Hang Tuah is a big lie
According to history, Chinese Princess Hang Li Po was the fifth wife of Malaccan Sultan Mansur Shah who reigned from 1456-1477.
During this period, there was also the legend of the Sultan's five famous warriors, Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Lekiu. It is a tale of friendship and loyalty, which every Malaysian had heard.
However, renowned historian Prof Khoo Kay Kim told radio station BFM this morning that Hang Li Po and the five warriors never existed.
Speaking to FMT later, he explained: "The Chinese Ming dynasty of the 16th century does not have records on them. These are very well preserved records."
The KDU college chancellor also said he had read the writings of two Western historians and another prominent historian Wang Gung Wu on the Ming records which did not mention the characters either.
"History must be based on empirical records. Historians must only accept written records," he said, adding that empirical records available here were at best "skanky".
"There is no evidence in the Malaysian records," he said. "These are stories. Early Malaysian history is based on stories."
"We have had many stories. Only recently historians have taken the trouble to research the early Malaysian history period. A lot of stories accepted in the past cannot be proven," he added.
Khoo also told FMT that there are rumours that the Malacca kingdom was founded in 1292 even though there were records to prove that it was formed in the 15th century.
He added that the government had instructed the syllabus committee to go through the school history syllabus to rectify the errors.
The syllabus, said Khoo, would be introduced in the year 2014 - FMT
Comments
his opinion on history seriously as he is a scholar of great repute.
But on this score I have to disagree with Prof.
1st two things I want to explore.
Prof said no Ming records of Hang Li Po given to marriage to
Sultan of Malacca. I agree this event may not have happened. But then again we
must remember, there were scant records of Zheng Ho exploit in Ming records alaso because those Confucian scholars
burnt the ship logs.
All we have is Ma Huan’s ( Zheng’s companion) record. And
the records of all those countries bringing tribute. Zheng Ho was not even
referred by name but by his rank.
Then you have the
Rebellion at the end of the Ming Period, the chaos that followed and the Manchu
invasion.
Could some of the records have been destroyed?
The existence of a “ LA SHA MANA” from “ MAN LA JIA” exists in Vietnamese and Ryukuans records as
an emissary of the King of that country. Of course they only wrote his title
not his name.
The Ming records also list Title of Malaccan Kings never the
names. So it cant be said that we should not take Tun Sri Lanang’s record based
on oral tradition as without historical
base.
If we take the professor’s advise, many events in world
history can be called to question and should not be taught such as the
existence of historical Jesus Christ or even Paul, was there any Roman records
of his existence, only Josephus a Jewish captive mentioned him.
What about Julius Caesar, we only have the Romans records to
talk about that also not official records that can be examined but hearsay from
Tacitus, and the like.
Do we have the Parthian records of Julius Caesar ever
existed to independently verify his existence?
What about MARC POLO, no record of him ever existed in China
as an official but did the world stop teaching about Marco Polo?