Petunjuk kewujudan bandar Melayu lama (Clue to the existence of an old Malay town)

Lihat gambar-gambar di bawah ini, gambar-gambar yang pernah diposkan di sini di bawah tajuk-tajuk berikut (lihat di bawah gambar). Sudahkah anda nampak kaitannya?

Look at the pictures below, pictures which have been posted here under the following titles (look under the pictures). Have you figured out the connection?

Masjid lama misteri (The mysterious old mosque)

Petunjuk untuk masjid misteri (Clue for mysterious mosque)

Lagi petunjuk (More clue)

Sekarang fikirkan dalam-dalam... Sebuah masjid lama dengan senibina Melayu indah terperosok jauh daripada mana-mana penempatan umum malah terletak di dalam sebuah kawasan estet kelapa sawit. Tidak jauh daripadanya pula terletak makam Sultan ke 19 Perak, Sultan Abdul Malik (memerintah 1806-1825), seterusnya kubur Residen British pertama ke Perak, J.W.W. Birch yang dibunuh orang-orang Datuk Maharajalela tahun 1875. Apakah makna semua ini? Apakah rahsia sebenar kawasan ini?

Now think deeply... A old mosque with beautiful Malay design situated far away from any human settlement, in fact left inside a palm oil estate. Not far way from it is the tomb of the 19th King of Perak, Sultan Abdul Malik (ruled 1806-1825), and then the grave of the first British Resident to Perak, J.W.W. Birch who was killed by the followers of the nobleman Datuk Maharajalela in 1875. What is the meaning of all of these? What is the real secret of this area?

Baiklah... Biar saya berterus-terang. Di kawasan ini pernah terletak sebuah kawasan penempatan Melayu yang luas malah di sinilah terletak ibu negeri Perak semasa Sultan Abdul Malik memerintah... Namanya Bandar Baharu kerana tidak jauh daripada situ, menyeberangi Sungai Perak, terletak sebuah lagi penempatan besar yang sudah wujud lebih lama, dikenali sebagai Bandar yang mengikut cerita lama didirikan oleh para pengikut Sultanah Aceh!

Alright... Let me come straight. Here was situated a big Malay settlement, in fact the capital of Perak during the rule of Sultan Abdul Malik... Its name is Bandar Baharu (literally translated meaning the new town) since not far from it, across the Perak river, there was another huge settlement which have existed much earlier, known as Bandar (the town) which according to old tales were built by the followers of the Queen of Aceh!

Sebagai pusat pemerintahan negeri awal abad ke 19, sudah tentu ia memiliki sebuah istana raja bukan? Dan mengikut adat senibina Melayu dahulukala, mesti terdapat kota berlapis dengan masjid negeri, makam diraja diikuti kawasan perniagaan dan penempatan awam terutama kampung para pembesar dan pengikutnya. Jadi ke manakah menghilangnya semua ini? Kenapa tinggal estet kelapa sawit, masjid lama yang tinggal begitu sahaja serta makam raja? Lebih pelik lagi, kenapa pula terdapat kubur J.W.W. Birch di situ?

As the 19th century state capital, of course there should be the king's palace there isn't it? And according to old Malay building code, there must be a well-manned fort with the state mosque, the royal burial ground, an area for commercial activites along with mass settlement especially village areas assigned to the noblemen and their followers. So where have all this disappeared? Why is it left only with a palm oil estate, an old unused mosque and the king's tomb? More strangely, what on earth is J.W.W. Birch's grave doing there?

Kalau nak tahu, apa yang berlaku di Bandar Baharu adalah contoh apa yang berlaku kepada bandar-bandar Melayu di seluruh Tanah Melayu setelah penjajah merampas kuasa penuh. Malah Bandar Baharu telah dijadikan pusat pemerintahan British di Perak sebaik sahaja termetrai Perjanjian Pangkor 1874! Sebab itu J.W.W. Birch ditanam di situ walhal dia dibunuh di Pasir Salak, di kawasan seberang Sungai Perak.

Apapun, selepas Birch dibunuh dan para pahlawan Melayu yang dituduh terlibat ditangkap lalu dihukum bunuh atau dibuang negeri, British telah melaksanakan program social engineering secara besar-besaran untuk menjatuhkan terus martabat dan kekuasaan orang Melayu di samping menaikkan bangsa-bangsa lain... Maka bandar-bandar Melayu seperti Bandar Baharu dibumi-hanguskan dan tapaknya dijadikan estet perkebunan untuk menghilangkan kesan sejarah Melayu. Pada masa yang sama, bandar-bandar baru dengan aktiviti ekonomi berpaksikan kekuatan bangsa lain seperti bandar Taiping dinaikkan. Lalu jadilah kita bangsa Melayu yang hilang punca kerana sejarah sebenar kita telah digelapkan. Nasib baik masih tinggal sedikit bukti seperti masjid lama yang gambarnya tertera di atas sebagai renungan mereka yang sanggup berfikir dan mendapat petunjuk. Sekian!

If you want to know, what happened in Bandar Baharu is an example of what happened to Malay towns and cities all over the Malay Archipelago after the colonialist assumed full power. In fact, Bandar Baharu was made the British centre of administration immediately after the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 was signed! That's why J.W.W. Birch is buried there although he was killed at Pasir Salak which is across the Perak river.

Whatever, after Birch was killed and many Malay warriors and patriots accused of being involved in the murder then caught and sentenced to death or exile, the British pulled of a major coup in the form of a huge-scale social engineering effort to eliminate the pride and power of the Malays while raising those of other races... And so Malay towns like Bandar Baharu were destroyed and razed or burned to the ground, what's left of it were turned into plantation estates to erase its past glory. At the same time, new townships with commercial centres belonging to other races were built and promoted, for example the township of Taiping. Thus we the Malays became lost as our real heritage and history were made dark. Luckily, there still remains some evidence like the old mosque shown here as something to ponder on for those who wants to think and take a hint. So there!