“Sutan Puasa Founder of Kuala Lumpur” by Abdur-Razzak Lubis has been described as “a new interpretation of the early history of the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, and its hinterland,” according to the book’s foreword by Asian expert Terry McGee from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
McGee, who has studied the urbanisation of Malays in the 1960s, said the book which focused on the role played by Sutan Puasa in the early period of tin mining in 19th-century Kuala Lumpur had sparked his interest on the subject.
“Lubis provides convincing answers to two deceptively simple questions. First, who was the true founder of Kuala Lumpur? And second, are the existing historical accounts of the founding of Kuala Lumpur accurate?” he said.
He said the author also recognised that the idea of the Malay in the 19th century included not only riverine-based sultanates on the west coast, but also the migrant communities from Indonesia that were moving into the peninsula.
Lubis in his 615-page book, which includes old maps and pictures of Kuala Lumpur, starts with a chapter on “The Naming of Kuala Lumpur”.
He also discussed on personalities named as KL’s founders, including Yap Ah Loy, the first Chinese Kapitan and Raja Abdullah, who was the territorial chief of Klang.
The book has been a bestseller at the Kinokuniya bookshop in Kuala Lumpur over the past three weeks, and will be launched next month by singer Sheila Majid, who is a descendant of Sutan Puasa.