GEORGE TOWN – An academic has refuted a research piece by a University of Malaya (UM) historian, which posits that Francis Light had founded the island state through a “preliminary agreement” with the Kedah Sultanate.
Ahmad Murad Merican, a former professor at the management and humanities department at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, took to social media to criticise the piece written by Sivachandralingam Sundara Raja, an associate professor at UM’s history department.
Murad, who has been championing the revision of Penang’s history for the last decade, said Light illegally occupied Penang in 1786 via “deceit”.
“And there was no agreement, no such thing as a ‘preliminary letter’. There was a series of discussions through many letters.
“What ‘preliminary letter’ is this? If there is no definite letter, why concoct one? As I have said, there is no lease, no agreement, no signatures.
“Why must we fabricate or conjure something to justify what has been erroneously narrated? Utter rubbish. Get this right for once,” said Murad.
Earlier, he told The Vibes that his quest was nothing more than an effort to correct the facts of the matter, driven neither by politics or personal glory, nor for Kedah to retake Penang.
Light’s intimate knowledge of Malay world enabled him to persuade Kedah ruler to lease Penang: Sivachandralingam
Sivachandralingam wrote that in August 1786, Light acquired possession of Penang after signing a preliminary letter with Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah, then-ruler of Kedah.
“This is something that most Malaysians are aware of. However, many people would be surprised to learn that he was a private trader before becoming a colonial official.”
Many people, he added, are of the knowledge that the Kedah sultan had to forgo the island out of desperation for British assistance to protect Kedah’s sovereignty from Siam, under which Kedah was regarded as a vassal tenant.
It is, however, little-known that Light’s intimate knowledge of the Malay world, gained while he was a trader, allowed him to easily persuade the sultan to lease Penang, he added.
Sivachandralingam said that his article aims to shed light on who these traders were and the many roles they played during the colonial period.
He told The Vibes that he picked up on the preliminary agreement from a secondary source of a historical book authored by the late R. Bonney – a source many historians refer to.
“But it is also academic. There might be interpretations. I know Murad and he may have his points. I am objective about my essay.”
Sivachandralingam said his essay was based on his master’s thesis about the role of the colonial English traders and their immersions with the Malay society and rulers, with whom they built a close rapport to allow trade to flourish, including in Kedah.
“Many of them knew Jawi, and many were well-versed with Malay customs.”
Malay rulers highly intelligent in trade deals with British merchants: Sivachandralingam
The issue of who pioneered Penang has become controversial of late, with many members in the Kedah Historical Society disputing Light’s position as the founder.
Sivachandralingam also addressed the notion that such a preliminary agreement did not exist and that Light had duped Kedah royalty under the false pretence of offering the sultanate military aid, in the event that the neighbouring Siam Kingdom was to launch an invasion.
Light, he asserted, was well-versed on the Kedah sultanate – enough to dupe it – yet the Malay rulers were also cunning and highly intelligent in their pursuit of trade with the British.
“It was only two years later (after 1786) that the British East India Company recognised Penang. Light kept the acquisition of the island from it.”
The East India Company was said to enjoy links with Light, although there are versions suggesting that it employed the Englishman. – The Vibes, December 29, 2021
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