The man who should be King
Last weekend I had the pleasure of renewing my 30-year acquaintance with a really lovely guy I've always known as Bok, though his official name is Raja Zailan Putra Raja Dato' Seri Haji Azam.
A mutual friend introduced us back in 1979 or 1980. I knew at the time that Bok boasted a royal pedigree. I saw photographs in his modest house of colorful characters in courtly regalia.
One that stood out was of Bok's great-grandfather, Raja Muda Abdullah (right), who signed the 1874 Pangkor Treaty with Sir Andrew Clarke and was anointed Sultan Abdullah of Perak.
Things started to go awry soon after that when the British sent a colonial officer named James Wheeler Woodford Birch (3 April 1826 – 2 November 1875) to Perak to serve as advisor to the Sultan.
From the standpoint of the Malay chiefs, Birch was arrogant and insensitive to local customs. He had no understanding of the Malay psyche and absolutely no facility with the language. Indeed, Birch was appalled at the local practice of capturing Orang Asli and turning them into household slaves. He ordered an immediate stop to such barbaric activities. It was indeed a laudable intention on Birch's part – but it was akin to forcing a bunch of carnivores to go vegetarian overnight. In any case, his missionary zeal to civilize the natives cost Birch his life.
