KUALA LUMPUR: Activist Abdur-Razzaq Lubis published his book, Sutan Puasa: Founder of Kuala Lumpur, five years ago, and he had hoped it would have spurred interest among the people to find out about the actual founders of the federal capital.
However, a general election was held that year and subsequent Covid-19 pandemic put a damper to this.
The activist, who had studied anthropology, and is based in Penang, said he wanted to encourage city folk, historians and academicians to debate about the subject once again.
Today, he delivered a talk at Taman Tugu here as part of the "Origins of the Nation's Capital" programme.
Abdur-Razzaq said further research on the founding father of Kuala Lumpur should be done by local residents.
"This effort (to recognise Sutan Puasa) needs a local person, a local voice to champion that the actual founder was none other than Sutan Puasa.
"Now my friends here, including historians and local tourist guides, have called me here to hold a speech on the matter," he told the New Straits Times today.
During his presentation at the talk, Abdur-Razzaq gave several excerpts from the book he authored.
Among other things, his book highlighted Sutan Puasa's background as a Mandailing merchant. The man was a trader, and an agricultural and mining entrepreneur who saw through the development of the settlement which was once known as "Pengkalan Lumpur".
"Sutan Puasa helped village elders develop 'Pengkalan Lumpur' into an important centre for trade. He opened new lands using wage labour, while also offering cash and food advances.
"He excelled as a trader, agricultural pioneer, mining entrepreneur, and also functioned as a general contractor to the local community back then," he said when quoting a chapter from his book.
He also said Sutan Puasa developed Kuala Lumpur and its surroundings by commissioning the construction of infrastructure, such as irrigation canals, bunds and other amenities.
Abdur-Razzaq said based on his research, it would be difficult to justify the other prominent figures, including the third Kapitan China Yap Ah Loy, to be recognised as the founder of the city.
After the book 'Yap Ah Loy' by S.M. Middlebrook and J.M. Gullick was published in 1951, Yap became the subject of countless biographies, he said.
He said the mythology of Yap as the city founder and a hero was created by the Chinese community, who chose to remain in the country after Malaya gained independence in 1957.
However, he said after "Merdeka", Raja Abdullah was elevated as the founder of Kuala Lumpur by Malay nationalist historians to reclaim the history of the Malays in the city and overturn the colonial narrative.
He said these misconceptions were fabricated without closer inspection and understanding of historical setting and evidence of that time.
"There were also claims that it was actually Abdullah Hukum who was founder of Kuala Lumpur.
"All these claims have no leg in my opinion. For instance, Abdullah Hukum himself said the ruler and leader of Kuala Lumpur was Sutan Puasa."
He hoped his book would create debate and gain traction until Sutan Puasa was recognised as the original founder of Kuala Lumpur.
"The authorities should declare Sutan Puasa as the founder of the nation's capital city and his contributions and achievements be memorialised.
"An appropriate day should be identified and known as 'Sutan Puasa Day' to acknowledge how proud we are of him," he said earlier in his talk.
Abdur-Razzaq was among the four speakers for the Origins of the Nation's Capital programme held to mark the Federal Territory Day.