To
my mind, virtually nothing in the movie or at best less than 10 percent
is historically accurate, with the exception of the historical figures.
My
opinion will be buttressed with numerous examples of inaccurate
portrayals of the events and the people involved in the Pahang Uprising.
First, the film makes two factual errors in the opening scene. It
depicts Captain HC Syers and the Sikh military police attacking the
Malays at Kuala Tembeling in 1890 in pursuit of three Malay rebels.
The
truth is that Syers, inspector Crompton and 25 Selangor Sikhs only left
for Pahang in December 1891 after the outbreak of the uprising.
Further, no such brutal attack as depicted in the film ever took place.
It
should be noted that the Pahang Uprising broke out in the valley of the
Semantan river in Ulu Pahang, and not in Kuala Tembeling.
In mid-December 1891, Datuk Bahaman and his men ambushed a British force which had entered the Semantan river.
The
British force was led by Desborough, the collector and magistrate at
Temerloh (accompanied by Townson, the inspector of mines) with an escort
of 15 Sikh and six Malay police officers.
It was attacked due to the arrest of three of Bahaman’s men by the British for illegally collecting jungle produce.
Other ethnic groups
Second,
the British forces involved in quelling the Pahang Uprising were not
wholly Sikhs from Pahang, Perak, Selangor and Singapore.
The
British forces also included men of other ethnic groups: Europeans,
Malays, Pathans, Dayaks, Mandailings and men who originated from Padang
Lawas, Sumatra.
For the record, the Sikhs did form the backbone of the British strike force.
Contrary
to what has been asserted by Rahman, several European officers were
involved in combating the rebellious Malay chiefs and warriors.
Among
them were colonel Walker, acting superintendent Duff, assistant
superintendent Stewart, assistant commissioner Duhan, Syers, captain
Lyons, captain HL Talbot, inspector Graham, inspector McNamara,
inspector Symes, and EA Wise, district officer of Ulu Pahang.
Interestingly,
Tuan Kechut, the Malay chief inspector of police at Pekan arrested 21
men from several kampungs on the Jempol river who were suspected of
being involved in the murder of two Europeans in April 1892 under the
leadership of Panglima Muda of Jempol.
Further, among those
killed (besides several Sikhs) in the Pahang Uprising were Wise, and
Mirgul Khan and Azar Noor of the Selangor Pathans.
Those wounded (besides Sikh military police) included Talbot and two from Selangor Pathans, Azad Khan and Saed Shah Khan.
Guerrilla attacks
Third,
unlike as portrayed in the film, the rebellious Malay chiefs and their
men hardly came out into the open to fight the British forces.
They
hid in the jungle and generally carried out guerrilla attacks which
occurred very early in the morning before daylight had set in or in the
dusk of the evening.
On
a different note, contrary to the spirit of ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ that is
being championed by our current prime minister, the film has racial
undertones and propaganda aimed at promoting Malay supremacy and the
Islamic agenda.
For example, the non-Malays in the film are referred to as pendatang (immigrants) and kafir (infidels). In one of the scenes, the Sikh soldier is told: “Sebagai pendatang, jagalah adab (As an immigrant, maintain good manners)”.
In another scene of the film, the Malays are reminded of who should be allowed to become leaders in Tanah Melayu: “Orang mukmin tidak boleh ambil orang kafir untuk menjadi pemimpin (True believers cannot take infidels to become leaders)”.
The film also appears to portray the image that non-Malays have been exploiting the Malays. For example: “Orang kita dipijak oleh orang asing.”
The only Chinese character in the film, Goh Hui, is portrayed as being a traitor and a self-serving Chinaman.
To
conclude, as citizens of Malaysia, we should all work together towards
building a united and prosperous ‘Bangsa Malaysia’ wherein all ethnic
groups work together as ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ to make it a reality.
In
this regard, I salute the Johor sultan for proudly and rightfully
acknowledging in July 2022 the significant role played by the Chinese in
the economic development of Johor and asserting that they are
Malaysians and not pendatang.
It’s a wake-up call for
politicians, policymakers and academicians to adopt a Malaysian-centric
view towards fostering a shared sense of pride and an unshakable sense
of common identity among our young, which is vital for Malaysia’s
continued success and wellbeing.
READ MORE: COMMENT | Mat Kilau and demystifying the 1891-95 Pahang uprising
