Descendants of the man who hid behind the alias of Kulup Lembang, especially those unfamiliar with Tambun or who don’t feel welcomed there, should study the works of Haji Muhamad Shaharudin bin Mansur (sometimes spelled as Md Shaharudin or Muhammad Shaharudin). Only by studying his past works will you be able to see your mysterious ancestor and Tambun in a different light!
Haji Muhamad Shaharudin bin Mansur
The late Haji Muhamad Shaharudin bin Mansur was a well-respected, highly regarded man in Parit. He was better known as the wise village chief of Kampung Tok Paduka Raja, Mukim Pulau Tiga, in the 1950s.1
He wrote a number of books that helped numerous families trace their ancestries, uncover their familial roots, and get to know their communal heritages. He was a remarkable man, and his past contributions are still widely discussed on social media to this day. In a sense, descendants of Kulup Lembang should be thankful to the late Haji Muhamad Shaharudin, for his works and contributions have shed some light on the history of their common but mysterious ancestor.
Why should it matter to the descendants of Kulup Lembang?
Haji Muhamad Shaharudin’s work on the partial family tree of Kedahan Wan Mat Saman, and his in-depth knowledge of the genealogy of the local Tok Paduka Raja (Pulau Tiga) family, for example, has certainly shed some light on several individuals who were either very close to Kulup Lembang or were highly renowned in Tambun. Two such individuals will be discussed here today.
Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, former MP for Tambun
If you are from Tambun, then you should know him very well. Ahmad Husni bin Mohamad Hanadzlah, a former UMNO Tambun division chief and the longest-serving Member of Parliament for Tambun, served diligently from 1995 to 2018, spanning five straight terms. Ahmad Husni once described himself as ‘orang Anwar Ibrahim’ (PMX, current MP for Tambun) but eventually distanced himself from him.2
Ahmad Husni is also the grandson of the late Abdul Khalid Abas, believed to be descended from the family of Tok Paduka Raja of Pulau Tiga, who lived during the reign of the 11th Sultan of Perak, Marhum Besar Aulia Allah. It was Abdul Khalid Abas’s son-in-law who compiled the genealogy of the Tok Paduka Raja family after gathering relevant information from Haji Muhamad Shaharudin in the 1950s. Pay close attention to the title of Tok Paduka Raja from today onwards. It is interesting because Habib Ali bin Habib Hussein, the brother of Kulup Lembang’s spouse, was once bestowed with the title of Tok Paduka Raja (Tok Paduka, according to Riwayat Kinta) too. It's worth mentioning that Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter is married to Habib Ali’s second great-grandson.3
It is believed that his sister, back in 1996, was either the former partner or legal assistant of Maxwell, Kenion, Cowdy & Jones. Arthur Noel Kenion went into partnership with Eric Maxwell in 1906, and they were the ones behind the founding of the legal firm Maxwell & Kenion. Eric Maxwell, the founding partner of Maxwell & Kenion, apparently has many living descendants in Malaysia today. I have to admit that I have developed a deep interest in one of his children, Abdul Wahab Maxwell. Arthur Noel Kenion, on the other hand, is better known by those in the know as the guardian of the minor children of Kulup Lembang, a trust that was legally given to him right after the supposed death of Kulup Lembang in 1915. I visited the office of Maxwell, Kenion, Cowdy & Jones back in 2015 and was told by one of the partners of the firm that files and folders regarding Kenion’s trusteeship of Kulup Lembang’s minor children are still kept at the office.4
I met Ahmad Husni once during his Raya open house gathering a few years ago in Ipoh. This may come as a surprise to some, but Ahmad Husni and I are somewhat connected. It was a shocking realization that had taken place only a few years ago. It turned out that my late aunt, the sister of my late father, was married to Ahmad Husni’s uncle. My late father passed away a few years ago, and I couldn't ask him if he knew about the connection. I don’t think he knew about it; otherwise, he would have mentioned it to me in one way or another. Then again, I don’t really trust my own father, for he has proven to be a very sneaky man.
Sri Adika Raja Wan Mohamed Salleh, the representative and rent collector
Upon the supposed death of Kulup Lembang in 1915, letters of administration of the estate and credits of Kulup Lembang were granted to William Burton as the Official Administrator and Sri Adika Raja Wan Mohamed Salleh. It can be seen in various other official Kinta Land Office documents that both William Burton and Sri Adika Raja Wan Mohamed Salleh were mentioned as the representatives of the estate of Kulup Lembang. It would be incorrect to say that the connection between Sri Adika Raja Wan Mohamed Salleh and Kulup Lembang was purely professional and existed only after the death of the latter. Evidence suggests that both of them knew each other quite well, to the extent that the Sri Adika Raja was trusted to collect rent on behalf of Kulup Lembang.5
If that is not shocking enough, take a look at what Haji Muhamad Shaharudin had discovered regarding the partial family tree of a very well-known Kedahan nobleman. According to Haji Muhamad Shaharudin, Sri Adika Raja Wan Mohamed Salleh was actually the great-grandson of Kedahan Wan Mat Saman. It turned out that Wan Mat Saman, in his lifetime, had once settled down at Padang Rengas and married a local woman there. They had a daughter named Wan Aishah, who was the grandmother of the Sri Adika Raja.6
What have we learned from Haji Muhamad Shaharudin?
Haji Muhamad Shaharudin’s passionate interest in genealogy and our local history has ultimately revealed to us that:
There is an unexplainable connection between the Tok Paduka Raja family and Tambun.
There is something yet to be understood regarding the relationship between Kedahan Wan Mat Saman’s great-grandson, Sri Adika Raja Wan Mohamed Salleh, and Kulup Lembang.
What you have learned so far from this post is nothing new for some select few descendants of Kulup Lembang, and God knows what they have silently benefited from all these incredible revelations all these years. Yes, you have missed the boat, but that doesn't mean you should keep quiet about it and adopt a negative mindset, thinking that another opportunity won't come your way in the future. Remember, only complete idiots continue to keep quiet even though they know that they have been fooled over and over again.
1Rosmah Dain, “Perhimpunan - Eratkan Silaturahim,” Utusan Online, August 21, 2003, http://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2003&dt=0821&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Keluarga&pg=ke_01.htm.
2“Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah,” Wikipedia, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Husni_Hanadzlah; Seksyen Penyata Rasmi, “Bil. 40 Penyata Rasmi Parlimen,” Dewan Rakyat (Seksyen Penyata Rasmi, Parlimen Malaysia, November 1, 2017), 35, https://www.parlimen.gov.my/hansard-dewan-rakyat.html?uweb=dr&arkib=yes.
3Rosmah Dain, “Perhimpunan - Eratkan Silaturahim,” Utusan Online, August 21, 2003, http://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2003&dt=0821&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Keluarga&pg=ke_01.htm; Muhammad Termiji Hasni & Ahmad Helmi Mohd Mukhtar Zuliskandar Ramli, Mazlin Mokhtar, Adnan Jusoh, Yunus Sauman, “Pelestarian Warisan Kebudayaan Dan Warisan Semula Jadi Di Lembah Kinta: Satu Kajian Awal,” in Prosiding Seminar Antarabangsa Ke-4 Arkeologi, Sejarah Dan Budaya Di Alam Melayu (Langkawi: Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu (ATMA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 2015), 669, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305287525_Pelestarian_warisan_kebudayaan_dan_warisan_semula_jadi_di_Lembah_Kinta_satu_kajian_awa; Abdul Talib bin Haji Ahmad, Riwayat Kinta (Pustaka Rusna, 1959), 93.
4James Devadason, A History of MAXWELL, KENION, COWDY & JONES, 1996, 4, 35; Kinta Land Office, “K.L.O. 40/18: Memorandum from Arthur N. Kenion to Collector of Land Revenue, Batu Gajah” (Kuala Lumpur: Arkib Negara Malaysia, 1918).
5Judicial Commissioner L.M. Woodward, “Pers 9538/1915 Jil. 7 Fol. 69: Grant of Letters of Administration, Administration Suit No. 76 of 1915” (Ipoh: Pejabat Pengarah Tanah dan Galian Perak, 1915); Kinta Land Office, “K.L.O. 465/17: Letter from R.G. Watson to Maxwell” (Kuala Lumpur: Arkib Negara Malaysia, 1917).
6Muhammad Shaharudin bin Mansur, “Sebahagian Dari Rumpun Keluarga Wan Mat Saman Kedah,” 1970, 1, 3.
Bibliography
Ahmad, Abdul Talib bin Haji. Riwayat Kinta. Pustaka Rusna, 1959.
“Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah.” Wikipedia, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Husni_Hanadzlah.
Dain, Rosmah. “Perhimpunan - Eratkan Silaturahim.” Utusan Online, August 21, 2003. http://ww1.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2003&dt=0821&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Keluarga&pg=ke_01.htm.
Devadason, James. A History of MAXWELL, KENION, COWDY & JONES, 1996.
Kinta Land Office. “K.L.O. 40/18: Memorandum from Arthur N. Kenion to Collector of Land Revenue, Batu Gajah.” Kuala Lumpur: Arkib Negara Malaysia, 1918.
———. “K.L.O. 465/17: Letter from R.G. Watson to Maxwell.” Kuala Lumpur: Arkib Negara Malaysia, 1917.
L.M. Woodward, Judicial Commissioner. “Pers 9538/1915 Jil. 7 Fol. 69: Grant of Letters of Administration, Administration Suit No. 76 of 1915.” Ipoh: Pejabat Pengarah Tanah dan Galian Perak, 1915.
Mansur, Muhammad Shaharudin bin. “Sebahagian Dari Rumpun Keluarga Wan Mat Saman Kedah,” 1970.
Seksyen Penyata Rasmi. “Bil. 40 Penyata Rasmi Parlimen.” Dewan Rakyat. Seksyen Penyata Rasmi, Parlimen Malaysia, November 1, 2017. https://www.parlimen.gov.my/hansard-dewan-rakyat.html?uweb=dr&arkib=yes.
Zuliskandar Ramli, Mazlin Mokhtar, Adnan Jusoh, Yunus Sauman, Muhammad Termiji Hasni & Ahmad Helmi Mohd Mukhtar. “Pelestarian Warisan Kebudayaan Dan Warisan Semula Jadi Di Lembah Kinta: Satu Kajian Awal.” In Prosiding Seminar Antarabangsa Ke-4 Arkeologi, Sejarah Dan Budaya Di Alam Melayu. Langkawi: Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu (ATMA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 2015. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305287525_Pelestarian_warisan_kebudayaan_dan_warisan_semula_jadi_di_Lembah_Kinta_satu_kajian_awa.
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