Elok Nagari Kerana Penghulu
Been reading more of my Federation Museums Journals.
In Volume 17, from 1972, is Nordin Selat’s “Elok Nagari Kerana Penghulu: The Concept of Leadership In Adat Perpatih, Adat Minangkabau”.
The word “adat” is generally translated as “tradition”. The “Adat” in this case properly refers to the customary legal code of the Minangkabau people. Minang culture is famously matrilineal; its heartland lies in West Sumatra, but it also spawned colonies -- polities like Negeri Sembilan, my home state.
Reading this essay gives me the impression that to live under Adat law is to live in a society governed by poetic aphorism. Which is pretty neat.
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For example, the legitimacy of the penghulu -- chief, or elder -- of an Adat community is enshrined in a series of maxims, including:
Tumbuhnya ditanam, TIngginya dianjung, Besarnya diampu.
He grows because he is planted, He is high because he is held aloft, He is great because he is made great.
The penghulu must be unanimously elected by his community.
In Negeri Sembilan this principle extends to its Sultan-equivalent, the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar, “He Who Is Crowned Great” -- chosen by undangs, or influential “elector” penghulus. A proto-democratic oddity.
Penghulu beraja ke muafakat, Muafakat beraja kepada Yang Benar. Benar berdiri dengan sendirinya, Nan dinamakan alur dan patut.
The penghulu is ruled by consensus, Consensus is ruled by the Truth. Truth stands by itself, And is called that which is right and proper.
All adult members of an Adat territory are part of the muafakat. Community meetings debate issues affecting its territory, and there must be unanimous agreement for every decision.
“ ... at the end those who still do not agree usually yield to the majority opinion in the interest of harmony.” There’s a maxim for this, too:
Bulat air dek pembetung. Bulat kata dek muafakat.
Water is rounded through a bamboo pipe. Words are rounded through the consensus.
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The ethics of political leadership are laid out in a series of colourful character sketches:
The Penghulu Nenek Mamak (“Genuine Traditional Elder”) is the model kind -- patient, intelligent, broad-minded, dignified, etc.
The Penghulu Ayam Gadang (“Big Rooster Elder”)’s fault is a combination of pride and limited intelligence -- “pushing his weight around and not listening to advice ... he will not bow to correction or council.”
The Penghulu Tagak-Tagak (“Coppersmith Bird Elder”) is named after the coppersmith, which “makes only occasional staccato sounds by hitting his beak against the wood of a tree, not using his own voice.”
"In the same way the Penghulu only speaks once in a while at muafakat in a silly, empty way, not voicing his own opinion but expressing or agreeing to another’s.”
In other words, the dude has no spine.
The Penghulu Pinak Sirawa (“Underpants Elder”) is an active threat against the people:
“What he lacks is character. He uses his brains to oppress and exploit his own people ... he acts as batu api (flintstone) to spark off misunderstandings ... he is lidah bercabang (fork-tongued) and talam dua muka (double-faced) ... His motto is divide and rule. Thus he builds an empire.”
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Though its leaders are elected, the Adat is definitely not an egalitarian code, and comes complete with a rationalisation of why the chief must be a rich bigshot:
“... one of the qualities of the ideal Penghulu is that he should be well-to-do. The word used is berkecukupan having enough, lacking nothing ... He should be rich enough to support the life style expected of a Penghulu, with all the status symbols ... A poor Penghulu would be a liability to the group he leads ... the individual property of the members would sometimes have to be used to enable the Penghulu to hold feasts and ceremonies ... There is also the danger of the Penghulu being tempted by bribes ...”
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My favourite bit is the aphorism about how the chief should deal with a breach of Adat:
Ular dipalu biar mati, Kayu pemalu jangan patah, Tanah dipalu jangan limbang.
The snake must be beaten to death, The stick must not break, The earth must not be dented.
The snake is evil, and evil must be ended -- but ending evil is understood also as an act of violence. Therefore utmost care must be taken, so harm does not come to the self, or to the world.