The Voyage to Penyengat Island, Riau Archipelago, Indonesia
Since reading about Raja Hamidah and others from the history of the Kingdom of Riau-Lingga during the early 19th century, I thought Tanjungpinang was an interesting place. There was a royal palace at Penyengat Island and a Dutch fort at Tanjungpinang. I was only able to go there in August of 2018. Even though there are no more viceroys (yamtuan mudas) there anymore, there are royal graves. When I was returning to Singapore from Jakarta, I wanted to find some historic sources and paces. Even though there were old letters at the Provincial Archives and Library of the Riau Archipelago, I was unable to read the old Jawi.
Pada 5 Ogos, 2018/ On 5 August 2018
Getting to Pulau Penyengat was a bit more challenging than I predicted. There are people who offer you a one way boat ride there for 100,000 Rupiah but you can get there for much cheaper if you go with other people. So, I eventually managed to get the more manageable option to go there with others. I brought my "Sandy Hook Yacht Sales" red container designed to seal valuables and protect them from water. However, I only waited to put my camera memory card in there once I got into the boat, which was dumb because I almost fell into the water after slipping on an eroded step, which in turn would have been absolutely disastrous for taking pictures among other things. Thankfully, my hand managed to find a secure place before I ended up in the drink. I thought it would be too big and only put my SD chip in there, but that was apparently not. So, we went off the to the royal isle that the Dutch called "Mars" Island over a century ago.
We arrived at the island and I walked to the bright yellow masjid (mosque) and walked up to it. Not being Muslim, I was unable to do much there other than look around the courtyard. There was one other woman there who appeared to be a tourist as well. The masjid has probably the only functioning public toilet on the island, just in case you plan on visiting. There was a giant bell or drum (I can't tell from the photo) there of some note.
So, I went in search for the tomb of the famous Raja Hamidah, Tengku Puteri, the holder of the regalia, consort of Sultan Mahmud, and daughter of the martyred Yamtuan Muda Raja Haji Fisabilillah. Without delving too much into the history, Raja Hamidah's tomb is sacred and those wishing to build a house on the island by tradition are supposed to ask for her permission to do so by asking "meminta izin" to her. She played a notable role in the succession crisis after the death of her husband, the sultan, when she refused to surrender the royal regalia without a proper selection of a new sultan. When demanded by her brother, Yamtuan Muda Jafa'ar, that she surrender to him the regalia, she refused. Only under force of arms did Dutch forces seize the regalia. Possession of the royal regalia is considered important for the legitimacy of a king.
Finding her makam was fairly easy. I, of course, butchered the asking for permission to enter but nobody living was there to notice. Four others came in later by the time I was ready to leave. I spoke with an elderly woman selling locally produced souvenirs. The graveyard is rather small. The Bugis seem to have a tradition of building structures for royalty's grave but inside the graves are the standard Islamic tombs. This particular tomb is moderately well kept though I recall a local unhesitatingly tossing a plastic cup on the ground there.
Getting around the rest of the island was somewhat challenging without a good map. I consistently failed to pronounce properly the island's name. The "ny" and "ng" consonants are particularly challenging for me to say, not to mention right next to each other. I found other graveyards there in less appealing condition. At one place, there were some teenagers. I waited for them to leave but they did not seem interested in taking off on their bikes. There was plastic all over the graveyard. I finally removed my shoes and went to see the royal tomb of Raja Haji Fisabilillah up close. Another teenager rode up in his bike while I examined the tomb. The kid looked like he was barely twelve and lit up a cigarette. He asked me a question I did not fully understand that sounded like he was asking if I had a "pasang" (pasangan is the semantically word) but the context seemed a bit odd, so I asked, "seperti kawan" or "like a friend?" He responded in the affirmative in a rather unconvincing way. Malay has a lot of variety for the word friend: sahabat, teman, kawan, etc., so it can get confusing. Also, Raja Haji Fisabilillah is arguably the most legendary Malay warrior since Hang Tuah, so it seems out of place to be hanging with your teenage friends at his final resting place.
Looking around the island still wanting to see more, I saw the tombs of Raja Jafa'ar and Raja Ali Haji in structure that had been renovated poorly according to some guidebook. Raja Ali Haji was a noted historian whose work preserved the traditional court history of the kingdom and added on to it with his own work. His work has been invaluable to scholars today.
I continued to walk around the island and ran into three Indonesians who were friendly and wanted to take pictures with me. Though I am not at all photogenic, I accepted. After a while it started to get a bit irritating but they left me alone. However, it would not be the last of them. There were only a handful of old structures remaining, the building before was one of them. I failed to photograph another because the island is somewhat confusing to outsiders.
I walked around the island and while I was speaking to a younger person who trying to help me, an elderly woman walked by. I looked on as she passed me wanting to say something. I wanted to speak to people about the history but I hesitated as I was already speaking to someone. That was regrettable. Walking on my way, I decided to go up the hill to see the old fort. Once I finally reached the place, nobody was there. There was crumbled ancient coral scattered all over the place. I suspect that they were from the old walls of Malacca. After the British East India Company demolished the walls, the Dutch brought the wall pieces to Tanjungpinang. They supposedly built the government house there with them. Now, it is the Indonesian government building that has young people marching about in red suits. It would not be surprising if some stones were used on this island.
Looking out from the top of the hill:
With the sun setting, I headed back to the harbor. When I spoke with the boatman there, he demanded 100,000 Rupiah and told me that no person was heading back to the other island. I did not have that money and went to the local ATM that did not take my card. I panicked. I had no idea what to do but thankfully the three friends I met earlier helped me out by paying for my ticket. The chief among them paid and told me Indonesians were "stupid" as we went to board the boat. I've thought much about that sort of thing.
It is unfair to say that but there are issues that need to be addressed. I do not like to discuss other counties' politics but I'd rather not eat plastic with my seafood either. Economic growth and change has far outpaced educational growth. Though there are schools and they are for the young. The older folks should learn how to adapt to the changing circumstances and the government needs to do more. Doing as you have done for decades if not centuries can no longer hold if the world has changed too much. The days of the old royals have been long disappeared as new ideas and power relations have taken hold. At my hotel at one point I asked how many people spoke Malay verses Indonesian and one person responded about 50/50. That is astonishing in and of itself. The heart of the Malay World in Indonesia has half its population speaking the national language. Granted the two are about 80% the same. There certainly is a resurgence of Malay identity here but it seems to lack the level of Islamic austerity you find in Malaysia and Singapore.
