I find it quite perplexing that a major event involving the office, which had been put in cold storage for so many years—the office that has been the subject of passionate and emotional discussions by many Perakians of Bugis descent—has come and gone without any fanfare at all. Even our local social media scene is awfully quiet, and no trace of it being mentioned can be found anywhere!
Title and Office of Dato Maharaja Lela
I'm of course talking about the quiet and sudden reinstatement of the title and office of Orang Kaya Kaya Maharaja Lela Tanjana Putra on October 1st, 2024.1
It is long thought that nobody would be allowed to succeed to the title of Maharaja Lela. After all, Sultan Idris Shah I himself made it very well clear that the title would never be revived after someone tried to stake a claim to the title long ago.2
However, with the apparent reinstatement of the title and office of Dato Maharaja Lela, all seems well, and many would hope that it would stay that way for a very long time.
Great grandson of Ngah Jabor
The newly appointed Orang Kaya Kaya Maharaja Lela Tanjana Putra is Dato Abdul Rahman bin Dato Mohamed Hashim. If I'm not mistaken, the new Dato Maharaja Lela is the great-grandson of Mohamed Jabar bin Bardot. Mohamed Jabar is also believed by many to be Ngah Jabor, a contemporary of Dato Maharaja Lela of Pasir Salak and Dato Sagor of Kampung Gajah. Interestingly, Mohamed Jabar once staked a claim for the title of Dato Maharaja Lela but his claim was declined by Sultan Idris Shah I. It is now ironic that the title has been bestowed upon Mohamed Jabar's great-grandson, Dato Abdul Rahman.3
First cousin once removed of Tun Hanif Omar
The new Dato Maharaja Lela is also the first cousin once removed of the late Tun Hanif Omar, whom I had the opportunity to meet by chance a few years ago. If the late Tun was well aware that he had many relatives in and around Tambun, then the new Dato Maharaja Lela would have been privy to such relations too, since they are all family.4
Distant cousins of Saejah, Maimon, Hashim, Khalid and Abu
Maimon binti Montak, Haji Hashim bin Montak, Haji Khalid bin Montak, and Abu bin Nordin are, in fact, siblings born to Saejah binti Anjang Ahmad and Montak. All four siblings, including their mother, Saejah, once had a considerable share of ownership in Lot 28518, located just a stone's throw away from what were once households and properties of a mysterious man who hid behind the alias we all know today as Kulup Lembang.5
Saejah, Maimon, Hashim, Khalid, and Abu are descendants of Puteh Dinah, sister of Mohamed Jabar bin Bardot. That would make them distant cousins of the newly appointed Dato Maharaja Lela.6
What we could all hope for
We are living in a very interesting time, ladies and gentlemen.
The succession to the title and office of Orang Kaya Kaya Maharaja Lela Tanjana Putra is supposed to be off-limits after Perak had fallen gracefully under the protection of the British. But now, it is no longer the case.
I have a feeling that we are witnessing the dawn of a new era here in Perak. Descendants of a mysterious man who hid behind the alias Kulup Lembang can expect great things in the upcoming months. I think it is only a matter of time before the world knows who Kulup Lembang really was!
1Pejabat DYMM Sultan Perak, “Orang Besar Negeri Perak,” Pejabat DYMM Sultan Perak, accessed October 14, 2024, https://sultan.perak.gov.my/index.php/informasi-kesultanan-tepi/orang-besar-negeri-perak.
2Mohd Hashim bin Sam Abdul Latiff, “The Identity of Ngah Jabor and Mohamed Jabor Bin Bardot (1858-1921),” Journal of the Malaysian Branch, Royal Asiatic Society 53, no. 2 (1980): 11; J.M.G., “STRAITS TIMES SPECIAL FEATURE Perak Has No Successor to Rank of Maharaja Lela,” The Straits Times, June 4, 1955, https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19550604-1.2.158?qt=%22maharaja%20lela%22&q=%22maharaja%20lela%22#.
3Latiff, “The Identity of Ngah Jabor and Mohamed Jabor Bin Bardot (1858-1921),” 7, 11, 17; Pejabat DYMM Sultan Perak, “Orang Besar Negeri Perak.”
4SAS, second great-grandson of Kulup Lembang, “The Day I Met Tun Hanif Omar at Tambun,” Blog, Kulup Lembang (blog), March 3, 2024, https://kuluplembang.blogspot.com/2024/03/tun-hanif-omar-at-tambun.html; SAS, second great-grandson of Kulup Lembang, “The Well-Hidden Ngah Jabor at Kepayang,” Blog, Kulup Lembang (blog), November 9, 2024, https://kuluplembang.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-well-hidden-ngah-jabor-at-kepayang.html.
5SAS, second great-grandson of Kulup Lembang, “The Day I Met Tun Hanif Omar at Tambun”; SAS, second great-grandson of Kulup Lembang, “The Well-Hidden Ngah Jabor at Kepayang.”
6Faris Iskandar, “Puteh Dinah Binti Bardot,” Genealogy, Geni, January 21, 2009, https://www.geni.com/people/Puteh-Dinah-binti-Bardot/6000000002548559484.
Bibliography
Faris Iskandar. “Puteh Dinah Binti Bardot.” Genealogy. Geni, January 21, 2009. https://www.geni.com/people/Puteh-Dinah-binti-Bardot/6000000002548559484.
J.M.G. “STRAITS TIMES SPECIAL FEATURE Perak Has No Successor to Rank of Maharaja Lela.” The Straits Times, June 4, 1955. https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19550604-1.2.158?qt=%22maharaja%20lela%22&q=%22maharaja%20lela%22#.
Latiff, Mohd Hashim bin Sam Abdul. “The Identity of Ngah Jabor and Mohamed Jabor Bin Bardot (1858-1921).” Journal of the Malaysian Branch, Royal Asiatic Society 53, no. 2 (1980): 16.
Pejabat DYMM Sultan Perak. “Orang Besar Negeri Perak.” Pejabat DYMM Sultan Perak. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://sultan.perak.gov.my/index.php/informasi-kesultanan-tepi/orang-besar-negeri-perak.
SAS, second great-grandson of Kulup Lembang. “The Day I Met Tun Hanif Omar at Tambun.” Blog. Kulup Lembang (blog), March 3, 2024. https://kuluplembang.blogspot.com/2024/03/tun-hanif-omar-at-tambun.html.
———. “The Well-Hidden Ngah Jabor at Kepayang.” Blog. Kulup Lembang (blog), November 9, 2024. https://kuluplembang.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-well-hidden-ngah-jabor-at-kepayang.html.
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