The
Mandailings in Peninsular Malaysia
Kapitan
China of Kuala Lumpur
Just as Raja Brayun played an instrumental role in the "installation" of
Raja Abdus-Samad as the Sultan of Selangor, Sutan Puasa in turned
paved the way for the formalisation of the position of Kapitan
China of Kuala Lumpur in the interest of the Hakka community
as well as their Sumatran partners in trade. He also played role
an important in the appointments of the first and second Kapitan
China.
An antagonism which was building up in the interior of Klang
between the Chinese miners from different dialect groups came
to a head when Yap Ah Loy was appointed the Kapitan China of
Kuala Lumpur in a midst of controversy.
The good office of Sutan Puasa and Raja Asal saw to it that Yap
Ah Loy had the tacit approval of the Sumatrans and Sultan Abdus-Samad
to become the third Kapitan China in 1868. Yap Ah Loy's appointment
was followed by an installation ceremony that took place in June
1869.
The biography of Yap Ah Loy recounted that Raja Asal, Sutan Puasa
and Raja Mahdi "occupied the seats of honour in the pavilion,
sitting on a raised platform where everyone could see them".
The Malays (read Mandailings, other Sumatrans and the Bugis)
and Chinese (Fei Chew Hakka) stood round the hall, jostling each
other to get a better view." Clearly the blessings of the
two Mandailing stalwarts were indispensable not only to secure
the position of Kapitan China of Kuala Lumpur but also to maintain
the status quo.
Oral tradition from Raja Asal family related that the installation
of Yap Ah Loy as Kapitan China, was to be a bad omen. It was
prophezied that "Exactly one hundred years after the auspicious
occasion, a big fight will take place in Kuala Lumpur. This prophesy
anticipated the 13 May, 1969 tragedy. The Mandailing again played
an important role, this time in a communal riot pitted between
the Malays, which the Mandailings identified with, and the Chinese.
Time changes everything, so they say.
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