Bendahara
Bendahara is an ancient
Malay position within a government, in the
Malay World before the intervention of European powers during the 19th century. A bendahara was appointed by a
sultan and was not a hereditary post. It was the highest office that could be held by common people.
In modern times, it is typical to render the position as
prime minister. Though a bendahara's duties are similar to that of a prime minister's, the two terms are not interchangeable. One clear difference is the amount of power held by the two positions. In ancient times, the bendahara was typically the highest ranking official after the sultan but the sultan retained ultimate authority. The sultan was not answerable to the bendahara, or to anyone else for that matter. The sultan was not a ceremonial ruler like the
Yang di-Pertuan Agong in contemporary
Malaysia where the
Prime Minister holds effective political power.
Though it is unclear when the title was first used, the
Sultanate of Malacca had several influential bendaharas. The most famous is
Tun Perak. Under Tun Perak's service which spanned several sultans, Malacca reached its height in the late 15th century. According to the
Malay Annals and the
Hikayat Hang Tuah, the bendahara secretly saved the life of
Hang Tuah, a
laksamana the sultan had ordered killed.
In 1612, Bendahara
Tun Sri Lanang of the
Sultanate of Johor was commissioned by
Sultan Alauddin Riaayat Shah to compile Malay history and record it into a book. The book was later known as
Sejarah Melayu, an important literary piece in
Malay language history. In 1699, Bendahara Abdul Jalil became
Sultan Abdul Jalil IV of Johor after the previous sultan,
Mahmud Shah II was murdered on a Friday, leaving no heir behind.
The current
Terengganu sultanate was founded by
Sultan Zainal Abidin I in 1708. He was the son of
Tun Habib Abdul Majid, a 17th century
bendahara of Johor.
*
Laksamana*
Penghulu Bendahari*
Syahbandar*
Temenggung
