Konsep Kedaulatan Menurut Sejarah Melayu

The concept of sovereignty according to Malay history

Abstract

Makalah ini menelusuri semula konsep kedaulatan menurut pengalaman sejarah Alam Melayu dengan memberi tumpuan kepada sumber perundangan, hikayat, adat istiadat dan teks sejarah. Kajian mendapati bahawa konsep kedaulatan dalam tradisi Melayu tidak hanya berasaskan kuasa mutlak raja terhadap rakyat, tetapi turut membawa dimensi amanah dan tanggungjawab terhadap Tuhan serta masyarakat. Teks seperti Hukum Kanun Melaka dan Undang-undang Tubuh Terengganu memperlihatkan bahawa raja dilihat sebagai pemegang amanah ilahi yang wajib menegakkan keadilan berasaskan syariat Islam. Sementara itu, hikayat dan adat Melayu menunjukkan hubungan kedaulatan dengan nilai moral, legitimasi politik dan keharmonian antara adat dan syarak. Oleh itu, kedaulatan Melayu wajar difahami sebagai satu bentuk kedaulatan pengamanahan yang berteraskan keadilan, bukan semata-mata kedaulatan mutlak berasaskan kekuasaan.

This article revisits the concept of sovereignty through the historical experience of the Malay world, focusing on legal sources, classical texts, customs, and historical narratives. The study finds that sovereignty in the Malay tradition is not solely grounded in the absolute power of the ruler over the people, but also encompasses the dimensions of divine trust (amanah) and responsibility toward God and society. Texts such as the Hukum Kanun Melaka and Undang-Undang Tubuh Terengganu illustrate that the ruler was regarded as a bearer of divine trust, obliged to uphold justice in accordance with Islamic law. Meanwhile, Malay chronicles and customs reveal that sovereignty was closely tied to moral values, political legitimacy, and the harmony between adat (custom) and syarak (Islamic law). Hence, Malay sovereignty should be understood as a form of entrusted sovereignty founded upon justice, rather than as an absolute sovereignty based solely on power.