Buku Sejarah Adat Istiadat Diraja Johor

SKUDAI - Sultan Johor, Duli Yang Maha Mulia (DYMM) Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar melancarkan buku Sejarah Adat Istiadat Diraja Johor di Dewan Sultan Iskandar, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), di sini, semalam.

Dalam titahnya, baginda tuanku merakamkan rasa sukacita apabila buku yang memberi gambaran terperinci terhadap adat istiadat dan budaya istana Johor dapat dihasilkan tepat pada masanya.

"Penerbitan buku yang memberi gambaran terperinci terhadap adat istiadat dan budaya Istana Johor dari Zaman Temenggong hingga kini adalah sesuatu yang dinantikan sama ada di kalangan rakyat Johor, pengkaji sejarah, ahli akademik dan rakyat Malaysia.

"Sebahagian besar rakyat Johor mungkin tidak berpeluang menyaksikan perlakuan istiadat dalam istana. Justeru, buku ini membolehkan rakyat Johor mengetahui adat resam yang membentuk budaya Johor yang unik tetapi moden,” titah tuanku dalam majlis pelancaran Buku Sejarah Adat Istiadat Diraja Johor, Minyak Wangi Diraja dan perasmian Bangunan IDB.

Turut hadir Menteri Besar Johor, Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman dan Naib Canselor UTM, Prof Datuk Ir Dr Zaini Ujang.

Baginda tuanku bertitah, evolusi sejarah dan kebudayaan ikon Johor seperti pakaian Telok Belanga, Askar Timbalan Setia Negeri, Lagu Bangsa Johor dan Mahkota Kerajaan amat perlu diketahui serta disebarkan dengan luas kepada rakyat Johor bagi membina jati diri dan tata susila.

Buku tersebut ditulis oleh Setiausaha Jumaah Majlis Diraja Johor, Datuk Abdul Rahim Ramli berpengalaman luas dalam istiadat Istana Johor kerana telah berkhidmat dengan kerajaan dan Istana Johor selama 40 tahun.

Sementara itu, Abdul Rahim dalam ucapannya berkata, beliau cuba menerangkan kepada pembaca beberapa kemusykilan dan persoalan yang sering timbul berkenaan adat diraja Johor supaya pembaca lebih mengetahui situasi sebenar.

"Misalnya, mengapa rakyat Johor tidak mengangkat sembah apabila menghadap raja, mengapa raja Johor berpakaian cara Bugis, mengapa pakaian istiadat raja Johor mirip pakaian barat dan sebagainya.

"Buku ini menghuraikan asal usul ikon Johor yang dipelopori oleh Sultan Abu Bakar seperti pakaian Telok Belanga dan peranan sumber asli yang menjadikan Johor negeri terkaya dalam zaman Temenggong iaitu getah taban, lada hitam dan gambir.

“Saya juga cuba mengingatkan jasa Sultan Abu Bakar dalam mengharumkan nama Johor yang sentiasa mendahului negeri lain dengan mengilhamkan sebuah mahkota sebagai tindakan berani mengubah pakaian tradisi raja-raja Melayu dan mencipta Undang-Undang Tubuh kerajaan tahun 1895,” katanya.

Beliau menegaskan menerusi pengetahuan sejarah itu, semua pihak diharap dapat menambah kesedaran terhadap perjuangan tokoh-tokoh yang telah membangunkan Johor dan mengukuhkan kesetiaan kepada raja dan negeri bagi mengekalkan kedaulatan Johor. 

Sultan Johor lancar buku Sejarah Adat Istiadat Diraja Johor Selasa depan

JOHOR BAHARU, 8 September 2011 : Sultan Johor, Sultan Ibrahim akan melancarkan buku 'Sejarah Adat Istiadat Diraja Johor' Selasa depan (13 September 2011) yang memaparkan adat istiadat Kesultanan Johor.

Naib Canselor Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Prof Datuk Ir Dr Zaini Ujang, berkata buku terbitan Penerbit UTM Press itu ditulis oleh Setiausaha Jumaah Majlis Diraja Johor Datuk Abdul Rahim Ramli yang juga Karyawan Tamu UTM.

"Buku ini membolehkan pembaca dan masyarakat khususnya penuntut untuk mengetahui dengan lebih mendalam mengenai asal usul adat istana Johor yang sememangnya terkenal dengan ciri-ciri kebudayaan yang unik," katanya kepada pemberita, di sini hari ini.

Zaini berkata, buku setebal 295 muka surat dan dijual pada harga RM180 itu mengambil masa setahun untuk disiapkan, termasuk kerja-kerja mengumpul bahan, suntingan dan cetakan.

Beliau berkata, buku tersebut mengandungi beberapa aspek evolusi sejarah dan kebudayaan ikon Johor termasuk pakaian Teluk Belanga, Askar Timbalan Setia Negeri Johor, Lagu Bangsa Johor dan Mahkota Kerajaan.

Katanya, buku itu turut melatari kemajuan ekonomi Johor yang bermula dengan pertanian lada hitam dan gambir yang menjadi rebutan pedagang antarabangsa sehingga Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar mengabadikan kedua-dua hasil pertanian tersebut sebagai simbol kemajuan Johor di semua peralatan istiadat istana, persuratan dan dokumen.

Abdul Rahim yang juga bekas Setiausaha Kerajaan Johor, pula berkata, idea penulisan buku berkenaan tercetus atas kesedaran bahawa belum ada penulisan lengkap terhadap perlakuan dalam istiadat diraja.

Beliau berkata, buku berkenaan diharap dapat dijadikan panduan khasnya kepada Pegawai Perkhidmatan Tadbir Negeri Johor yang secara tradisi mengendalikan istiadat diraja mahupun majlis rasmi kerajaan.

Dalam pada itu, Zaini berkata, pada hari sama, Sultan Johor turut dijangka berkenan merasmikan bangunan Institut Pembangunan Bioproduk (IBD) UTM dan melancarkan minyak wangi S1 dan S2 yang direka khas untuk baginda.

Katanya, minyak wangi itu dihasilkan melalui pelbagai proses oleh penyelidik di IBD berkenaan. - BERNAMA

Why I drove the train out (The Star, June 5. 2011)

Farewell....Sultan Ibrahim waving to the crowd before driving the last train out of Singapore. — Bernama

The ruler of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, on why he asked to drive the last KTM train out of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station on June 30 at 11pm.

WHEN I found out last year that Tanjong Pagar Railway Station would be closed, I expressed my desire of driving the last train out of Singapore to the KTM chairman.

What the governments do has got nothing to do with me. To me, it is a sentimental matter.

It was my great grandfather, the late Sultan Ibrahim, who opened the Causeway, designed for both road and rail links. He paved the way, literally, for the first train to rumble into Singapore from Malaysia back in 1923.

I felt it was only appropriate for me, as the ruler of Johor, to drive the last train out.

Besides trains, I fly jets, helicopters, and I sail my own yacht. I am never a boring person. Everything to me is a challenge. I always like to find something new to do. Every day, I look at the weather and think to myself, what should I do today?

So, when the KTM chairman said OK, the train instructor was sent to my palace.

There was no train simulator. I had to study the diagrams of the controls and learn about the mechanics of how a train moves. After that, we started the practical lessons.

The first time I sat at the controls, it felt a little funny because there was no steering wheel. There was only the throttle and the brake.

It was a little scary too because unlike a car, you cannot swerve when you're driving a train. If there is something on the tracks, you cannot avoid it. You will hit it. It's not like a helicopter, where I can go up and down.

What helps is that there is a note or manifest that the station master hands you before you leave the station, and which you need to sign for. It describes the route you would be taking, what the speed limits are, where the crossings are, etc.

As the lessons progressed, I learnt one other thing: You cannot think only for yourself when you drive a train.

You need to feel it. You need to feel its length, its weight, the momentum and the gradient you are on.

I drove around to places like Negri Sembilan, Kluang and KL after I received my locomotive driving licence.

Last Thursday was the first time I set foot on Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. That's because when I come to Singapore, I usually drive or take my yacht.

I was told not to go more than 60km per hour because these were old tracks and they could be a little unsteady.

There were two safety drivers with me at the controls. One of them was my instructor, because I always feel more comfortable when he is beside me.

I also brought my iPad onto the train because I always like to find out where I am and how fast I am going (Yes, you can do that with an iPad!).

I felt a little sad that it was a night journey and that I couldn't see what was around me as I drove.

But I also felt very honoured because there were so many passengers.

They were a testament to the bond of friendship between the people of Johor and Singapore.

I knew many of them felt sad about the station. Some of them felt that Singapore was developing too fast. But I don't think so.

We cannot control development. It happens at its own pace. But we must always know our history.

In Malaysia and Singapore, when we go to school, we do not learn about ourselves, but about the world.

If you ask a Singaporean on the street: Where is Kazakhstan? Or, say, where is Cape Town? He will probably know.

But Segamat, Malaysia? Probably not.

So this is the message I want to convey to Singaporeans: Learn about the history we share.

More than anything else, that is why I asked to drive the train. - The Straits Times/Asia News Network