The 25th of July is arguably one of the most important dates in Malaysia’s history. It marked the Feast of Saint James the Greater, and on this day, 500 years ago, Afonso de Albuquerque, Caesar of the East, cried “Santiago!” and launched the first attack on the city of Malacca in a battle that would lead to the Fall of Malacca a month later.
The Fall of Malacca was one of the greatest defeats of the once mighty Malaccan Sultanate and one of the greatest conquests of the Portuguese Empire, deserving mention in the Sejarah Melayu of Tun Seri Lanang (Chapter XXIII), the Hikayat Hang Tuah (Chapter XXVIII), the Os Lusiadas of Luis Vaz de Camoes (Canto X, stanzas 44, 57, and 123), and even an epic poem titled Malaca Conquistada by Francisco de Sa de Meneses. The city, described by Duarte Barbosa as “...the richest seaport with the greatest number of wholesale merchants and abundance of shipping and trade that can be found in the whole world” was economically a strategic location. The nascent Portuguese Empire, which just discovered the Cape of Good Hope as an alternative to the Red Sea route, also conquered city-ports along the East African coast, the Arabian Sea and the west coast of India in order to secure their trade network and break the Muslim monopoly of the spice trade. Economic considerations, though with a tinge of religious fervour and political glory, was the main drive of the Portuguese Conquest of the East.
There are many reasons given for Portuguese victory, from the disunity of the enemy, to tactical superiority and good public relations. The latter reasons could be true, as the Portuguese gained the advantage after capturing the bridge of the Malacca River during battle, and won the loyalty of foreign merchants when Albuquerque promised them safe conduct and regulated the looting of the city. Regardless, the victory of the Portuguese was impressive, considering their numbers (around 1600 soldiers and 40 ships) compared to the might of 20,000 Malaccan and Javanese men (100,000 men, according to the exaggerated account of Tome Pires), 20 war elephants, and the warriors skilled in using the feared poisoned kris and Turkish guns.
On the first reason of defeat, I have heard some politicians invoke this event in order to stress on the importance of unquestioned unity under one leader. This I must disagree with. Yes, the defeat of the Malaccan forces could be attributed to disunity, but we must also remember that the people of Malacca at the time despised its ruler. Sultan Mahmud Syah was recorded by Tome Pires and Tun Seri Lanang as a maniacal despot in his youth, one who defiled his followers’ wives, assassinated his siblings like the Ottoman Sultans did for fear of rivalry and executed the family of his Bendahara in an act of paranoia. These acts have more than once cost him the loyalty of his men (Khoja Hassan, the son-in-law of Hang Tuah, for example). If anything, this event should serve as a lesson for the leaders to not overstep their boundaries, thus bringing shame to their office and losing the loyalty of their citizens.
The Fall of Malacca should be considered an important event in Malaysian history. First, it led to the formation of new Malay sultanates, such as the successor states of Johor and Perak, and the rise of a new Malay Empire, Acheh in Sumatra. These new sultanates would contribute in the development of Malay intellectual activity, with Aceh producing philosophers such as Hamzah Fansuri, and Johor producing Tun Seri Lanang, who wrote the paramount Malay history tome, the Sejarah Melayu. These new sultanates served as continuation of the Sultanate of Malacca, and they would be the precursors of some of the surviving Malay kingdoms in Malaysia today.
Second, the conquest of Malacca marked the beginning of colonialism in Malaysia. Portuguese conquest for native riches would also attract the colonialist power of the Dutch, British and Japanese empires, spanning 446 years until Tunku Abdul Rahman’s historic declaration of ‘Merdeka!’ on 31st August 1957.
Third, it marked the arrival of Christianity in the Malay World, although the Portuguese government in Malacca seemed quite lax in this area, judging from the frustration of Saint Francis Xavier in obtaining cooperation by the authorities of Malacca in his proselytising due to economic concerns. Today, Christians number 9% of the Malaysian population, not directly due to Portuguese efforts, but they did begin this effort.
Fourth, interaction with the Portuguese led to the expansion of Malay vocabulary, with around 400 words in the Malay lexicon originated in Portuguese, such as bendera, gereja, jendela, keju, kemeja, meja, minggu, sekolah, and roda.
Fifth, the Portuguese Conquest also led to the emergence of a community, now a small minority in Malaysia. They are the Eurasian (Serani) community, a community of mixed European-Asian ancestry due to the miscegenation policies of Alfonso de Albuquerque, spread across the country and the world, but united by a quiet little village known as the Portuguese Settlement (formed 1930). This community, which incorporated Malay lifestyle, the Catholic faith and developed their own language based on Portuguese, is quite underrepresented in national policy, even in politics, much like the Orang Asli. They are not even represented in our history textbooks, but this community has contributed to the development of our nation, much like the other races. They filled the administrative and teaching positions in the civil service and schools during the British period due to their fluency in the English language; they fought valiantly against the Japanese forces during Occupation (this included one former English College teacher who was killed by the Japanese); and they have produced political leaders such as Datuk G Shelley and Bernard Sta Maria. This community deserved to be recognised as well, as scions of a mighty race and children of this nation.
So much for the effects of Portuguese conquest of Malacca, which no doubt is an important event in Malaysian history.
It is surprising, though, that for all our shared history, Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Portugal. We have housed embassies and consulates in this country, and forged relations with other countries as well, including former colonial powers such as the United Kingdom, Japan and the Netherlands. It would be wise for Malaysia to form this relation with Portugal, in order for us to share our knowledge and learn from one another.
This essay written about the Fall of Malacca is not intended to summon some spectre of ridiculous xenophobia and nationalism for something that happened 500 years ago, but for us to understand our history and appreciate how far we have come from there.
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