Community Involvement of Malay Immigrants

Source 1: A description of a Malay philanthropist Hajjah Fatimah Binte Sulaiman.

Source 2: A description of Mohamed Eunos Abdullah in Colonial Singapore.

Mohamed Eunos bin Abdullah was one of the most notable nationalist intellectuals in the 1920s. He has been touted as the “father” of modern Malay journalism and a leader for Malay nationalism.

Throughout his journalistic career, Eunos contributed opinionated pieces on Malay nationalism, espousing his notion of bangsa or “racial nationalism”. His views on the subject of bangsa distinguished him from his predecessors, who were dedicated either to the sultanates or the global community of Muslims. His zeal towards uplifting the Malay race during the period of colonial rule subsequently drove him to switch from being a journalist to a representative for the Malays in the colonial political arena.

Due to his influential role in Malay social welfare organisations, Eunos became a member of the Muslim Advisory Board set up by the government during World War I. In 1922, he was appointed a justice of the peace and subsequently the first Malay member of the municipal commission. Following the colonial government’s decision to increase Asian representation in the legislative council of the Straits Settlements, he was appointed the first Malay legislative councillor in 1924. He was also a popular member of the Singapore Rotary Club and the first Malay to address the club.

In 1926, Eunos and his associates formed Kesatuan Melayu Singapura (KMS or “Singapore Malay Union”), and Eunos was elected its first president. The first political Malay organisation set up in colonial Malaya, KMS aimed to increase the role of Malays in public life, uphold Malay interests before the colonial authorities, and promote higher and technical education for Malays. KMS subsequently inspired the formation of other Malay associations in the Malay states, culminating in the post-war United Malays National Organisation.

Reference:

Adlina Maulod (2010). Mohamed Eunos bin Abdullah. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1201_2010-05-03.html?s=Pioneers--Singapore--Biography

Source 3: A description of Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir, a notable Malay writer during the 19th century Singapore.

Munshi Abdullah was also known as Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir. Gifted in languages, he mastered Arabic, Tamil, Hindi and Malay. Abdullah was known for his work as a teacher, interpreter and writer. He wrote Hikayat Abdullah (The Story of Abdullah), which was first published in 1849 and became an important source to understand the social history of 19th-century Singapore. He is often called the “father of modern Malay literature” for his early literary contributions.

By the age of 11, Abdullah was earning money writing Koranic texts. He also taught religion to Muslim soldiers of the Indian garrison stationed at Malacca Fort. From them, he learned Hindustani. The soldiers called him munshi (sometimes spelt munsyi, which is Malay for “teacher”), a title that stuck with him for the rest of his life and by which he is still known.

Abdullah was the first Malay writer to depart from the traditional Malay literary style by writing in simple, colloquial Malay. Unlike other Malay writing at the time, he eschewed fantasy and legend, and instead wrote realistic accounts of events based on his own experiences and those of others.22 In the words of A. E. Coope, who translated Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah ke Kelantan (Story of Abdullah’s Voyage to Kelantan), “his ‘direct reporting’ acts as a pleasant cool douche after the lushness of Malay romances”.

Hikayat Abdullah, Abdullah’s autobiographical work, was written between 1840 and 1843, and first printed in Jawi script in 1849.24 It also provides an account of military preparations for a British invasion of Java in 1811.25 The autobiography gives a valuable account of the various figures who contributed to the development of early Singapore, and is an important source for the social history of Singapore in the 19th century.26 In 1874, John Turnbull Thomson, a student of Abdullah, translated and published part of Hikayat Abdullah in London.

Reference:

Vernon Cornelius, T. (2019). Munshi Abdullah. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved from https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_503_2004-12-27.html?s=Pioneers--Singapore--Biography

Source 4: An extract of the economic contributions of the Bugis in the 19th century Singapore.

The Bugis were a glad addition to both community and trade and made great contributions to local Malay-Muslim society in their heyday. They were a literate, numerate sea-going force with a formidable appearance, known by their padewakang boats, which would appear in a flotilla over the horizon during the South-west Monsoon; exhilarating with their warlike appearance, armed to the teeth, and bearing rich cargoes of gold dust, pearls, opium, aloes and camphor.

They commanded the island trade routes, and ruled the spice trade. By embedding themselves in Singapore, the colony now became a key node in their vast trading network and a centre for the spices coveted both in the West and by China. Best known among them in these first fifty years was the lady Hajjah Fatimah, who, in the manner of the Bugis was a matriarch of power, who bequeathed land to the local Muslims and endowed them with perpetual aid.

Reference:

Ooi, Y. L. (2019). Singapore’s Earliest Philanthropists 1819 – 1867. Philanthropy in Asia: Working Paper No. 8. National University of Singapore. Retrieved from https://bschool.nus.edu.sg/acsep/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2019/08/PA-WP8-Singapores-Earliest-Philanthropists-1819-1867.pdf

Source 5: An extract of a research paper on female Malay-Muslims philanthropy in 19th century Singapore.

The initial findings of this paper indicate that ethnic Malay women were less able to make philanthropic contributions and were likely to have practised giving by Hibah, a traditional gifting mechanism. This is because the ethnic Malays traditionally regarded men as the breadwinners with women tasked with the care of the family. Anecdotal evidence suggests most women were housewives with a few intrepid women working as petty merchants or domestics.

After arriving in Singapore, Malay-Muslim women continued to use Islamic forms of giving which were already a part of their social system and tradition. Wealthier women like the Bugis were able to give via an endowment system while the majority who were much poorer may have practised the “giving of gifts during their lifetime,” called Hibah.

In the Malay-Muslim community, the first way of giving is through Hibah – an Islamic practice of informal but recognised giving of property or personal wealth directly to others whilst the giver is still alive.

Reference:

Ooi, Y. L. (2016). Philanthropy in Transition: An Exploratory Study of Asian Women and Philanthropy in Singapore, 1900 – 1945. Philanthropy in Asia: Working Paper No. 2. National University of Singapore. Retrieved from https://bschool.nus.edu.sg/acsep/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/10/PWP2-compressed.pdf

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