Who has heard of the Temenggong? Let's explore this important Malay figure in Singapore history.
- Karien van Ditzhuijzen
- May 16
- 11 min read
Updated: Sep 15
We have a running joke in my family. Whenever I say the word Temenggong, my kids will yell bingo, and laugh. It has been proposed that I need to pay a fine every time I utter the word. They would become very rich if we’d implement that rule, as I have to admit, I have a mild Temenggong obsession. Unfortunately outside my family, or those with an interest in Singapore history, it seems few people have heard of the Temenggongs. Have you?
If you are on this website, you have heard at least one reference to them: the pinapple plantations that once covered Mount Faber, and that we named our company after, were owned by none other than the Temenggong of Singapore!
Initially my knowledge of the Temenggong was limited, I knew he was a high ranking Malay royal under the Sultan, and that it was said that as the local chieftain was the de facto ruler of the Malay in Singapore. During my training as a Kampong Gelam docent for FOM (Friends of the Museums) and MHC (Malay Heritage Centre), the focus was on Sultan Hussain and his descendants, who lived in the Kampong Gelam Istana. It wasn’t until I started to research my new neighbourhood of Telok Blangah that I started to appreciate this influential family, and how instrumental the Temenggongs were in the development of Singapore. As anyone who knows me can testify, once I get started on the subject of the Temenggong you better get comfortable. But don’t worry, for the sake of this blog post I will keep it brief. Well, no guarantees, just a promise I will try.
Let’s start at the beginning: what does the word mean? Temenggong is a Malay title, and in the old Malay kingdoms he ruled under the Sultan, who was the head of state. Being in charge of public security and defence, the Temenggongs had a powerful position, the third highest in the country after the Sultan and Bendahara, who was in charge of domestic affairs. The Malay Maritime Kingdom existed for over a millennium under different names, being ruled from different capitals. It shifted shape as well, but at it largest encompassed part of Western Sumatra (the Malay people originate from the area around Palembang and Jambi), the Malay peninsula and all the Islands in between, including the Riau Islands and Singapore. Around the time the British came along the country had started to fall apart in separate states, with Singapore, Johor and Riau being one country usually called the Sultanate of Johor, or sometimes the Sultanate of Johor-Riau-Lingga as it had nominally split in several territories already. In the early 19th century the Johor Sultanate's power was divided between the Sultan, who lived in Lingga island and a Bugis Yamtuan Muda (sometimes called Viceroy) who lived in Bintan and was the most powerful, running a port at Tanjong Pinang which had been the most influential in the region until it got destroyed by the Dutch in 1784. The other territories under the Sultan were Pahang, which was ruled by the Bendahara, and Johor itself (including the islands of Singapore and Karimun) which fell under the Temenggong. A few years earlier, (sources differ on the exact year, but it would have been between 1811 and 1818) Temenggong Abdul Raman had moved to Singapore after a disagreement about the succession of the throne of the Johor Sultanate. He was the direct leader of the local Malay on Singapore island, but ruled under his sovereign the Sultan.
In 1818 the British asked both the Viceroys in Bintan and the Sultan in Lingga permission to start a port in Riau, ideally on Bintan which had been the main port of the region. But they already had an alliance with the Dutch, the European rivals of the British in the region, and said no. Not taking no for an answer the British looked at other islands along the Straits, like the Karimuns, and eventually arrived in Singapore in early 1819. There they met Temenggong Abdul Raman. We can only guess his exact motivations, but it doesn't seem too surprising he was open to the British suggestion of starting an entrepot there, which would thwart his rivals in Riau and a lot business to Singapore.
The Temenggong was not the head of state, and he knew he would get in trouble with the rulers in Riau as well as the Dutch if he made a deal with the British. They bring in Tengku Hussain, the eldest son of the late Sultan, who moved to Bulang island after his half-brother (confusingly also called Abdul Raman) had been installed as Sultan of Johor in the Riau Islands. Sultan Abdul Rahman was supported by the Dutch as well as the powerful Bugis viceroys. Tengku Hussain had the support of many Malay royals, including the Temenggong, and now the British. With their support he was made Sultan Hussain, opposing his brother, the Bugis and the Dutch. A treaty was signed. The building of the port of Singapore could start. (Well, the full story is a little more complicated, as more or less nobody else thought this treaty was a good idea, including the British government who didn't want to fight the Dutch, but let's leave it at this for now.)
In 1823 the British took over the Temenggong village near the Singapore river and gave him land in Telok Blangah, the bay at the mouth of the old Singapore Strait that had for a long time been inhabited by Malay traders, pirates, and sea nomads. He built his Istana near where Harbourfront MRT station is now, and soon kampongs with the Temenggong's followers sprung up around Telok Blangah. Abdul Raman was a smart man who had many connections in the local trading communities. He was of part Bugis descend, a group of people originally from Sulawesi in what is now Eastern Indonesia. The Bugis were a fierce people and skilled seafarers, many were wealthy traders, that had settled in the region a few centuries ago and became intertwined with the Malay kings, ruling alongside them as viceroys that were often more powerful than the Sultan himself. Even though they had initially sided with Sultan Abdul Raman of Riau, the Bugis from Riau continued to quarrel with the Dutch, and in the 1820s moved to Singapore. Their trading business was an important and often forgotten part of the development of early Singapore. Many of them moved to Kampong Bugis or settled on the Kallang River.
Another important group amongst the Temenggong's followers were the Orang Laut, Malay for sea people, who were seafaring nomads that often lived on their boats. They were the indigenous people of the Riau Islands and the Singapore Straits, settling in the region some time before the Malay arrived. They worked for passing traders as navigators on the treacherous seas around the Straits, supplied them with fish, fruit and other supplies, and fought for the Sultans as mercenaries, until their role as 'kingmakers' was taken over by the Bugis. They too played an important role in the development of the Singapore port, even though the British regarded them as barbarians and pirates.
The British were pleased to see Singapore thrive, but after a few years became worried the local port was doing too well, and was competing with their own. They wanted a bigger piece of the trade pie for themselves. In fact, they wanted the whole pie. In 1824 a second treaty was made up, confoundingly called the ‘Treaty of Friendship and Alliance’ that stripped Sultan Hussain of his sovereignty and the Temenggong of a lot of his power, including the rights for the local rulers to run they own port legally and make money that way, they also lost their claim on the wood grown on the island, an important resource for a growing city. Both the Sultan and the Temenggong refused to sign, but after pressure from the British, they signed. Telok Blangah became rife with pirates again, rendering it unsafe for the British to develop their New Harbour there.
After Abdul Raman’s death his young son son Daeng Ibrahim took over. He had a strong connection to the local pirates, many of whom were his men. The word pirate here is a contended one: the British had taken away the Malay rulers rights to make money legally from local trade, which they had done since ancient times. Eventually Daeng Ibramin must have figured that ‘if you can’t beat them, join them,’ and decided to cooperate wth the British. He cleared Telok Blangah bay of mangroves and pirates, and leased or sold much of the land back to the British. A smart and shrewd man, Daeng Ibrahim was a successful businessman, and when he realised the British were there to stay in Singapore he moved his attention to mainland Johor, traditionally the Temenggong's domain too, where he worked together with local Chinese to start gambier and pepper plantations. He became very rich, amongst others by enforcing a monopoly in gutta percha, a resin found in the jungles of Singapore and Johor that was used for medical equipment and to insulate underseas telegraph lines.
In 1855 Daeng Ibrahim was granted sovereignty of Johor by the British, to the dismay of Sultan Ali, son of the late Sultan Hussain, who felt this should have been rightfully his.
After Daeng Ibrahim’s death in 1862 his son Abu Bakar took over as Temenggong. Having grown up in the British era, Abu Bakar was well educated in both Malay and English, a charming and friendly man who knew how to navigate amongst the different nationalities in Singapore, from the British and Malay to the Chinese and Arabs. He liked to socialise and travel, to learn new things that could benefit his fledgling state of Johor and make sure people all over the world learned about its existence. Amongst his European friends he used the name Albert Baker, and he visited London several times where he became close with Queen Victoria and befriended the Prince of Wales. From 1868 onwards he called himself Maharaja of Johor – even in those days, few people had heard of a Temenggong. In 1885 a new Anglo- Johor treaty was signed with the British, and Queen Victoria granted Abu Bakar’s wish to carry the title Sultan of Johor. It was a dream come true for the family, that still carries this title as rulers of Johor, but unfortunately it made Abu Bakar the last of the Temenggongs of Singapore.
Abu Bakar was quite possibly the richest man on earth in his time. He is a figure from a fairy tale, about whom many stories can be told. He was born in his father’s palace in Telok Blangah, the Istana Lama, but that was soon too small for him. As a Muslim, he had four wives, and as many palaces, two of which exist to this day. His choices of wives clearly reflects his diplomacy and wish to get along with many nationalities. His first marriage in 1858 was to Encik Wan Chik, a Malay princes and the daughter of the ruler of Pahang. The second marriage was in 1870 to Encik Zubaidah, born Cecelia Catherine Lange, the daughter of a Danish merchant from Bali and a Chinese mother. His third wife was Wong Ah Gew, a Chinese women that was part of the Wong clan of Wong Ah Fook who was an important business relation of Abu Bakar. When Abu Bakar became Sultan it was she that was bestowed the title of Sultana Fatimah. His last wife shows him trying to get international recognition in the Muslim world, as he married Sultana Khadijah who was of Circassian birth during a state visit to the Ottoman Empire. He married her after the death of Sultana Fatimah, and Khadijah too was given the title Sultana.
The Istana Besar is, like the Malay name suggests, quite large and is located in Johor. It was built in 1866 after the official administrative centre moved there. I plan to visit it next month, and will definitely tell you more about it then.
Even though Johor Bahru was now his formal residence, Abu Bakar was born and bred in Singapore, he still considered this his home and he had multiple residences there. After his father death in 1862 Abu Bakar had bought the Tyersall estate from William Napier, his father's former legal associate. He lived in Tyersall House for several decades until he deemed the large country house too small and he tore it down to built an even grander palace. Istana Tyersall was built for and designed by his third wife, the Sultana Fatimah, together with builder Wong Ah Fook, her relative, who was also responsible for much of the developments in Johor Bahru. Unfortunately Sultana Fatimah never lived to see its completion in 1892. The Istana Tyersall burned down in 1905 and its remnants were demolished in the late 20th century. The estate is overgrown with jungle and borders the Singapore Botanic gardens, unknown and unseen by many that pass by it on a daily basis. The Tyersall Estate was the inspiration for the Crazy Rich Asians books where the rich Straits Chinese Young family owns a suspiciously similar estate in the same location.
The Tyersall jungle still houses a surprise: hidden inside is the dilapidated Istana Woodneuk. Temenggong/ Sultan Abu Bakar bought Woodneuk House from a Sottish captain called John Dill Ross, so he could live on the neighbouring estate whilst Istana Tyersall was being built. When died he left the house to his 4th wife Khadijah. She was Abu Bakar's fourth and last wife, of Circassian heritage, that he married in 1893 during a state visit to the Ottoman Empire. The current house was built by his son Sultan Ibrahim between 1932 and 1935 for his Scottish wife Helen. Like his father, Sultan Ibrahim was a good networker and socialiser, and the house saw many social events and celebrations. You can read more about Istana Woodneuk here.
The last of Abu Bakar’s palaces was Istana Bidadari in Serangoon, which he built for his second wife Encik Zubaidah. She was the only wife that bore him a son, who succeeded his father as Sultan Ibrahim after his death as the Sultan's three other wife had only born him daughters.
On the mainland Abu Bakar is revered and remembered as the founder and father of modern Johor, yet in his birthplace of Telok Blangah little reminds of him. His grandfather’s palace, Istana Lama, was demolished in the 1950s, the condominium Harbourlights now stands in its place. What remains is the old balai, or meeting hall, which has been turned into Daeng Ibrahim Mosque and the adjoining royal cemetery. The mausoleum holds the graves of Temenggong Abdul Raman, Daeng Ibrahim and many other royal relatives. Abu Bakar contracted pneumonia in London in 1895 and died there. His body was brought back to Johor and is buried there in the Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum in Johor Bahru
Some people still feel the Temenggong family are usurpers, and that the throne of Johor should rightfully belong to descendants of Sultan Mahmud III, and his sons Hussain and Abdul Rahman. But in fact the Temenggong family traces their roots back to the same royal forefather that started that line. After the last of the Sultans from the Melaka line was killed in Johor in 1699, a son of the Bendehara Tun Habib (Bendahara is another high royal Malay title, sometimes referred to as a prime minister as he was in charge of internal state affairs) became the next Sultan. Two of his brothers became Sultans of Pahang and Terengganu respectively. One of his daughters married a famous Bugis prince, Daeng Celak, and their descendants family became very influential in Riau.
One could argue what it is that makes a king, royal blood or hard work, success and loyalty to the country? Either way, the Temenggong family has both.
Did I get you excited to about the Temenggongs of Telok Blangah? To understand the Malay history of Singapore, one cannot surpass them. So if you want to learn more, join one of my Temenggong walking tours where I will tell you much more, as we look for remnants of the royal family around the neighbourhood!
Sources:
I have been exploring Singapore history and studying the Temenggong family for years, and it would not be possible for me to highlight all my sources, but I do want to mention some important ones that are also the source of the older images in this article. Modern images are my own.
RO Winstedt, The history of Johor 1365 - 1895
Carl Trocki, Prince of Pirates
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