Monday, 11 July 2016
Berita Harian
This was a feature on the views and research work of two NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences researchers – Associate Professor John Miksic from the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, and Dr Azhar Ibrahim, from the Department of Malay Studies – on the existence and historical importance of Hang Tuah, an illustrious warrior of the 15th Century Malaccan Sultanate. Assoc Prof Miksic shared that in addition to Malay history, Hang Tuah was also often mentioned in various foreign sources such as documents and correspondence from China and Okinawa in Japan. Dr Azhar, who teaches texts about Hang Tuah in a Malay literature module, opined that Hang Tuah’s existence has become a mythology and legend, and its text was created by the feudal class to promote Malay nationalism by portraying Hang Tuah as the perfect Malay subject who was unconditionally loyal to the Sultanate.