The Mandailings in Peninsular Malaysia

Raja Brayun, The Sultan Maker

It was during the reign of Sultan Abdus-Samad that the Selangor War broke out, in which Raja Brayun, Raja Asal, Sutan Puasa and many other Mandailing notables were active players. Sultan Abdus-Samad had earlier became a ruler of Selangor with the support of the Mandailing leader, namely Raja Brayun.

Pasqual, a prominent Selangor miner in the 1880's and author of a series of articles on tin mining in Selangor, wrote on the circumstances leading to the ascendency of Raja Abdus-Samad to the Selangor throne based on his interview with Raja Allang, Raja Brayun's son, in the 1930's.

" When Sultan Mahomad heard that Abdulsamad was living with Raja Brayun he sent a warning to Raja Brayun not to shelter Abdulsamad or have anything to do with him. As Raja Brayun paid no heed to his warning, the Sultan fitted up an expedition of 500 prahus from Kajang to attack Recko, and everybody warned Raja Brayun to be on his guard. On his part Raja Brayun got together 300 men with axes and bliongs with orders to fell the forest across the river on hearing the report of a gun, and to run amuch and massacre Sultan Mahomad's men if they attempted to cut through his blockade. Nothing happened as the expedition returned to Kajang.

" When Sultan Mahomad was dying, Abdulsamad, Raja Brayun and Tuanku Panglima Raja, also known as Raja Berkat Rhio went to his bedside and Raja Brayun and Raja Berkat Rhio drank the 'ayer sumpah' (water of fealty) and appointed Abdulsamad Sultan of Selangor."

Pasqual has this to say about the "succession". "The universally accepted version of succession was that Raja Mahmud, the younger of the two infant sons of the late Sultan - the elder brother, Raja Laut, being illegitimate - usurped the throne for himself; but I prefer to believe Raja Allang's version that Sultan Abdulsamad succeeded to the throne immediately on the death of Sultan Mahomad. Otherwise his remains could not have been buried. Besides, he had the backing of Raja Brayun, probably the most powerful chief of the time, and none of the adherents of Sultan Mahomad's heir would have dared to oppose him." Historian put the date of Raja Abdus-Samad's ascendency to the throne at late 1859.

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