PAD 270
CHAPTER 1
Name: NUR FARA
Group: AM1104G
Question 1
Malacca reached its supremacy under Sultan Mansur Syah’s reign but started declining by
the end of the 15th century, during the reign of Sultan Mahmud Syah.
Discuss FIVE (5) reasons for the fall of Malacca in 1511.
Based on the facts, Parameswara or Sultan Iskandar Shah is the first person who
discovered Malacca in the 14th century. After Parameswara had discovered Malacca, the
region had developed into such a great empire and had reached its golden age till it fall. On
1511, the Portuguese colonizers, Alfonso De Albuquerque, came to Malacca, colonized the
empire and then it started to fall. The fall of the empire has occurred for several reasons,
including internal and external problems.
The first reason explained for the fall of Malacca in 1511 is that the government was weak
and the leadership was weak. This happened because of the over-reliance of Tun Perak,
because they unable to find the right and competent leader after his death at that time. After
the death of Tun Perak, Tun Mutahir succeeded Tun Perak as the new ruler. However,
during the reign of Tun Mutahir, he was a terrible leader and more concerned with his own
welfare than the welfare of the state. Many ministers show their disappointment towards his
administration. However, during Sultan Mahmud's rule, he was also a weak leader who
supported bribery and corruption in the administration. That's how he wants to obtain
personal wealth, so that contributes to high taxes on people and traders. He also allowed the
officer to act as they wished. Besides that, Bendahara Tun Perpatih, the successor who is
also weak, ill and elderly.
Second, there is disunity. This is because of the disunity of the people in Malacca and the
separation into factions. Bendahara Tun Mutahir was an Indian Muslim, and his incompetent
government led to the pattern of favoritism amongst the Malays, being violent and creating
racial tension. Appointment of Tun Mutahir had triggered rivalry among the Malays. During
Sultan Mahmud, Bendahara Tun Mutahir and Tun Ali were ordered to be sentenced to death
of betrayal by Raja Mandaliar and Laksamana Khoja Hassan, an Indian native. Both of these
aspects caused the disunity of the people of Malacca.
The third weakness of Malacca is the security and defense of Malacca. The situation is
getting worse as a result of the assault by the Portuguese, led by Alfonso De Albuquerque,
to colognized the states. At that point, the Malacca army lost its expertise because they have
not fought in a big war for a long time. They're still going to war with a traditional weapon to
fight with the Portuguese, such as crees, arrows and spears. While Portuguese use modern
weapon like a cannon to fight against Malacca. The Portuguese Army is well armed with
weapons and good strategic planning provided by its leader, Alfonso De Albuquerque.
The fourth reason of the fall of Malacca was the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope. Cape
of Good Hope was a naval passage in Southern Africa, discovered in 1488 by Bartholomew
Diaz. The success of the crossing allowed the sailor to travel from the west, which is
Portugal to the east. As Prince Henry is anxious to find their trade in the East that lead to his
men, encouraged to sail east with the motto 'Gospel, Gold, Glory.' Vasco Da Gama was the
first to explore the expansion of Portuguese sea.
Preaching is the last reason fall of Malacca. Prince Henry appointed Lopez De Sequeira to
analyze trade in Malacca. Then he arrived in Malacca and bought a piece of offer letter from
the King, as he wanted to develop trade in Malacca. At that time, Bendahara Tun Mutahir
and the officer is the one who influential in the state were to aggressive towards the
Christian. While, the merchant from Gujarat got a news that the Portuguese decided to start
the preach of holy wars against the Muslim. Sadly, in the meantime, there was a conflict
between Bendahara Tun Mutahir and Sultan Mahmud Shah that gave Lopez De Sequeira
the benefit that he was going to be killed. Despite of this, he managed to escape from
Malacca with his fleet, abandoning his assistant who had become a captive.
As a conclusion, the fall of Malacca is rooted in the failure of the ruler and administration, as
they are over-dependent towards the old ruler and will run the state on their own. The leader
himself must know how to successfully manage the state for the benefit of the country and
must not forget his people. The other factor, however, has contributed to the fall of Malacca.
Question 2
Clarify any 5 (FIVE) implications of British intervention in the states of Malaya.
Firstly, the effect of British involvement is the development of roads and railways.
The highways and railroads are designed to transport tin and rubber goods from one location
to another. The first examples of such roads are in Kuala Lumpur and the first examples of
railway tracks in Taiping. In addition, the purpose of these roads is to connect the copper ore
mining area to the rubber plantation. The track is the only short track in Perak, from Tapah
Road to Anson Bay. At that time, the railroad was extended to other states.
Secondly, implication of British intervention is in health care. Economic growth in Malaya has
resulted in a population rise in the field of economic activity. Increasing the population and
opening up forest areas for economic activities and settlements also caused health issues
among the population. Examples of illnesses faced by the population include recurrent
infections, measles and beriberi. The British then agreed to establish hospitals, medical
centers and a medical research institute in Malaya. The earliest hospitals were established
in Kuala Lumpur, Taiping and Penang. Small health centers have been set up for rural
communities such as Perak, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan to facilitate health checks.
Next, the other impacts of British intervention in the field of education. The British goals and
aims for the adoption of education policy is for their own benefit only. The British have also
seen the implementation of education policies to preserve the balance of the
Malay community. By enforcing this policy, the position of the British in Malaya will be
secured and strengthened. When British colonial rule in Malaya (1511-1957), the Islamic
education system undergone numerous adjustments and affected the interests of Islamic
education. Beliefs on Islamic education started to be converted into a British method of
education by the colonialists. They have also introduced English-based education systems
and laid the foundations for English subjects. British administrators have tried to monitor
Malay's admission to study English at school. They were provided educational opportunities,
limited to administrative knowledge, to support the English administrative system. This is due
to concern about the rise of the British against the French, if the Malay-born educated
people who are likely to rise against the British were high. During British rule, Malay
vernacular schools, Chinese vernacular and Tamil vernacular schools were founded by the
British. "Divide and rule" introduced by the British to establish a vernacular led to the division
of Malay, Chinese and Indians into separate school systems. This has also contributed to a
strain on inter-racial relations with the different education systems.
Moreover, the British left a huge impact in term of politics in Malaya, that cause major
changes to Malaysia's governance system. Before the arrival of the British, the traditional
political structure in Malaya was based on the monarchy of a country ruled in absolute terms
by the King or Sultan, as well as the officials of the government's administrative machinery to
move. Since the arrival of the British, the most important change was the absence of the
Sultan and the imperial powers. The British established a resident system to replace the
bureaucratic power previously exercised by the Sultan and his aristocracy. The appointment
of the Sultans and administrators was decided and would have to be British. For example,
the appointment of Sultan Abdullah to Perak by Andrew Clarke. Establishment of the Straits
Settlements, headed by the Governor and the Federated States of Malay, headed by the
Resident-General.
British interventions on the states of Malay due to the recognition by the British democratic
system. The impact of British colonialism was visible in the practice of the electoral system
of elected representatives and the creation of a government. Democracy is a political system
where people can choose between competing organizations and political leaders. People
cannot and should not be permitted to manage their own governments, however they do
regulate the government. In democracy, the people are deciding the development of the
political system. Malaysia has made Parliament the supreme power of the federal legislature
and has practiced parliamentary democracy. It consists of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and
two chambers, the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara. The first elections in Malaya were
held in 1955. The tradition of defining leaders based on this democratic system has given
the people the opportunity to declare their electoral representatives publicly or privately
accepted as a culture in our country. Elections are held once every five years as stipulated in
the Federal Constitution.
Question 3
Explain any 4 (FOUR) characteristics of leadership in the traditional Malay society.
Malaysia is a multiracial country, Malaysia and indigenous minorities accounting for about 60
per cent of the 21 million people. The Chinese make up about 31 percent, while the Indians
make up 8 percent. It is also wrong to say that there is only one society or one Malaysian
form of leadership style. Malaysia's colonial history has changed the traditional norms of
leadership and business management, along with modern foreign investment by Japanese
and Western countries. Nevertheless, core cultural and religious values influence the
attitudes and beliefs of Malay managers, and these help to create differences between
Malaysian leadership styles and those in other countries around the world. However, some
of the following material will refer to all three racial groups, the subject of which will focus
primarily on the characteristics of leadership in traditional Malay society.
First feature of leadership in traditional Malay society is that they emphasize Islam for the
importance of leadership capabilities and integrity. Those in authority are to be selected from
among community members on the grounds that they are competent and trustworthy. The
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency has a vision statement that suits well with the "unity,
trusteeship, and justice" of the Islamic values, and strict laws are in place against corruption
and bribery. The leader of the Kingdom of Malay Malacca takes the value of Islam seriously
and Islamic civilization exists. The Devaraja concept was replaced with the 'Khalifatullahfilardhi' concept. Devaraja concept which was the political position and symbol of the local
king's sovereignty. The ruler was no longer considered the avatar of Hindu gods, but instead
Caliphs of Allah who were responsible for the lands to prosper.
Next, the leadership characteristics of traditional Malay society is established a cooperation
in the undertaking task. The word gotong royong refers to working together to achieve a
shared goal. While increasing economic growth has brought greater competition in some
areas, Malays still attaches to great importance of cooperation, particularly when it is for the
common good. It is not expected that Malaysian leaders would be self-serving, in the sense
of placing their own interests above the group. Several posts such as the Bendahara,
Penghulu Bendahari, Temenggung, Syahbandar, and Laksamana were created during the
Malacca era for example. These posts were created to ease the administration in order to
function smoothly without any problem. There will be chaos in the administration without the
cooperation among the higher officials.
In addition, the third leadership feature in traditional Malay society is the leader often
encourages indirect form of communication. For example, being too direct in providing
negative feedback can be seen as disrespectful and rude to others. Preserving the face is
crucial and leaders will forgo transparency in order to preserve social harmony. In the
traditional Malay society, the aristocrats control political, economic, and social powers. The
commoners are not given the chance to be involved in the country's governance. The society
was split into two classes which are the ruler and the ruled. There is the difference between
the kings, the aristocrats and the commoners. People cannot betray the ruler or the
Monarch. If a commoner goes against the orders of the king, he will be cursed with
misfortune.
Finally, one of the characteristics of leadership in traditional Malay society is wise planning
by the leaders as well. That can be seen when diplomatic relations are established with
foreign countries. For instance, during the Sultanate of Malay Malacca, which is diplomatic
relations between Japan, China, West Asia and others. The Malays were civilized for a long
time, more than a thousand years ago. Other than being able to organize and rule their own
country according to the times, our ancestors also traveled the vast oceans like the Indian
Ocean, the South China Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, other than the waters in the
Malay Archipelago, using large sailing ships that they built. In the area we know as the
Roman Continent, they not only had ties with China in the East, but also with more civilized
and powerful nations in the West. Other than establishing relations and sealing friendships
between the Sultanate of Malay Malacca, China and the Roman Continent, trade ties have
also been established and maintained.
The traditional Malay society has played a crucial role in shaping modern Malay society's
political, economic, and social structures today. While the assimilation of new cultures has
developed, the traditional elements maintained. However, if the younger generations will not
accept it and do away with the noble ideals, all these traditional elements will fade away and
vanish in the name of modernization.