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THE SINGAPORE LETTER In his History of Johore, Winstedt mentioned that it was Tun Ibrahim, Abdul Rahman’s ‘second son’who succeeded him as the Temenggong of Singapore, bypassing the ‘elder son’, Abdullah, who, according to Winstedt, was ‘eccentric’.6 This Singapore letter confirms what Winstedt wrote regarding Abdullah, the elder brother, who rightfully should have been the successor of Abdul Rahman but was bypassed by the British in favour of the younger Ibrahim. This letter is also interesting in that the Temenggong wrote to Raffles with the intention of influencing the latter to appoint the Tengku Besar as the successor of Sultan Hussain,7 i.e. the Sultan of Singapore, and Abdullah as the Temenggong after his death.8 Although the Temenggong mentions in the letter ‘our two sons’,9 there can be no doubt that he is referring to Sultan Hussain’s eldest son, also referred to as Tengku Besar.10 Hussain had a son styled as ‘Tengku Besar’ in 1819. This is mentioned in two letters written in 1819 by Temenggong Abdul Rahman, one addressed to Adrian Koek of Malacca, and the other to the Bugis Yam Tuan Muda, Raja Jaafar. There is also another letter from the ‘Raja of Singapura’ addressed to the Yam Tuan Muda at Riau mentioning that he is a little anxious on account of his son when the raja of Johor informs him about the many ships with soldiers that have arrived in Singapore.11 Certainly, the son referred to is not Tengku Ali, who was too young at that time. When his father died in 1835, Ali was only eleven years old. Tun Ibrahim, who was fifteen when his father died in 1825, eventually became the Temenggong of Johor and 105 6 See R. O. Winstedt, History of Johore (1365–1895), MBRAS Reprint No. 6, Kuala Lumpur, 1979. p. 91. 7 Hussain’s son Tengku Ali did not succeed him, but instead became Sultan of Muar after forgoing his rights over Johor. See Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir, The Hikayat Abdullah (an annotated translation by A. H. Hill), Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur, 1970, p. 298, n. 19. 8 He died on 8 December 1825. 9 It was not uncommon for Malays to refer to children of closely related families as ‘our sons’ when speaking to someone close. 10 Being Temenggong, he could not have given the title of Tengku Besar to his elder son. The title came into prominence c. 1700 CE when the Johor princes adopted it and the title Tun was instead borne by the sons of the non-royal Temenggongs. 11 For the relevant letters see W. E. Maxwell, ‘The Founding of Singapore’, JSBRAS, 17, 1886, pp. 104–113, reprinted in MBRAS Reprint No. 1, Singapore 150 Years, 1973, pp. 77–83. was finally installed as Temenggong Seri Maharaja on 19 August 1841 with the title of Seri Maharaja of Johor. Although the name of the Tengku Besar has never been revealed, Abdullah Munsyi nevertheless wrote that Sultan Hussain had another son, named Tengku Abdul Jalil. Even though he was not an ‘anak gahara’ as his mother was not of royal birth, it was he who helped to organize his father’s funeral, implying that he was much older than Ali. So, could Tengku Abdul Jalil be the said Tengku Besar?12 Tengku Ali, according to Winstedt, was too young to be recognized as Sultan,13 and it was not until 1855 that he was made sultan to succeed Sultan Hussain after twenty long years of waiting. It appears that when Abdul Rahman died in December 1825, his eldest son Tun Abdullah failed to succeed him, but instead was bypassed by Tun Ibrahim, also known as Tengku Cik,14 who succeeded his father in 1833, although it was not until 19 August 1841 that he was officially recognized by the British as the Temenggong of Johor. 106 12 According to Abdullah, when Sultan Hussain died it was Tengku Abdul Jalil, together with Tun Ibrahim, the Temenggong’s second son, who tried to arrange for the body to be taken to Riau [sic, Lingga] for burial beside his father, Sultan Mahmud Syah, but they failed due to opposition from the wife and children of the late Sultan. Hussain was thus laid to rest in Tranquerah, Malacca. See Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir, The Hikayat Abdullah, pp. 278–279. 13 Winstedt, History of Johore, p. 92. 14 Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir, The Hikayat Abdullah, p. 278. [3.145.156.46] Project...

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