[COLUMNIST] Malay thought leadership and wisdom: Mutiara Kata Alam Melayu

"Berdirinya bangsa kerana bahasa. Indahnya seni kerana budaya

Di negara ini, takrif bangsa Melayu diperkemas secara diikat dengan adat, disimpul dengan bahasa, disalut dengan agama, dimaktub secara perundangan."

-- Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah

Bahasa Melayu has been around for the last 1000 years if not more. Among the oldest examples of Melayu Kuno is the Kedukan Stone Tablet in Palembang, dated 605 Saka Year, equivalent to 683 AD. The language written on the Bukit Kedukan Tablet is in Melayu Kuno using the Palava script, for the order of the King and is still recognisable Bahasa Melayu.

Svasti cricakavarsatita 605 ekadacicuklapaksa vulan vaicakha daputahyang nayik di samvau mangalapsiddhayatradi saptami cuklapaksavulan jyestha dapunta hyang marlapasdari minana Tamvar (Kamvar)mamava yang vala dua laksako dua ratus cara di samvau dangan jalan sarivu tlu ratus sapulu dua vanaknadatang di matada (nau) sukhacittadi pancami cuklapaksa vulan asadalaghu mudita datang marvuat vanua ... Crivijayajaya siddhayatra subhika ...

Selamat bahagia pada tahun saka 605 hari kesebelasdari bulan terang bulan waisaka daputa baginda naik perahu mencarirezekipada hari ketujuh bulan terangbulan jyesta dapunta baginda berlepas dari muara Kamparmembawa askar dua laksadua ratus orang di perahuyang berjalan seribu tiga ratus dua belas banyaknya datang di matada dengan suka citapada hari kelima bulan terang bulan asadadengan lega datangmembuat negeri Seriwijayayang berjaya, yang bahagia, yang makmur...

Similarly, excellent examples of high thinking order can be found in Sejarah Melayu, Hukum Kanun Melaka and other Manuskrip Melayu - among over 10,000 such books are prized possessions in more than 150 libraries and museums all over the world in over 60 countries.

We have had a long history of thought leadership and wisdom from our leaders for hundreds of years if not a millenia.

And yet, today, when we hear quotes in speeches, in schools, in universities, even in Parliament, they are often taken from foreign ‘insightful expressions’, geniuses and ‘thinkers’ ! Aristotle. Winston Churchill. Shakespeare. Confucius. Rabindranath Tagore. Maya Angelou. I hope not Elon Musk..

Instead of our own Tun Sri Lanang. Raja Ali Haji (whose gurindam is priceless). Instead of peribahasa and pantun of the highest order. Instead of Ungku Aziz. HAMKA. Tun Perak. Jose Rizal. Gajah Mada. Datuk Lapu-Lapu. Hamzah Fansuri.

Bahasa Melayu is our National Language as well as in Brunei, Singapore and is used widely in SEA countries. And though Indonesia is adamant about their Bahasa Indonesia, it is undeniable that their first Minister of Education, Ki Hajar Dewantara, from Javanese nobility, as early as 1916 advocated that Bahasa Melayu be taught to Indonesian children rather than Bahasa Jawa, paving the way for Bahasa Indonesia (originally from Bahasa Melayu) to become their National language.

In our country, the Batu Bersurat Terengganu is proof of Bahasa Melayu shaped the thought, science and legislation over 700 years ago in Semenanjung.

‎د بنواكو اين ڤننتو اڬام رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم راج

And yet it amazes me that we Religiously. Steadfastly. Zealously seek inspiration from western ideals and not our own. I am not being ‘Bodoh sombong’ wanting to deny the knowledge and inspiration from the wise people all over the world. I just want to inject the idea that we should also refer to our own words of wisdom - Mutiara Kata from the Malay World is borne of hundreds of years of careful observation of nature, and our surroundings and way of life.

Here’s some priceless examples:

"Yang melemahkan semangat ada dua perkara. Pertama prasangka, kedua, hati busuk" - HAMKA

"Kita tidak akan melahirkan manusia unggul dengan bercakap-cakap saja" - Professor Diraja Ungku Aziz

"Jika hendak mengenal orang berbangsa, lihat kepada budi dan bahasa" - Raja Ali Haji

"Utang budi dibayarkan budi. Utang darah dibayarkan darah. Utang malu dibayarkan malu. Utang mati dibayarkan mati."

- Puteri Saadong, Hikayat Seri Kelantan

"Tak ada yang lebih kuat dari kelembutan, tak ada yang lebih lembut dari kekuatan yang tenang."

- Jenderal Besar Raden Soedirman

"Bangsa kita akan jadi bangsa kosong jika tidak peduli sastera" - Sasterawan Negara, Professor Emeritus Muhammad Haji Salleh

At the suggestion of Datuk Badlisyah Abdul Ghani in 2021, I have collated 101 Mutiara Kata Alam Melayu in the hope that our children, CEOs and politicians, academicians and teachers and everyone in between can begin to look at our own gems of inspirational quotes. In Bahasa Melayu, English and Jawi.

Here’s some kind thoughts on the book:

"Usaha penting untuk memulihara kata-kata leluhur kita serta hablur- hablur bahasa yang bersinar terang dan menjelma sangat indah untuk renungan anak bangsa seterusnya agar sedar mereka mempunyai sastera yang tinggi, jiwa yang besar dan khazanah yang begitu bernilai."

- Profesor Emeritus Dr Muhammad Hj Salleh

"‘Perbendaharaan indah pepatah Melayu berabad lamanya, dicungkil dari inskripsi, manuskrip dan kesusasteraan lisan – sumber ilham untuk diterokai, direnungkan, dinikmati.’"

Dato Dr Annabel Teh Gallop

"Mutiara Kata Alam Melayu oleh Ninot Aziz ini mampu mencerminkan sikap dan watak Melayu bijak bestari yang bersenjatakan mutiara kata, yang lebih tinggi nilainya dari seluruh wang dan harta...Menjadi prakata kepada mutiara bangsa, peradaban Melayu."

Cik Srikandi

I desperately hope we will rise in the eyes of the world as a people. And this book is my humble contribution this Ramadan to Bangsa dan Negara.

* Ninot Aziz is an award-winning author, writer, media specialist and storyteller. The book Mutiara Kata Alam Melayu will be available at the Pesta Buku Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur.

** The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.