Monday, November 14, 2011

Where Is Hang Tuah Now?

Hang Tuah was the quintessential Malaysian hero. We learnt about him in the history books.

He was loved by Malaysian children and admired by Malaysian adults for his reputed martial skills and fierce loyalty to Sultan Mansur Shah of the Malacca sultanate in the 15th century.

Every Malaysian knew who Hang Tuah was. He was looked upon as the model Malaysian hero. And the favourite of UMNO politicians.

We even had the annual Pingat Hang Tuah award for bravery given out to children who had shown outstanding bravery.

But since about a decade ago, Malaysians have not heard much of Hang Tuah and even UMNO politicians don't talk about him anymore. He is also no longer mentioned in the school history books.

Why? What happened?

I don't know. But some years ago, there was an e-mail circulating around that had alleged that the Malaysian government had commissioned experts to ascertain, once and for all, the ethnicity of Hang Tuah among some other objectives. And the result was not something that had been expected.

The research allegedly showed that Hang Tuah was a Chinese and not a Malay!

I really don't know whether there was indeed such a research and the result of that so-called research.

The article had mentioned Federal Association of Arc and Research of Michigan USA, but a search on google for it turned out fruitless.

There are many arguments for why it is possible Hang Tuah was a Chinese and not a Malay.  And there are some in favour of saying that he was indeed a Malay and not a Chinese.

However, the fact that now Hang Tuah is no longer mentioned in our history books and nobody, including UMNO politicans, are eager to speak of Hang Tuah is intriguing.

How can a long time hero of everyone suddenly become a zero?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Kluang's Little Bangsar

Kluang's Little Bangsar
Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit
I attended my neighbour's daughter's Indian wedding dinner at the Sentul HGH Convention Centre. Click for a peek

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit
Yasmin Ahmad was arguably Malaysia's best story-teller, filmmaker and advertiser. She was well known for her Petronas commercials and had won numerous international awards including the Golden Lion award for the 'Tan Ming Hong In Love' commercial. Her feature film Sepet not only garnered her several international awards including for Best Asian Film but also drew multi-racial audiences that rarely happens for a local film.

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit
Genting Highlands Is A Popular Retreat With A Casino

Batu Caves - Click To Visit

Batu Caves - Click To Visit
Malaysia's Famous Landmark. Note The Statue Of Lord Muruga And The 272 Steps To The Temple Cave In The Background

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit
Petronas Twin Towers Are Still The World's Tallest Twin Towers

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit
Some early morning views of the KL city sykline I took from the 3rd floor of the KL Court with a low-pixel hand-phone camera

Kluang Town - Click To Visit

Kluang Town - Click To Visit
Kluang was a sleepy hollow, but is fast becoming a bustling town. You can't miss the bust-shaped gunung Lambak lording over the place and the town is well known for its tv brand coffee powder

Kluang RailCoffee

Kluang RailCoffee
The Kluang railway station coffee shop, now re-branded Kluang RailCoffee, is well known for its cuppa of coffee and the charcaol grilled piping hot buns oozing with butter and kaya...It used to attract standing-room only crowds. It still does, but the last time I was there it wasn't a good experience for me. The famous coffee had somewhat lost its oomph and even the buns...The shop has a long and noted history being first opened for business in 1938 and the place is now run by the 3rd generation LIm family. I hope the next time I return, the coffee would regain its oomph. Click to read more...