friends;
butrumourat thetimewhisperedotherwisaendmadetroublebetweenhimand his
sovereign.34

The Greatness of Melaka
Beforethereaderreachesthereignof SultanMahmud,theauthorregalesus withhis
accountsofthegreatnesosftheMelakaSultanateN. o one readingorlisteningto these

33 WWiinlksitnes"dPoAtnHa,p,iestroosnroMyfMalaalyaSyuLbitjeercatptsp,u.3rp9e.-1,4'0"09..
34

114

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

JMBRAVSOL.LXXI
passages(someofthesepassageswerewrittednowntobe readoutaloud)can failtobe
swayedbytheauthor'spowersofdescriptioonfMelaka's greatness.

Let me readseveralselectpassagesin theSejarahMelayu fromtheManuscript
[MS.] RafflesNo. 18 whichdescribethegreatnesasndgloryoftheMelakaSultanatein
the15thcenturyA. ll ofthesethesepassageshavebeentranslateidntoEnglishbyC.C.
Brown:
1. Throughouhtis longreignSultanMuhammadShah [thethirdRulerof Melaka]

sheweda highdegreeofjusticeinhistreatmenotfhissubjectsa,ndMelakabecame
a greatcity.Strangerfslockedthithearnditsterritorsytretchewd estwardas faras
BruasUjongandeastwardas faras TrengganuUjongKarang.Andfrombelowthe
windto above thewindMelaka becamefamousas a verygreatcity,theRaja of
whichwas sprungfromthelineofSultanIskandarDzu'l-Karnain[Alexanderthe
Great]:so muchso thatprincesfromall countriescame to presentthemselves
beforeSultanMuhammadShah,whotreatedthemwithduerespectbestowingupon
themrobes of honourof thehighestdistinctiontogetherwithrichpresentsof
jewels,goldandsilver.GodknoweththetruthT.o Himdo wereturn.
2. AndwhenthenewsreachedSiamthatMelakawas a greatcitybutwas notsubject
toSiam,theBubunya[SiameseRuler]sentan envoytoMelakatodemanda letter
of 'obeisance': butSultanMuzaffarShah [thefifthRulerof Melaka] refusedto
ownallegiancetoSiam.
3. And thefameof Melaka was spreadabroad,fromabove thewindto below the
wind.TheArabsgaveitthenameMalakat.Atthattimetherewas nocitythatwas
theequalofMelaka,saveonlyPasai andHaru.
4. Whenthe Sri Maharaja had become Bendahara[PrimeMinister],the cityof
Melaka steadilyincreasedin prosperityand in population,forBendaharaSri
Maharajawas exceedinglyjust and humane,cleverin his handlingof foreigners
andskilledinconciliatintghegoodwillofthepopulace. So muchso thatin ships
boundforMelakafromabovethewinditwas thecustoma,s theanchorwas being
weighedf, orthemasteroftheship,afterecitingtheusualprayert,osay, 'Maywe
reach Melaka safely and see Pisang Jeram,the streamof Bukit China and
BendaharaSriMaharaja!'Andthecrewwouldanswer,'Ay,ay,sir!'
5. Now thecityof Melaka at thattimeflourisheedxceedinglyand manyforeigners
resortedthithers;o muchso thatfromAyerLeleh to Hulu Muar therewas an
unbrokenline of habitationsa,nd it was thustoo fromKampongKlingto Kuala
Penajeh.Peoplejourneyingevenas faras Jenggrha ad no needto takefiring[or
torches]withthem,forwherevertheystoppedon theway therewould be a
dwelling-houseS. uch was thegreatnesosfMelakaat thattime;in thecityalone
therewerea hundredandninetythousandpeople,tosaynothingoftheinhabitants
oftheoutlyingterritoriaens dcoastaldistrictsA. ftera whiletherecamea shipof
theFranks[i.e. thePortuguesef] romGoa [in India] tradingto Melaka: and the
Franksperceivedhowprosperouasndwellpopulatedtheportwas. The peopleof
Melakafortheirpartcamecrowdingto see whattheFrankslookedlike;andthey
wereall astonishedandsaid,"ThesearewhiteBengalis!"35

35 C.C.Brown1,970p,p.49,85,90,127and151respectively.
115

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

PART2,1998

An Imaginary Greatness
Fromtheabovequotationistwillbe clearthatthegreatnesasndsplendouroftheMelaka
Sultanateis largelyimaginaryIn. thisparticulatrextoftheRafflesMS No. 18ofSejarah
Melayu, thelanguageand skillsoftheMalayauthorhaveenabledus to conjureup or
reconstrucitn ourmindsa worldthathas disappearedW. e have to imaginehow the
MelakaSultanatewas like.TodayinMalaysia,andinparticulairnmodernMelakatown,
we haveno real concretevidenceofthisformegrreatkingdomT. hereareno remains
of its actualcapitalsite,no mosques,royalpalace,royalgraves,no fortressc,annons,
ships,customs-houseosrforeignmerchantqs'uarters.

Where Have They All Gone?
A touristoMelakatodaymightsee historicaalrtefactisna museumora monumenatta
particulasritewhichareattributetdo theMelakaSultanateb,uthe/shemaybe unaware
thatmostof theseobjectsor sitesare modern-daydiscoveriesor inventionsI.n most
cases,theirdatingorhistoricaslignificancoercontextis doubtfuld,ifficulttoproveand
has beenreconstructemdainlyon thebasisofinformatiofnoundintheSejarahMelayu,
or in laterWesternaccountslikethoseofthePortuguesoer Dutch.We shouldbearin
mindthatthereare no contemporarpyaintingosr sketchesof theMelaka Sultanateto
showus howtheoldbuildinglsookedlike. EvenPortuguesaeccountsaftertheircapture
of Melaka cityin 1511 do notprovideanyillustrationosf thesultanateexceptfor
sketchesofhand-to-hanfdightinbgetweenthePortuguesseoldiersat thecitygatesand
thosewhomtheycalled"Moors".

Whatpresentleyxistarenumeroums aps,paintingasndsketchesofthePortuguese
fortresosfA Fomosa,whichappearstohavebeenerectedaroundthebaseofthehillnow
knownas St. Paul's Hill. On thehillstandstheruinsoftheformePrortuguescehurch.
Mostscholarsbelievethatthesiteofthechurchwas wheretheformerroyalistanastood.
This is thebeautifuilstanaof SultanMansurShah,thesixthrulerof Melaka. It was
called theMahligaiwhichlatercaughtfire:itsreconstructioisndescribedin Chapter
SNeijnareaohfMReaflafyleus.M36S No. 18. The followingis a descriptionof themahligaifromthe

The palace had seventeenbays,each interspacbeetweenthepillarsbeingeighteen
feetwithpillarsincircumferentcheespanofa man'sarms;theroofhadseventiers
(?withsevenpinnacles).Betweenwerecupolas,and everycupola was furnished
witha dormerw- indowi,tsroofatrightanglesandterminatiningflyingcrocketsa,ll
of themcarved.Betweenthespireswas trellis-worwkithpendantand pyramidal
decoration.All thespiresweregildedandtheirtopswereofredglass,so thatin
sunlighttheygleamedlikefire.All thewallshadeavesandinsetwerelargeChinese
mirrortshatflashedin thesunlikelightnindgazzlingthesight.The cross-beams
wereofkulim,a cubitinwidthandnineinchesthickt,hedoor-sillws eretwocubits
wide,a cubitthicka; ndcurved;thecross-barws erefortyin numberandall ofthem
weregilded.So finewas theworkmanshiopf thispalace thatnotanotherroyal
palace in theworldat thattimecouldcomparewithit. It was giventhenameof
mahliga,i anditsroofwas ofcopperandzincshingles.
36 Brownpp, .77-78A; bduRlahmapnp,.165-166.

116

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

JMBRAVSOL.LXXI

Sultan Mansur's Istana

Thanks,thereforet,o theSejarah Melayu, we can imaginewhatthisbeautifuilstana
lookedlikeintheMelakaSultanate.Butwhenthemahligaiwas burntdownanda new
onebuiltinitsplace,theMalayauthoroftheSejarahMelayu doesnotdescribeittous,
althoughhe saysitwas "superiort"othemahligai.Butwhathe does informus is how
theworkwasdoneinconstructinitg.Theworkwas farmedoutbytheterritoricahl iefsto
ordinaryMalaypeasantswhocamefromtheoutlyingdistrictsIt. revealsthattheMelaka
Sultanatewas a semi-feudalsociety.Undertheforcedlabouror kerah,system,the
territoricahl iefscoulddemandfromtheordinarypeoplea varietyof servicesin return
forland and protection.Underthiskerahsystem,each districtof Melaka had to
contributaenumberofworkmenT.hesemenwouldbe allotedspecificduties.Hereis the
Sejarah Melayus' descriptionof thekerahsystemas used in theconstructioonf the
king'spalace.37

SultanMansurShah thencommandedBendaharaPadukaRaja to have another
palace and audience-halbl uilt,and theBendaharacalledoutmento buildthem.
The menofUngaran(and themenofTugal?)builtthepalace and withthemwere
themenofBentanKaranganwhocollectedthematerialfs orit,whilethemenof
PanchurSerapongbuilttheaudience-hal(l?andwiththemwere)themenofBuru.
The pavilionwas builtbythemenof Suir,thewaitingroomon therightbythe
menofSudar,whilethatontheleftwas builtbythemenofSayong:thedrum-hall
(?) was builtbythemenofApongandtheout-house(sgajahmenyusub) ythemen
of Merba:thebathing-placwe as madeby themenof Tungkal,themosquewas
builtbythemenofTentai,thegateofthepalacedomainbythemenofMuda and
thefortbythemenof ThispalaceevensurpasseditspredecessorA. ndwhenall
was completedS,ultanMansurShahrewardedthosewhohadworkedon it,andhe
tookuphisabodeinthenewpalacepermanently.
It is notknownwhetherSultanMansur'sistanacontinuedto be occupiedby the
otherkingswho succeededhim,butmostof theMelaka royalpalaces,mosquesand
otherbuildingsweredemolishedbythePortuguesewhentheyoccupiedthecity.The
Portuguesuesedthestoneor limebases andmasonryofthepalace,mosquesand other
buildingsforconstructintghefortresAs Famosa, theGovernor'shouse,government
officesc,hurchandmerchanhtouses.Even thegravestonesoftheMalay Sultanswere
notspared.The PortuguesaepothecaryToméPireswhovisitedMelakaafteritscapture
in 1515 said therewas neitherstonenorlime in Melaka. However,thePortuguese
"foundplentyof stoneand masonryin ancientsepulchres,and obtainedlime from
shells."38 Consequently,in orderto preservesome of theseroyalgravestonest,he
pMaerltaskoafMthaelMayaslaayrepbeneliinesvueldaatnodhSauvme uaptrraowohteedrtehthemey.hTahveeybreeemnfovouedntdh-e-mftaor,dfiafrfferroemnt
theoriginarl estingplacesofthedeadSultans.Thus,thePortuguesme ustbe blamedfor
thissystematiacndcompletedestructioonftheMelakaSultanateW. e mustask whether
thiswas thefatepredictedby theauthorof theSejarah Melayuin thevariousdire
warningosftheelderlykingstotheirsonsaboutthedestructioonftheirkingdomifthey
failedtoheedthelawsofGod.

37 TBormowPénpir.,7e9sS,,uAmbdOaurRliaehnmtapalp.n,2.6,8I6f..
38

117

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

PART2,1998

Portuguese Version of Greatness
And,yet,ironicallyd,espitethisdestructionth, evictoriouPsortuguesgeeneralsandtheir
historianseemedanxiousto leave us withwrittendescriptionosf thegreatnessand
splendouroftheMelakakingdoma,s iftojustifyto us thatMelakawas a worthyprize
fortheirconquest.Theirdescriptionhsave beenpresentedto suittheirown imageof
Melaka.ForinstanceT, oméPireshimselfwroteofhowgreata prizeMelakarepresented
tothePortuguese:

And shouldanyoneask whatadvantageto his exchequertheKing ourLord can
derivefromMalacca, thereis no doubtthat..M.. alacca is of suchimportancaend
profitthatit seemsto me it has no equal in theworld..M.. en cannotestimatethe
worthofMalacca,on accountofitsgreatnesasndprofitM. alacca is a citymadefor
merchandise,fitterthanany otherin theworld;theend of monsoonsand the
beginningofothers.Malaccais surroundeadndliesinthemiddle,andthetradeand
commercebetweenthedifferenntationsfora thousandleagueson everyhandmust
come to Malacca. Whereforae thingof suchmagnitudaend of suchgreatwealth,
which neverin the worldcould decline,if it were moderatelygovernedand
favoured,should be supplied, looked after,praised and favoured,and not
neglected....Whoeveris lordofMalaccahashishandonthethroaotfVenice. As far
as fromMoluccas,andfromMalaccatoChina,andfromChinatotheMoluccas,and
pfrowometrh...e3.M9 oluccas to Java,and fromJavato Malacca and Sumatraa,ll is in our
Fromboththeauthorof Sejarah Melayu and theauthorof theSuma Orienta,l the
greatnessof Melaka is affirmedb,uteach authorsees Melaka fromhis own pointof
tvhieawtt.hTeoPmorétPuirgeusehsaesshalosuolpdrteaskeenitteatdnhdefdaelslotfrtohytehMeeklainkgandEomm-pi"rtehaseiwfhGooldehthadinwgiilslead
johutadhvgeeerrfmeraeocnmhtoaefdPGtohoredts,ua"gmhueeesscaReoynosmc.4lua0nIsriCooannt-ihocoanlleilcyfpb,rooostimhthaioeMna-natldhatyahtIGsealoaudmthhiacodprowofiitnlhlteoedSftevhjaieerdwaeh,saMtnredulcattyhiueon
of Melaka. Some of thereasonsPiresgives forthedestructionconcurwiththose
advancedbytheauthoroftheSejarahMelayuhimself.

Plot, Structure and Unity of Theme
Finally,letme cometo thestoryof SultanMahmudandthefallofMelaka. The best
waytotellthestoryis toexplainthestructurpallotandtheunityandintegritoyftheme
intheRafflesMS No.18 andinserthestoryofSultanMahmudwithinitspropercontext.
TheSejarahMelayuconsistsoffouressentiapl arts.

PartI: IDEOLOGY. It comprisesChapters1 to 3. Chapter1 deals withthe
illustrioupsedigreeoftheKingsofMelakasuchas Raja ChulanofIndia,Nurshirwatnhe
Greatof Persiaand AlexandertheGreatof Macedoniaand endswiththefoundingof
Singapore. Chapter2 worksin theSocial Contractor Covenanti,n whichtheНикит
Syarakis insertedanachronisticalwlyithina pre-Islamicor Hindu-Buddhispteriod,so

39 PPiirreeossop,p.c.ciitt.p.,p,.p25.288.5-287.
40

118

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

JMBRAVSOL.LXXI

atnhdatvthereyceeanrtlryainlthtehmebeooofkhtihs ebroeoakd-ertishienrterlaotdiuocnestdhoitbpheetIwsleaemniincijduesotilcoegaynodftthheefaualtlhoofr
bckieitncyagamndodemaitgssrg.Cerhaetaacptitntyeer,ts3ssopdwrehesacidcrthihfbroerostuehigegrhnioseuterrhotsefeswtohrotereKlddiinn."gg4rd1eoamtnoufmSibnegraspoutrhaa":tAthnedfSaminegoafptohree
Paannasddaicin,oPcvealseruprtdIesIect:sihtaThelHlkeymEitnhoRgersIsSaoulEfwpSeAairrnNnngDaiantpFuguArasrcnaLalodL.IntavOdreemFrpsoSeinIaoNtinostGtfihoAtnehPosseUntRoRrraoAijyae.sIafotlfricnoSojmaummtshptuirecdHieseaienrksCadbahytyahatptehRtreeearPjcasri4-poRtrpoaohjc6aeatl
rcSSareinsliatgMtaaisapoh"nuuarsrnhaat,jijuhpaseshattkanwisdnog-aohsbb"olwoirgyhnaoketRdiviolailnjoealsdaIbsatekletttahhwnoeeduSeaognrSchrhihauaellhCes,raoavsnvaeedndnhdtaihntshfetapaentegdhootepvhrlPeee,raНodnfиueкSdkiи.anTтSghrSaieypMaloararshaetkfakrr.Paioanjmdag,utaohrkfeea
cathtaalcleknsogfehsiws othrdrfonisehT.T.hheeakuitnhgofraeparpsatrheantttlhyinebteonydisstotosohoinwttehlleiagnentiat-nindtmelalyecotnuealdiasoymf
theperiod.Raja IskandarShah also violatestheCovenantand theНикит Syarakby
mismlaanprdakleeirnto-ghpuilsasalclcweeogniatcthuioobunintcsfoertn,ohdmeuhdciastuiongtghha teterjrreoiafallhoouirssiTncroveneacssutuibrgieanrtSeiasotnihngnatRtsoahhneejhruganduaТbileаtрe,bnаu,utinnmftaehirteeholpyfoeutnnol
him.ConsequentlyS,ang RanjunaТара invitestheforcesofMajapahitto attackW. hen
tohftehyaerSroicviaelh,Ceoonpternasctth.ReagjaatIessktaonledtatrShheamhiins.fSoinrcgeadptoorfeliesedteosMtruoayr,eadnd,duleattoeramvaiokleasthiiosn
waytoMelakawherehefoundsa newkingdomH. e is succeededbySultanMegat,who,
in turn,is succeeded by Sultan Megat's son, Raja Tengah, who is converted
supernaturaltlyoIslambytheProphetina dream,almostsimilartothestoryinHikayat
Raja-Raja Pasai. Raja Tengahtakesthetitleof SultanMuhammadShah afterthe
ProphetT. hismeansthatall rulersbeforehimwerenotMuslim,althoughtheirnames
hadbeenIslamicised.

PartIII: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE MELAKA SULTANATE. Itcomprises
Chapters7 to 23. The authornarratetsheriseofMelakatogreatnesdsuringthereignof
SultanMansurShah and thelegendof his AdmiralH, ang Tuah,who leads Melaka to
victoryin battles.SultanMansurs' empireis sustainedby his son,SultanAla'u'd-din,
butSultanAla'u'd-din's son,SultanMahmudloses thekingdomT. he authordevotes
eightchaptersC, hapters15 to 23, to thereignof SultanMahmud,concludingwiththe
attackof thePortugueseand thefallof Melaka.Throughoutthesechapterstheauthor
interspersetshewarningasndadmonitionosfkingstotheirsonsoftheeventuacl ollapse
ofthekingdomiftheydo notrulejustlyorviolatetheНикит Syarak.One ofthefamous
admonitionis thatofSultanAla'u'd-dintohisson,Mahmudwhosucceedshim.
miscoTnhdeuacutwt,hicokrperdenseesnslt,usastcfloosrewsotmudeynoafnSduhlitsaancMtsaohfminujdus'stmicies-gaollvtehrencmriemnpetes,wrshoincahl
hisfathehr adpredictedwoulddestroyhiskingdom.SultanMahmudbeginshisreignby
orderingthedeathofthechiefofSingapuraS,riBija Diraja,whoarriveslateatcourtto
payhisrespectson theocccasionofHariRayafestivalb,utSultanMahmudmiscontrues
hisconductas an actofdisloyaltyH. is insatiableappetiteforwomenleadshimto sleep
withthewivesofhisofficialws hentheyareawayvisitingtheirfiefs.He didthistothe

41 Brownp.,20A; bduRlahmapn.,92.

119

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

PART2,1998
wifeofTunBayajitwhilethelatterwas awayinMorib.SultanMahmudlustedforTun
Teja of Pahang,and sentHangNadimto kidnapher.He is so jealous ofhis brother's
goodlooksandhissuccesswithwomenthathesecretlyordershismurderH. e ordersthe
deathof thehighestofficerof his governmentt,heBendaharaSeri Paduka, [Prime
Minister],Tun Mutahir,all because Tun Mutahirrefusedto allow himto take his
beautifudlaughterT,unFatimahas wife.Andwhenoneofthecourtierpsoisonshismind
witha falsechargethatTunMutahiris plottintgooverthrowhim,heordersnotonlyTun
Mutahirs'executionb,utalso theexecutionofTunAli,TunFatimahs' husbanda,ndtwo
othermembersof Tun Fatimahs' familyO. n theirdeaths,SultanMahmudseizes their
propertieasnd takesTun Fatimahas his wife. She dislikeshimso intenselythatshe
refusesto conceivea childforhim,each timeabortingherconception.Finally,he
realisesthathe has made a mistakein orderingthedeathsof Tun Fatimahs' family
membersand orderstheofficialsresponsibleto be arrestedand punished,and then
abdicateshis thronein favourof his son,SultanAhmad.By thistime,thePortuguese
arriveinMelaka[theyearis 1509,accordingtoPortuguesseources].

The authorgivesus theimpressionthatifthecapableBendaharaSeriPadukahad
beenalive,theMelakaSultanatemighthavesurvivedB. y now,corruptioanndintrigues
arerampantT. he governmenist dividedon whethetro allowthePortuguesteo tradein
Melaka. One groupis fortrade,theother,influencedby foreignMuslimtradersis
against.SultanMahmudprevaricateMs. isunderstandinlgeasd tosomePortuguesbeeing
takenintocustody.The remaininPgortugueseescapeto theirships,buttheyreturnwith
a fleetofships[in 1511,accordingtoPortuguesseources].Negotiationbsreakdownand
thePortugueseforcesstormtheMelakafortressD.espiteputtingup a fierceresistance,
theMalayforcesarecrushedandareforcedtoflee.Melakais conqueredandtheoldcity
is destroyed.

SultanMahmudfleestoBentan,PahangandothervassalstatesforrefugeD. uring
thisperiodwhenhis son SultanAhmadsetsup governmenitn Bentan,he ordersthe
murderof SultanAhmadallegedlybecausehe had offendedhis seniorministerasnd
officersb,uttheprobablereasonseemstobe thatTunFatimahhasfinallyconceivedand
givenbirthto a son forhimon thepromisethatif she bearshima son,herson will
becomeking.The boy is at an age whenhe couldbecomeking.And becauseSultan
Ahmads' loyalofficerefusestoserveSultanMahmudandbegshimtokillhimas well,
he obliges.42

PartIV: THE DECLINE OF THE MELAKA KINGDOM. ComprisingChapters
24 to 31. These are storiesof SultanMahmuds' yearsof refugein Pahang,theRiau
islandofBentanandhisdeathin Kamparin SumatraH. e is pursuedbythePortuguese
forceseverywherhe e goes. He dies in ignominya,lthoughhis dynastycontinuesin
Pahang,PerakandJohorT. he lastChapter31 endswithhissonbyTunFatimahS, ultan
Ala'u'dd-dinreigninginJohorLama.

42 fPmahiikicremrknewisplh.smhe.,..e2"eka5nhni4ole,alwfledshdaoisciaisnobwntoioflfixi(ecrtciacthmrlahuemwtsaeeStoildutttIhoylhntp.oheaiMfrniuSstmauihlmO.tm"naeaAtnu,hfhhdateomdekttrhhialde"eldfse)rtoeedoharrnotiornhrPdgshei,esararsdeteotdshdanbekeds,uecetjpnruaitlsbaohtbScefueemsaclntaadaunhMnsoyteetahhhhaefmedpakrneuiaolcdslpcy"ealadmemWv.aeetinrtoyhy
120

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

JMBRAVSOL.LXXI

Conclusion
FromtheforegointgheSejarahMelayu is undoubtedlaygreatworkofMalayliterature,
extremelywell-writtenwithgreatimagination,artisticskills and a well-knitplot,
structureu,nityand integritoyf theme.Its authorhas presenteda formof discourse,
basedon bothtraditionalndIslamicmoralandethicalvalues,forthebenefitoffuture
rulersc, entredaroundthethemeof theriseand fallof theGreatMelakanEmpire.The
lgarsetartuelsestrtoofrMyteolladkwai-tahninaitmspoargoeussic,sotrhrautopfattnhdecmaporriacldioeucsarduelenrcweohfoSwualtsarneMspahonmsuibdl,tfehoer
itsfall. The textoftheSejarahMelayu, saysWinstedt,4is3an extremeexampleofthe
libertiestakenby all Malay copyists.Probablytheworkof manyhands,whichkept
improvingr,evisingandfinetuningit,ithasbecomethefinestliterarwy orkinMalay.

References

A. SamadAhmad,(transliteratioofn)SulalatusSalatiti(SejarahMelayu),DewanBahasa
danPustaka,KualaLumpur1, 979.
AbdulRahmanHaji Ismail,romanisedtransliterationf Sejarah Melayu, (ed.) Cheah
Boon Kheng,MBRAS, KualaLumpur1, 998.
Abdullah(ibn AbdulkadirMunsyi).Sedjarah Melayu. PenerbitDjambatan,Jakarta,
1952.
Brown,C.C. (Introductionand annotatedtranslationof) Sejarah Melayu, or Malay
Annals.KualaLumpurO, xfordUniversitPyress,1970.
Nuru'd-dinar-RaniriB,ustanu's-Salatin(c.ompiledby)T. IskandarD, ewan Bahasa dan
Pustaka,KualaLumpur1, 966.

Pires,Tomé.TheSumaOrientalofToméPires, (translatebdyArmandoCortesão).The
HakluytSocietyr, eprintK,rausReprinLtimitedN, endeln,1967.
Roolvink,R., "TheVariantVersionsoftheMalayAnnals,"in C.C. Brown(annotated

translatioonf)SejarahMelayu,orMalayAnnals,pp.pp.xv-xxvii.
ShellabearW, .G.SejarahMelayu.FajarBakti,KualaLumpur1, 977.
Walls, C. "Legacy of the Fathers:TestamentaryAdmonitionsand The Thematic

Structuroef theSejarah Melayu." Ph.D. Dissertationat Yale UniversityM, ay
1974.
WangGungwu", TheFirstThreeRulersofMalacca,"JMBRA,S41, 1, 1968.
Wilkinson,R.J.Papers on Malay Subjects. Selectedand Introducedby P.L. Burns.
OxfordUniversitPyress,KualaLumpur1, 971.
WinstedtR,.O. "TheDate,AuthorandIdentityoftheOriginaDl raftoftheMalayAnnals
(1934)" reproducedin CheahBoon Kheng(ed.), SejarahMelayu/MalayAnnals,
MBRAS, 1998,pp.47-56.
- "The Prefaceof The Malay Annals(1934)," reproducedin Cheah Boon Kheng,

- (ed.)SejarahMelayu/MalaAynnals,MBRAS, KualaLumpur1, 998.
- A HistoryofMalayLiteraturJe.MBRA,S17,3, 1939.
A HistoryofMalaya,MaricanandSons,Singapore1, 962.
UmarYunus,SejarahMelayuMenemukaDniri Kembali.FajarBakti,Kuala Lumpur.

43 AHistoroyfMalayLiteratupr.e1,08.

121

This content downloaded from 62.122.73.177 on Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:05:41 PM
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions