Many historians, tour guides, tourists, and merchants involved themselves in trading of Malay ancient texts in Riau.
That cracked asphalted road splits the gardens of sago. The rain falled last night covers widely the mud holes at the middle of road. The driver of motorcycle for public transportation (ojek driver) knows this died route very well; he can move easily to keep the motorcycle still on the asphalted road and to not trap in the mud hole. And after thirty minutes of traveling, Daik city, the capital of Lingga district begins to appear.
It no needs many times to reach that city. It just needs three hours for tourist who comes from Tanjungpinang, the capital of Bintan district, by motorboat which takes direction Tanjungpinang-Dabo Singkep. From Dabo, tourist may spend just thirty minutes to reach Tanjung Buton harbor. From here, to arrive at Daik city, he could take motorcycle for public transportation (ojek).
Lingga district, Established in Mei, 2004, has three clusters of island namely Senayan at north, Lingga at middle, and Singkep at south. It is necessary to be noted that historically, Daik was not a new city. It was the center of Riau-Lingga kingdom for one hundred years or more. Many artifacts such as ancient buildings, ancestor`s properties and Malay texts that were found in this city are the testimony of high civilized era of the city. But unfortunately, they had been seized by those brokers who merely fulfil their material greedy.
Khairullah, 45 years old, who is well-known as Syahrul, is one of many ancient wealth brokers. This man, the resident of Penyengat Island, has gone back and forth for several times from Tanjungpinang to Daik. According to him, almost all residents of Daik preserve Malay treasure, especially ancient texts, books, and also pile of poems, journals and letters of official agency of kingdom.
In 1787, Daik was chosen by the Sultan of Malay as the capital of the Malay Sultanate of Riau-Lingga, while the Penyengat Island as the capital of the governance. This is why, at the present time, Penyengat become the storehouse of Malay treasure where ancient texts could be found, although its quantity was not as much as that of ancient texts in Daik. Bintan Island is another place where thousands of ancient Malay texts could be found, especially handed written Koran.
In such territory of archipelago, Syahrul, just like adventure, explores the islands in searching of ancient wealth of Malay, flattering their owner, and than taking them away. He stated that these Malay ancient texts, sometimes, have no meaning for the owners.
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Syahrul`s expedition was begun when he finished of collecting the names of the owners of Malay treasures in his faded small book. The black cover of the book has dulled, and several pages were untied. But this book is a marvelous source of reference which inspired him to begin the expedition of searching of Malay treasures. Whenever he goes, the book must always be brought in his pocket.
The entire names of the owners of Malay treasure in the archipelago provinces of Riau such as Lingga, Singkep, Senayang, Pulau Tujuh, and many small islands surrounding Natuna are saved safely. He stated, “My wallet may disappear, but not for the only book of reference of mine.” The names written within are the result of his endeavor for 20 years in detecting the places where the Malay treasures exist. “If I have money, I open this book” he said.
Why it is about money? Indeed, searching the Malay treasures needs large amount of money. Syahrul argued, “for once journey of expedition may need approximitley 40 days that I have to prepare for it about Rp 30.000.000 that I take from my own money box. Ticket`s prizes from island to island spend the biggest cost of the expedition.
The islands, where the Malay treasures were preserved, scatter everywhere. To reach one island, Syahrul needs one to two days by motorboat. Sometimes, none of motorboat has a direction to the island he wants to visit it. In such condition, he rents a boat that surely will need a higher cost.
Money is the spirit of such task. Therefore, if he has no money, he is funded by boss of ancient wealth who settles in Tanjungpinang. In such condition, his faded small book of reference plays an important role. He can tell surely the details about where ancient wealth is kept, and when it would be sold. This is expensive information by which Syahrul may get 10% of money of transaction from both the boss and the owner. He describes his task as if he is broker.
For maintaining and supporting financially his family, Syahrul merely depends on this scandalous task. His own house is the most luxurious houses at his village, Ladi, Penyengat Island. The house`s wall is high which is painted with beautiful bright color. Being broker of Malay treasure is actually inherited profession of his parent. When he was kid, his mother brought him, more often than not, to come to villages for searching the ancient wealth of Malay.
Both performance and fluently speaking are the important factors supporting his success. Indeed, he has a perfect skill to make other people believe in him. He always shows smooth speaking, polite and nice attitude, also shows a good face and body expression.
In that morning, Tempo` journalist had good chance to see his skill in deceiving his victim, Abdullah Ghani, 60 years old, the resident of Singkep Island. Ghani is a poor sailor who preserved many ancient texts at his house, including the handed written Koran of the 19th century. One of Ghani`s ancestors was the delegation of Riau-Lingga kingdom for Singkep district. Syahrul began to open the chatting with smooth Malay language. With full of confidence he explained his line of descendant of his family that reffered to Bugis clan. And fortunately, Ghani`s ancestors also had the same clan with Syahrul`s. Therefore, Ghani was interested to chat more and more after knowing who Syahrul is.
In the mid of chatting, Syahrul asked, “why do you let your ancient wealth useless?, it is better sell it rather than put it in your own old box, and then use your money for purchasing milk, rice, so that you may eat with greedily”. Ghani laughed loudly after hearing Syahrul`s talk. And in the end of chatting, Syahrul whispered, “we are from the same clan; it is better to help each other between us.”
Syahrul did not wait for a long time to make Ghani gave one of his ancient books to him. The book which contained of 200 pages talked about old Malay recipes, and spontaneously Syahrul paid two millions rupiah for it. The easy transaction was ended with harmless shaking hand from both sides.
Actually Syahrul does not always attain his mission easily. It needs variuos way to deceive his victim; sometimes, he has to bring many food stuffs such as rice, sugar, coffee and side dish as a “dowry” before the beginning of transaction. Once he paid an ancient Koran written in the 19th century with many trucks of sand and many sacks of cement for renovating of victim`s house. The Koran could be taken away when the project of renovating was finished.
But not all of the owners of Malay treasures want to sell their expensive property of treasure. For instance, one gave his own ancient wealth sincerely to those Malaysian researchers who deal with studying of Malay treasure. Mohamad Farid, 35 years old, the resident of Lingga, was a good example for this. Farid is the grandchild of Haji Ja`far Ibn Encik Abu Bakar, the intellectual of Riau who expert in both economy and the law of the system of government of Riau-Lingga kingdom.
In 1999, Malaysian researcher came to his house, and asked him about old texts written by Haji Ja`far. He exlpained that he had endeavoured in seeking many files or other written documents related to Haji Ja`far to fulfil his research.
With all respect upon the researcher, Farid`s mother granted to him all of Haji Ja`far`s books and documents free of charge. One of the important documents was about inauguration of Haji Ja`far in 1880 as the secretary of Rusydiyah Club, the intellectuals` association of Penyengat that emancipated actively in both politic and culture. Other granted text was about Haji Ja`far`s experience at Trengganu, besides many official letters of Riau-Lingga kingdom. Farid said that all documents about Haji Ja`far had been granted to the researcher. Indeed, many Malaysian researchers regularly visited Daik-Lingga which they called it as “Bunda Tanah Melayu” (the mother of Malay land).
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The meeting runs at the coffee shop in the crowded city, Bintan-Tanjung Pinang street. Hundreds of crowded buildings stand beside the coffee shop. The smell of coffee spontaneously spread to every corner of the shop that full of rectangular wooden table and plastic chairs.
Before finding a nice place to sit on, I hear the ringing of Syahrul`s cellular phone. It seems that someone is calling to ask him a question, and then Syahrul answers, “I am at coffee shop right now.” After thirty minutes we talk, two persons, who one of them has just called Syahrul, come. One of them is short with bright skin and another is big body with dark skin.
Without opening his marvelous book of reference, Syahrul directly begins describing the details of all information about ancient wealth of Malay. The two of his colleagues just hear him seriously. And afterward, Syahrul shows them the pile of pictures of Malay treasures that he has just talked about. He convinces his colleagues that he got the pictures from the owners.
Indeed, Syahrul is entrusted by the owners of these ancient Malay wealth to trade them to those people who are searching for treasures. But the problem is that he has no enough money to buy them all, and therefore, he offers them to his colleagues either Indonesian or Malaysian. By this way of trading, he always gets 20% of money of the transaction.
Syahrul admits that in many chances he corporates with another ancient wealth`s broker to trade the Malay treasure at local market. In other chances, he sells them directly to the Malaysian customers, “so many Malaysians came to my house,” he said.
Malaysian customers, according to him, come from various levels of profession: there are ordinary collectors, text`s traders, researchers, and family members of Johor Sultanate. In this case, Syahrul has a special story of his task related to the family of Johor Sultanate.
In 2000, Lucas, the Malaysian businessman, came to met him in Penyengat. After talking each other for few minutes, Syahrul understood that Johor Sultanate intended to purchase the Malay texts of Riau, especially that of texts which related to the glory of the Johor Sultanate. Lucas asked for help from Syahrul to collect the wanted texts, and he promised to give him a large amount of money, 40.000 Ringgit of Malaysia. But miserably Syahrul continued his talk, “having collected all of the wanted texts, I was payed with much more less amount of the promised money.”
The risked task that Syahrul took on does not make him anxious of offering the Malay treasure to foreigners, especially to both Malaysian and Singaporian. He knows exactly that they bring large amount of money when visit Riau. He said, “Either Malaysian or Singaporian do not deem the prize if the ancient text is as good as they want.”
Not only brokers who involve themselves in trading the Malay treasure, but tour guides also engage in such scandalous violation of expensive Malay treasure. Penyengat and Daik Lingga are often visited by those Malaysians and Singaporians who greedily search and purchase souvenirs. Syahrul`s name is well-known by the owner of souvenir shop. Moreover, Barkah, the driver of traditional public transportation in Penyengat, more often than not, accompanies his guesses to Syahrul`s house. “It is pleasurable to bring them, because they always give me more than an appropriate amount of fee,” Barkah said.
It is sad to be said that whether in Tanjung Pinang or in other places of the archipelago of Riau, the trading of old Malay texts happens in front of our eyes and ironically such violation is done by many people. “It resembles the trading of comics,” Al-Azhar, the expert of culture, and the head of Assiosiation of Bandar Seni Raja Ali Haji-Riau, gives a comment.
Al-Azhar then talks a story, one day in the year of 2002, at the coffee shop, he saw a text in the box. His curious feeling pushed him to see the text, and susprisingly he recognized that it was old Malay text which contained of 500 pages. Suddenly he asked to the owner of the coffee shop about the text, he then answered that it for sell about three millions Rupiah. At that time Al-Azhar did not bring enough money to buy it. He desided to back again tomorrow morning, but unfortunatly, after several hours, the text was bought by Malaysian.
Another sad statement on the lost Malay treasure came from Abdul Kadir Ibrahim, the head of Historical and Ancient Section of Tanjung Pinang city, “indeed, recently, the trading of ancient Malay wealth is becoming a dazzling commodity.”
Source: www.kompas.com (2 April 2007)
