KEDAH THE STATE OF CHAPTER 6

Transcription

1 WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA 1 CHAPTER 6 THE STATE OF KEDAH The name Kedah is the simplified version of the Sanskrit name for this state. Its Sanskrit name is Kataha," which means kettle. It can also be pronounced as Kadaha, which is synonymous with Kalagam, having the meaning of black and dark brown. The Chinese name for Kedah is therefore a transliteration of its Malay counterpart.

2 2 Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah Paddy fields in Kedah KEDAH ABODE OF PEACE Kedah Darul Aman (Abode of Peace) is a major producer of rice and fish in Malaysia. It is situated in northwest Peninsular Malaysia and comprises mainland Kedah and Langkawi, an archipelago of 99 islands. Mainland Kedah is sandwiched between the Straits of Malacca and Perlis, Perak, Penang and two Thai provinces. The capital of Kedah, Alor Setar, is the seat of the state government and the main commercial center of the state. It was the locale of the residence of the Kedah royal family and has the distinction of being the birthplace of two renowned former politicians: YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj (Malaysia s Father of Independence and first Prime Minister) and Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad (Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister). ECONOMY A large portion of its land is dominated by vast tracts of paddy fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, providing a panoramic view of its rustic charm. Kedah and its northern neighbour, Perlis, are jointly known as the Rice Bowl of Malaysia.

3 WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA 3 These two states produce enough rice to meet half of the national demand. Kedah has moved aggressively into the 21st century and is progressing rapidly in tandem with the comprehensive development plan of Malaysia, opening new industrial areas and business centers. Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island), located off the west coast of Kedah, is an idyllic tropical paradise which has been developed into a major beach resort that is well-known internationally. As a result, tourism has become a major source of income. Rural areas in other districts, however, are still largely undeveloped. HISTORY Peninsular Malaya s strategic location on the old trade routes between China and India and other countries resulted in some of its ports becoming important trading centers in Southeast Asia, especially those situated along the Straits of Malacca. Recent archaeological discoveries in the Bujang Valley point to the existence of one such center in the ancient empire of Langkasuka. A similar conclusion was made in a local Chinese book, The importance of Establishing a Review of the Nation s Past 2000 Years History (published in 2009). Malaya s documented history dates back

4 4 only some 500 years to the Malacca Sultanate, based on local annals. However, external sources, such as ancient Chinese records, provide information of much earlier civilizations in the peninsula. Over two thousand years ago, intercontinental travel between China and India was difficult and much of the trade between them was carried out partly overland and mostly by sea. By BC, seafarers had discovered the Malay peninsula and known of its early civilizations. Early traders frequented the trans-peninsula path which formed part of the east-west spice trade route. Using Gunung Jerai, the highest mountain in Kedah, as a navigational point, they sailed into Kuala Muda in Lembah Bujang (Bujang Valley) where a trading port was operating as early as the 2nd century. Excavated temple ruins dating as far back as the 4th and 5th centuries reveal that Buddhist (and, subsequently, Hindu) cultures were entrenched in this area, indicating that the earliest contacts between the locals and Indian traders probably occurred here. Based on archaeological findings, Lembah Bujang is the site of the most ancient civilization in Peninsular Malaysia. Ancient Chinese records point to Kedah being the location of the ancient Langkasuka Empire. As more antiquities are discovered, research and evaluation are being carried out to determine the extent and importance of this empire. According to tradition, the Kedah Kingdom was founded around 630 A.D. In the 7th century, Kedah came under the suzerainty

5 WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA 5 of the Srivijaya Kingdom and began paying tribute to it. In the 12th century, the ninth Rajah of Kedah converted to Islam, thus beginning the Kedah sultanate, which is the longest surviving sultanate in Malaysia. In the meantime, the Srivijaya Kingdom, which began in Palembang, Sumatra, had expanded to other regions of Southeast Asia. When it declined in the 14th century, its vassals in the Malay peninsula came under the control of the Sukothai Kingdom. Kedah thus became a territory of Siam and came under the administration of her ministers. With the rise of the Malacca Sultanate in the 15th century, Kedah grew into an Islamic region. The Kedah Sultanate was attacked by the Portuguese and Acheh in the 17th century, and was conquered by Siam in the 19th century. Under the 1909 Anglo-Siamese Treaty, Siam relinquished control of Kedah to the British in exchange for continued sovereignty over land which Siam was already occupying. During the Second World War, Kedah and Kelantan were the two earliest states occupied by the Japanese. Kedah was then given to Siam by the Japanese, and its name was changed to Syburi. After the surrender of the Japanese in 1945, Kedah was returned to the British. In 1957, Kedah became part of the Federation of Malaya and eventually became one of the states in the formation of Malaysia in the year 1963.

6 6 MISSIONS IN KEDAH Christianity in Kedah has its roots in Alor Setar, Sungai Petani and Kulim. It all began in May 1912, when Mr. Manuel from the Methodist Church laid the groundwork in Alor Setar, where his target group was the Indians. He rented the Reading Room to serve as a meeting place and considered it a wonderful venue to start this ministry in. Twenty-five years later, in 1937, Mr. Lee Wen Zhou and Mr. Foo Chee Chin (Principal of Bedong Anglo Chinese School) started distributing gospel tracts and selling bibles regularly in Sg Lalang, Sungai Kinta, Semeling, Merbok, Tanjung Dawai, Gurun, Junun, Kuala Kedah, Simpang Empat, Kota Sarang Semut and Pendang. Subsequently, they founded the Anglo Chinese School at Jalan Kanchut, Alor Setar, and used its premises as a place of worship for the local Christians. The Alor Setar Methodist Church s Chinese ministry began here. During the Japanese occupation ( ), church growth in Kedah stagnated. The Anglo Chinese School building in Alor Setar was closed down during the war. After the war, the Indian and Chinese Methodist congregations had to borrow the Baptist church s premises for their combined worship services. During the post-war

7 WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA 7 re-construction period, the urgent need for a meeting place of their own led them to an empty house on Jalan Kanchut. This building served as the venue for worship services as well as pastoral meetings. From 1948 to 1954, the congregations grew steadily. The Chinese church and the Tamil church continued to have combined services. The English church was started in October 1962 and, five years later, established a kindergarten jointly with the Chinese church. The gospel was extended to Pekan China ( China Town ) and a children s ministry was initiated there. The gospel was preached regularly and the Methodist church grew tremendously. In 1926, Brethren missionaries set up the Bakar Arang Chinese Gospel Hall. It continues to be active today and is also known as the Sungai Petani Chinese Gospel Hall. The origins of the Baptist Church in Malaya is attributed to Mr. Oh Hock Teck from Swatow, China, who had migrated to Malaya and started a small business in Penang. Mrs. Oh and Rev. Lin Pei Xin, who was also from Swatow, had a burden to preach the gospel. So, they started an outreach in Alor Setar, which is 100 km from Penang. This resulted in the founding of the Kedah Chinese Baptist Church on 21 October Also known as the Oversea Chinese (Swatow) Baptist Church, it was the first Baptist church to be established in Malaysia. In 1954, it was renamed the Alor Setar Baptist Church. Mr. Oh Hock Teck expanded his business interests to Bukit

8 8 Junun, 30 km south of Alor Setar, through the ownership of a rubber estate. Mrs. Oh sensed that Bukit Junun was a mission field. Thus, under the then Baptist pastoral leader of Alor Setar, the Bukit Junun Baptist Church was set up in Surprisingly, during the Japanese occupation ( ), Christian activities in Bukit Junun were not prohibited. During the war, some other believers were allowed to worship together with the Brethren congregation at the Bakar Arang Chinese Gospel Hall. In 1955, they started a Baptist church in Sungai Petani, called the Patani Baptist Church. In 1968, Trinity Baptist Church was started at Alor Setar along with numerous gospel centers. A member of its congregation, Elizabeth Hale (a Southern Baptist missionary who had decided to retire in Malaysia), set up Bethel Nursing Home at Kuala Nerang in March Initially intended to be a shelter for old women without dependents, it later took in poor old people when the nursing home was built in October By 2010, this social care ministry had expanded to include a kindergarten, a dialysis center, a prison ministry for released prisoners, a home for the mentally-challenged and a soup kitchen for the poor. Although the first Assemblies of God church in Malaya was established in 1934, few churches were started after that because there were insufficient trained Spirit-filled ministers. The Bible Institute of Malaya (BIM) was established in 1960 to meet that need. From the

9 WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA 9 BIM, young, capable, Spirit-filled and passionate Bible Institute graduates started planting English churches in Malaysian towns, including Alor Setar and Sungai Petani. Currently, there is also an AOG Chinese ministry in Sungai Petani, Kedah. While he was still a BIM student, Rev. Jeremiah Abel visited Alor Setar together with Rev. James David. During that visit, God gave Rev. Jeremiah a burden to reach out to the locals. Obeying God s call, immediately upon his graduation from BIM (now known as Bible College of Malaysia), he moved to Alor Setar with his wife, Mabel, in They became the founding pastors of Full Gospel Church in Alor Setar. In 1979 the Tamil ministry was begun and an outreach was initiated for Christian teachers posted to Grik and Yan. The Chinese ministry began in 1983, while 1984 saw the beginning of the Bahasa ministry, which later was merged with the youth ministry. The Full Gospel Church in Changlung was initiated by a group of students from University Utara Malaysia and started in In 1986, God gave Rev. Samuel Lau a vision and spoke to him through Acts 26:18. He then took a step of faith and moved his whole family to a small town called Gurun on 1 January 1987 to start the Gurun Gospel Mission Church. In this church, members are equipped through cell groups. They share the love of Christ in the community and plant cell churches in Chinese villages and housing estates in Kedah. In the past 24 years, the gospel has been preached in about 20

10 10 Chinese new villages. Today, 38 cell groups meet regularly in 12 meeting places. Gurun used to be the base for their work, but now they operate from Sungai Petani. Currently, they have 17 co-workers.

11 WALK THE LAND IN MALAYSIA 11 Profile of Kedah Area: about 9,425 square kilometers Capital: Alor Setar Total population: more than 2 million Malays (75%), Chinese (14.6%), Indians (7%), indigenous people (0.2%) and non-citizens (3.2%) Religions: Islam (77%), Buddhism or Taoism (15.6%), Hinduism (6.5%), Christianity & Catholicism (0.8%), Sikhism & traditional tribal religions (0.01%). Prayer for Kedah 1. May our Heavenly Father grant the local officials grace and wisdom to rule the state, so that all Kedahans will benefit. 2. Pray for more investment funds to be poured into the state and for talent outflow to be minimized. 3. The rural church congregations are generally poor and have a high turnover of attendees. This inconsistency has caused full time workers to be unable to provide for their family s needs. May our Lord strengthen the faith and ministry of the young preachers, so that His Kingdom can be extended further and His Name is lifted high.

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