Low, Kok On
(1999)
Citra Wira Rakyat dalam lagenda Mat Salleh.
Masters thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Abstract
Dalam tempoh ( 1894 - 1900) pemerintahan Kompeni Berpiagam Borneo Utara
(KBBU) di Sabah, Mat Salleh telah dicap oleh pihak berkuasa KBBU sebagai ketua
pemberontak yang paling menggerunkan. Dalam tempoh tersebut, apabila berlaku sahaja
kes pembunuhan atau perompakan di Borneo Utara (Sabah); pihak polis KBBU akan
mengaitkan insiden tersebut dengan angkara Mat Salleh. Imej buruk Mat Salleh ini
kemudiannya disebar dan diturunkan kepada generasi penduduk tempatan Sabah. Hal ini
disebabkan sejarah Mat Salleh yang ditulis oleh sejarawan (sama ada sejarawan tempatan
atau sejarawan Barat) kebanyakannya adalah berdasarkan laporan atau catatan pihak
pentadbir KBBU yang sememangnya tidak memihak kepada penentang dasar kerajaan
seperti Mat Salle h. K. G Tregonning ( 1956 : 20) umpamanya menggambarkan Mat Salleh
sebagai ... a proud, fiery and commanding personality and all the colourful and warlike
characteristics of his ancestors, as well as their dislike of authority ... Kemudian, timbul
pula kesedaran di kalangan pemimpin dan penduduk tempatan Sabah untuk memberikan
persepsi yang lebih adil terhadap imej Mat Salleh yang sebenarnya.
During the sovereignty of The British North Borneo Chartered Company (1894 -
1900) over North Borneo (Sabah), Mat Salleh had been labelled by the Chartered
Company as the most feared Chief of rebels. It was always assumed that it was Mat
Salleh's doing whenever riots, cases of murders and robberies took place. In other words,
Mat Salleh's reputation was indeed bad. This bad image painted by the Chartered
Company had been handed down to the generations of the locals in Sabah. This occurred
because the history ofMat Salleh written by historians (both locals or western alike) were
mostly based on the reports by the authority of the Chartered Company who indeed
would not support someone who had refused to accept the Company's policies. K.G
Tregonning (1956 : 20) for example described Mat Salleh as : ... a proud, fiery and
commanding personality with the colourful and warlike characteristics of his ancestors,
as well as their dislike of authority .
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