Traveling the World

What was once the site of early human habitation is now known as the country of Malaysia. Humans began arriving at the Niah Cave in Sarawak around fifty thousand years ago. Already on the peninsula, the aboriginals had lived peacefully in the inland mountain area for a long time when the Malays arrived.

The Proto-Malayans were seafarers and farmers, and migrated to the peninsula from China around 2500 B.C. Their arrival scared off the aboriginals, who headed into the hills and jungles. Soon after, another group of people took over, called the Deutero-Malays – a combination of Indians, Chinese, Siamese, Arabs, Indonesians and Proto-Malays – and formed the racial basis of the group we call the Malay.

In the early period A.D., the Funan Kingdom of Cambodia expanded its borders into the Malay peninsula. In the seventh century, the Sumatra Sri Vijaya dynasty rose to power to become the largest dynasty. They lasted for 600 years until the second half of the thirteenth century, when the peninsula was conquered by Majapahit. The demise of Sri Vijaya divided the land into many small Sultanates, the most important being the Malacca Sultanate.

Paramesmara, the prince of Sri Vijaya escaped from Palembang and fled to Temasek (modern day Singapore). After the assassination of the local ruler, he fled to the north to find a settlement. Records say he experienced an auspicious sight en route to the north, and established the settlement on that spot. It became known as Malacca in 1403. In 1414, he converted to Islam.

As a result of Paramesmara’s decision to settle on the peninsula, he gained access to sea ports, and a great trading route that put Malacca in between the Middle East, Southeast Pacific, and China. Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty visited Malacca during his travels, and later the Ming Emperor married off Hang Li Po to the Sultan (there are rumors surrounding the true identity of Hang Li Po).

Western powers arrived by the sixteenth century: The Portuguese destroyed the Malacca Kingdom in 1511, and ruled it until 1641, when the Dutch defeated them and took over. The British took over in the eighteenth century, and absorbed Penang and Singapore. The Pangkor Treaty was signed between the British and Malay Sultan, thus absorbing more territory from the Malacca Strait.

Through the Resident System, the British progressively controlled the Malay Peninsula and Singapore by installing a British citizen as the local ruler. After one of the Residents was assassinated, they exiled the Sultan and put another Resident in place, who proved to be a much better ruler.

In order to develop tin mines and rubber estates, they brought in large numbers of laborers from China and India, hence forming the current day melting pot of culture.

In 1942, Japan invaded Malaya and took control for the next three years and eight months until it’s unconditional surrender to the Allies. In 1948, the British colonial government declared a state of emergency to deal with the Communist Party of Malaya.

Look for part 2 soon!

When I arrived in Johor Bahru, I was picked up by my friend Evelyn, who went 30 minutes out of her way to help me out when we’d never met in person before! I was whisked back to her house and given a nice bed to sleep on. After all that traveling I was exhausted and needed the rest. In the morning when I woke up, I was treated to laksa, a beautifully spicy and aromatic Malaysian dish. Once breakfast was over, class began. Here is what I learned:

Before Malaya came together to form the country of Malaysia, each “state” had it’s own Sultan. The word Sultan (سلطان)‎ is an Islamic title given to people, which comes from the word سلطة sulṭah, meaning “authority.” Later, it came to be used as the title of certain Muslim rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty in practical terms. Many Sultans abused their rights, but not the Sultan of Johor Bahru. Once Malaysia gained independence and embraced democracy, the Sultans lost most of their power but kept the name and wealth, and continued to live amongst the people.

Singapore Strait

I went to the Sultan’s residence to see how he lived. To show he was a man of the people, he opened his estate to the public during the day so they could relax, jog, and view the beautiful scenery. His estate is situated on a hill above the Singapore Strait, which separates Malaysia and Singapore and provides for a somewhat romantic break from the day-to-day stress of life. Interestingly enough, he has several very old cars rusting away in the back of the residence, as well as an ostrich and several other animals for which I don’t know the names.

As I began writing this post after I returned to China, Evelyn informed me that the Sultan of JB had passed away, and the entire nation was grieving. What I found quite interesting was this passage from an article on the internet:

During the mourning period you are required to wear a 3″ black band on your left arm. There is no specific rule or law stating you need to comply with this, but you could be hassled by the police if you do not do so since it shows a lack of respect for the late Sultan. This applies to both Malays and non-Malays, and should especially be adhered to if you enter public and government buildings. There have already been reports of fines up to RM$2000 for several shop owners not wearing the black arm band.

Sultan's Domain

Just as a side note, RM$2000 is about $600 USD and most people don’t even make that much each month in Malaysia. Continuing on, I found that even though Sultans in the Middle East are associated with absolute power and rule, this Sultan caused the “Gomez Incident,” which involved passing a bill which allowed rulers who violated Malaysian law to be prosecuted. Furthermore, he amended the Sedition Act of 1948 to allow public criticism of the rulers. Quite a few crazy events in his lifetime, but I have to admit I’m impressed with his style. RIP Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail.

Despite my brief two day stint in southern Malaysia, it was a great learning experience I’m glad I can look back on and appreciate. If you ever get the travel bug and want to explore this area or possibly even Singapore or Indonesia, let me know and I can put you in contact with my friend Evelyn.

At the time this summary was published, the conversion rates were as follows:

Chinese RMB to USD 6.85
Malaysian RM to USD 3.43
Australian AUD to USD 1.14

China (1 day in transit)
Transportation = 62rmb ($9)
Food = 127rmb ($18.50)
Misc = 30 ($4.30)
—————————————-
Total = 219rmb ($32)

Malaysia (4 days)
Transportation = RM22 ($6.39)
Food = RM189.90 ($55.44)
Misc = RM77 ($22.48)
————————————————
Total = RM288.90 ($84.35)

Singapore (4 hours)
Food = 7.90 ($5.53)
—————————————
Total = 7.90 ($5.53)

Australia (20 days)
Food = $253.53
Transportation = $111.9
Gifts = $192.55
Amenities = $51
Entertainment = $425.5
———————————————–
Total = $1034.48

Total Spent = $1151.01 not including flights (altogether flights were about another $300)