Gradually Erasing Hang Tuah from the Malay Psyche.

According to the internet  versions.. apparently in June 1998, the government of Malaysia commisioned a team of researchers to conduct in Malaysia , a research project to compliment the historical annals of the Malacca Sultanate that was in the syllabus of the country’s secondary schools.

The objective of the research is simply:

To gather evidence that may indicate the origins of the early Malays to Malaysia.

To further research the subject and allow more credence to the claims of the Malays as the first settlers,  they determined that there is a need to find the graveyards of Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekiu and others.. to validate the existence of these pendekar (warrior) pioneers.

Intriguingly , a year later after the research , since 1999 or 2000, HANG TUAH as a important  historical figure in the annals of Malacca ,so fiercely identified as a beacon of Malay warrior spirit and so strongly symbolic of the Malays as a proud and strong culture dating back to the pendekars of the Malacca 5 centuries ago , the legend ,icon, hero  seems to have been put in the deep freeze?

What did they uncover that prompted  the government to decide to halt or gradually omit the Hang Tuah name in the syllabus and evade documenting  Hang Tuah and his warrior comrades and their links to the Malacca sultanate of that era ?

The  research team from the US ,  United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Yemen & Russia., found the ” claimed to be ” graveyards of Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat and others, their skeletons had been analyzed and samples of DNA taken with the results showing unexpectedly that Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekiu and  few other DNA  samples of pendekars,  in a surprising turn , showed that the DNA samples were  not of Malay ancestry but  matches DNA traced from  CHINESE origins  from China !!

Begging the questions of where their real birthplaces were.?  Or were they born in Malacca to parents of Chinese descendant?

Or were they Chinese warriors sent by the Ming Dynasty Emperor,perhaps as a goodwill gesture of diplomacy?

According to  earlier historical accounts (before their roles in Malacca history  were reduced to insignificance ,when the warriors were still thought of as full blooded heroic Malay warriors),

The Hang pack of pendekars  were duty bound  to help protect the MALAY Sultanate and thwart attacks by the neighbouring countries of Malacca.
They were the protectors of  the Sultan and the port of  Malacca .

 

And hence ,lingering question is , Did Hang Tuah and the other warriors sailed to Malacca  from China?

And they were assigned to the Malacca Sultanate as Royal guards as a gesture of goodwill from the Ming dynasty Emperor .??

And are they are linked to the  Seven Voyages to the Western Ocean by Admiral Zheng He who co- incidentally was a Chinese Muslim himself who had forged a close diplomatic relationship with the Malaccan  Royalty and adopted the port as a protectorate of Chinese navy.

In a impressive show of naval might with dozens of  gigantic vessels and thousands of crew , that would have deterred neighbours from any ambition towards the port of Malacca. .

Another version of Hang Tuah has it that……

Hang Tuah’s appearance in the history of the region began when some men ran amok near Kampung Bendahara.

Tun Perak , (whose rank is similar to Prime Minister of the Sultanate then ,) came with a party of guards to investigate the incident, but they were  also attacked.

His guards fled but when Hang Tuah and his friends, who happened to be at a nearby stall, saw what was happening, rushed to intervene and save Tun Perak.

They fought the group and, because of their ferociousness, chased them off.

Tun Perak was impressed by the courage of Hang Tuah and his companions.

He rewarded them for their gallantry  and presented them to Sultan Muzaffar Syah.

 

Hang Tuah’s Well in Kampung Duyong, Malacca.

Hang Tuah Mausoleum

Hang Tuah’s illustrious career as an admiral or laksamana includes tales of his absolute and unfaltering loyalty to his Sultan, some of which are chronicled in Sejarah Melayu (the semi-historical Malay Annals) and Hikayat Hang Tuah (a romantic collection of tales involving Hang Tuah).

Hang Tuah was chronicled to have been  the sultan’s constant aide, accompanying  his Ruler on official visits to foreign soil. As the account goes , during one such visit to Majapahit, Hang Tuah  duelled with the famed pendekar(warrior) named  Taming Sari.

And which he emerged the victor after a brutal ferocious fight , Hang Tuah was rewarded by the then  ruler of Majapahit who bestowed upon him Taming Sari’s kris (Malay warrior’s uniquely shaped dagger).

The Keris Taming Sari was named after its original owner, and was purported to be magical, empowering its owner with physical invulnerability.

 

Legacy of Hang Tuah in the Malay psyche.

The name Hang Tuah remains  extremely popular in Malaysia, embodying the values of  Malay “pendekar” spirit and  culture of that era in history.

Although the  historical accuracy has question marks hovering .(between myth,legend and historical facts)  nonetheless the legend is indelibly etched into the Malay psyche of the warrior spirit of loyalty and justice.

And the Keris a symbol of Malay pride and unique identity,particularly the name “Taming Sari” . Hang Tuah’s  ostensibly “charmed ” Keris ,a potent symbolic name of Malay pride strength and warrior spirit..

Like a version of King Arthur’s  sword “Excalibur.”.

The name ” Taming Sari ” conjures impressions of  power , strength , invincibility, and a mysterious aura of  supernatural power.The uniqueness of the curling shape of the  Keris  dagger and  the Taming Sari name ,adopting both and associating the strength and  pride of the Malay culture in both these potent symbols.

And also to cap it all on potent symbols of the Malays as a proud and strong race and culture with a warrior spirit.

There is the martial art of silat…a combat art as Malay as it can get..and Hang Tuah ,Jebat,Kasturi ,Lekir and Lekiu are very pronounced as masters of this combative art.

And in Malaysia, this martial art is exclusively identified with the Malay community,just like Kung Fu is identified with the Chinese.

 

The Hang Tuah , Jebat ,Kasturi ,Lekir ,Lekiu  pendekars , still serves as a compelling point of debate among students of Malay history ,literature or legend of  the Malay pendekar  spirit in the Malaccan era.

In contemporary Malaysia, Hang Tuah is purportedly quoted as saying

“Takkan Melayu Hilang di Dunia” meaning “Never shall the Malay(s) vanish from the earth”.

The quote is a famous rallying cry for  Malay nationalism.

 

And  because of DNA…?????

Paradoxically,as it emerges that Hang Tuah had Chinese DNA,the legacy of the invincible heroic Malay warrior with absolute loyalty to Ruler ,evaporated , and made seemingly insignificant,despite all the embodiment of the noble virtuous values of the Malay warrior whose allegiance and loyalty to Ruler were paramount and above all else.

Even if it means the ultimate self sacrifice.!

The values Hang Tuah represented transcends cultures or race, for such are values that makes brave  heroic warriors into legends,no matter what country or Emperor or Sultan they are willing to fight and die for.

Particularly if accounts of Hang Tuah’s DNA are true, then it makes it even more of an incredible tale of loyalty and allegiance to Ruler.

Despite the fact that Hang Tuah and his warrior comrade in arms,were not of the same ancestry as that of their Ruler,but still they were ferociously loyal to the core.

And all the more significant when considering the tale of treachery and betrayal of Hang Tuah by the Ruler,and yet still, his loyalty was unflinching, and exemplifies the warrior code to the utmost in the protecting of their Ruler.

Based on the premise that , their lifes are not their own,and that it belongs to their lord and master,their Sultan. And that if they were commanded to take their own lifes by their Ruler, They will do so, without hestitating

A type of universal code of conduct of warriors of the era.To die in service for the lord that they serve,a glorious ultimate sacrifice.

Therefore, if Hang Tuah and his warrior in arms actually existed in  Malacca,and by separating the intertwining legend and real history and discovering that their heroism is indeed based on merit.

It will be  gross dis-service to the legacies of the names not to mention the perversion of Malaccan history  and the documenting of the Malays in  history during the reign of the Malaccan Sultanates ,and the thriving culture of that era,when Malacca was a trading hub.

So what does it matter,whether Hang Tuah was of what DNA or origin? It ought to matter more that He sees himself as a Malay warrior,with absolute allegiance and loyalty to his Ruler and of course his Country.! Or that he will willingly give his life in the defence of the Malacca and the Sultan he is loyal to !

 

Therefore,indeed, it will be a form of a perversion of historical accuracy. Just so that, to further some diabolical agenda of current day Governance and obsession  to govern based along ethnic lines, Fear monger and create non existent inter community threats..?

Just so they can create “designer history”, by cherry picking and composing or rewriting and worst omitting what maybe relevant facts to the real actual history of the sequence of events through the centuries  that eventually lead to contemporary Malaysia !

Bryanbb