Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Let’s begin with the
introduction of British indirect rule in Pahang and its impact on
several Malay chiefs who spearheaded the uprising.
With the
appointment of JP Rodger as the resident of Pahang in October 1888, the
British introduced various reforms and regulations which reduced the
powers and income of hereditary Malay chiefs.
They
were no longer allowed to collect tolls and taxes in their districts.
But to compensate for their loss of income, the Malay chiefs were given
monthly allowances.
Further, the British regulated the system of forced labour - kerah
- and introduced the registration of slaves with fixed redemption fees.
To gradually end slavery, the Malay chiefs were not allowed to recruit
new slaves.
Among the most prominent Malay chiefs in Pahang then,
dato’ Bahaman, the orang kaya of Semantan, arguably opposed British rule
primarily due to personal reasons and not “demi memperjuangkan ketuanan
Melayu dan agama Islam” (fighting for Malay supremacy and Islam).
First,
he was greatly upset that the British resident rejected his request to
increase his monthly allowance from $70 to $500, i.e. equal to that
given to the orang besar berempat in lieu of him no longer being allowed
to levy tolls and taxes in his district.
In this regard, he
specifically told magistrate JF Owen that he and his people would not
obey British laws unless he was given an annual allowance of $6,000.
Second,
Bahaman felt slighted that the British built a police station at Lubok
Terua in his district without first informing him.
His
main reason for opposing British rule became clearer when he reportedly
wrote a letter to WE Maxwell, the British resident of Selangor,
demanding that his district be attached to Selangor instead of Pahang
with an increase in his annual personal allowance to $6,000.
His
sense of patriotism and loyalty to his own ruler, Sultan Ahmad of
Pahang, is thus questionable. As stated by Aruna Gopinath in her book,
“Pahang 1880–1933: A Political History”, this act by Bahaman “proved
that he did not fully abide by his ruler.”
Bahaman’s requests were
ignored by the British. In turn, he defied the orders and regulations
imposed by the British. As a result of Bahaman’s defiance, Sultan Ahmad,
in October 1891, issued an order depriving him of his title and
position.
Igniting an uprising
The
immediate reason for the Malay uprising led by Bahaman in mid-December
1891 was the arrest of three of his followers by the British for
illegally collecting jungle produce.
Bahaman and his men ambushed
the British force which had entered the Semantan river. The British
force, which consisted of 15 Sikhs and six Malay police officers, was
led by Desborough, the collector and magistrate of Temerloh district.
In this encounter, three Sikh police officers were killed and their bodies mutilated.
The
reasons for the Pahang Uprising in 1891 are best summarised by Jang
Aisjah Muttalib in her book, “Pemberontakan Pahang 1891–1895”, who
wrote: “This incident itself was not the result of a plot by elements
who were dissatisfied with the British in Pahang but was rather a
localised event.”
Interestingly, not many people are aware that
Sultan Ahmad personally took command of an expedition in mid-January
1892 with about 500 Malays to arrest Bahaman, who had vanished into the
jungle.
This expedition destroyed 12 of Bahaman’s stockades at Bentong.
It
is important to note that Sultan Ahmad initially gave tacit support to
the rebelling Malay chiefs but was subsequently pressured by the British
to support their rule in Pahang.
On April 5, 1892, two Europeans,
Harris and Stewart of the Pahang Exploration Company, were murdered by
the Panglima Muda of Jempol.
Meanwhile, Mat Kilau, who managed to
raise a band of followers at Budu, in the Ulu Pahang district, attacked
Kuala Lipis on April 10, 1892, and looted Chinese shops for food
supplies.
On May 21, 1892, Budu was attacked and burnt by the
British after Mat Kilau refused to enter into peace negotiations with
them. Mat Kilau, along with about 60 men and their women and children,
escaped into the jungle.
Misconceptions
On
the perception created in the film that the Pahang Malays revolted
against the British to uphold the sanctity of Islam, it must be noted
that Islamic matters were under the control of the Pahang ruler.
Further,
the British did not interfere in religious matters. Hence, it is
inaccurate to suggest that the rebellious Malay chiefs fought to defend
the sanctity of Islam.
However,
it should be noted that in the later stages, the Pahang Malays, under
the influence of Tok Ku Paloh (a Terengganu holy man), declared a holy
war against the infidels in order to inject new enthusiasm into their
struggle.
Another point to note about the Pahang Uprising is that
it failed to gain popular support among ordinary Malays due to the lack
of unity among the various Malay chiefs. At any one time, it only gained
the maximum support of about 700–800 Malays.
A case in point is
that Mat Kelubi, one of the Malay leaders who revolted against the
British, was killed together with seven of his men by a Malay force led
by Tok Raja and panglima garang Yusof, both who were Ulu Pahang chiefs,
on June 16, 1894.
The composition of the Pahang police force at
the beginning of 1890 comprised one European inspector (H Sumner), one
Malay inspector (Tuan Kechut), 104 Sikhs, and 142 Malays, apart from
some Dayaks who were recruited as constables around the same time.
The
Malay police officers were largely recruited from Kelantan and
Terengganu. Later during the same year, another 50 Sikhs were recruited.
Regarding
the Sikh police, JP Rodger reported that “the Sikhs had behaved
exceptionally well, not a single complaint having been made against
them.”
To the best of my knowledge, there are no historical
records indicating that the Sikh police officers behaved brutally
towards the Malays during the Pahang Uprising. Any perception to the
contrary is unfair to the community.
Regarding the perception that
the 1891–95 Pahang Uprising was aimed at ending foreign domination of
Pahang’s economy, it is worth noting that Sultan Ahmad in the 1880s –
before British rule in Pahang – had sold large tracts of land in
Kuantan, Lipis, Bentong, Raub, Semantan, and Jelai to European, Chinese,
and Arab prospectors.
In doing so, the sultan angered several
Malay chiefs, including the orang kaya of Lipis and maharaja Perba Tok
Raja of Jelai. The Malay subjects, too, suffered severely as their gold
workings were taken over by concessionaires without compensation.
To
conclude, the film “Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan” certainly lives up
to its disclaimer that it portrays fictionalised characters and events
which do not conform to several historical truths.
