| Datu Patinggi Ali | |
| Birth Name: | Abang Ali bin Abang Amir |
| Birth Place: | Sarawak, British Borneo |
| Death Date: | 1844 |
| Death Place: | near Lupar River, Sarawak, British Borneo |
| Parents: | Datu Patinggi Amir (father) Dayang Yong (mother) |
| Known For: | Leading the Sarawak rebellion against the Brunei Empire |
Datu Patinggi Abang Ali bin Abang Amir[1] (or commonly known as Datu Patinggi Ali) was a key figure in the Sarawak Malays' resistance to the Brunei Empire, which they waged throughout Pengiran Indera Mahkota and Raja Muda Hashim's reign in the 1830s. He became one of the first supporters of the Brooke Raj and was hailed as Sarawak's first national hero.[2] An important part in the 1830s uprising against Bruneian authority was played by him.[3] In an endeavor to oppose Brunei's attempts to subjugate Sarawak through local leaders, he was known to be a fearless and resolute leader. Brooke then took Ali as an aide-de-camp after the Sarawak dispute ended.
The origins of Ali is disputed. Sarawak Malays assert that he was descended from the Minangkabau Kingdom, which once existed in Sumatra, Indonesia.[4] A prince of the Royal House of Minangkabau, Datu Undi (also called Raja Jarom)[5] moved to Borneo with his people and settled near the Sarawak River.[6] Raja Jarom had seven children, with the oldest daughter wedding a Javanese royal prince. Malays claims that Ali was descended directly from them. Utusan Sarawak states that he is a descendant of the early leader of Sarawak who was centered in Santubong, namely Datu Merpati.[7]
Antimony ore was discovered in Siniawan and Jambusan in 1823.[8] The Bruneian sultan had appointed Ali as the governor of Sarawak in the 1820s.[9] The Chinese mined antimony ore in Siniawan,[10] while the Malays who resided in the Tonga Tanah used Bidayuh laborers. However, as soon as Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II Brunei realized that antimony ore and gold had been discovered in the Bau area, the Sultan named Pengiran Indera Mahkota as the new Governor of Sarawak in 1827,[11] [12] replacing Datu Patinggi Ali, allowing Brunei to take control of the antimony mines and commerce. The administrative center of Sarawak was relocated by Pengiran Indera Mahkota in 1826 from Lidah Tanah to Santubong and subsequently to Kuching.[13] [14] It is said that he moved the administrative center to Kuching using the fear of pirates as justification. However, the deliberate measure was taken to lessen Ali's influence and authority. The full control of mining activities and antimony trade in Bau was made feasible by Pengiran Indera Mahkota when they seized power from Ali to govern Sarawak.[15]
Mullen, a supporter of Ali, said that Bidayuh and Malays were made to work long hours in the antimony mine. Before Pengiran Indera Mahkota arrived, he had been in charge of them for a considerable amount of time. When he saw the misery of his followers—who were compelled to labor at Pengiran Indera Mahkota's antimony mine—he became extremely enraged. The insistence of Pengiran Indera Mahkota that his followers pay extremely high taxes infuriated Ali even more. Additionally, because Pengiran Indera Mahkota controls all commercial activity, they are unable to trade as freely as they once could.
Following 10 years of hardship as a slave worker, Ali rallied his supporters from Siniawan to oppose Pengiran Indera Mahkota. They began to resist in 1836. Datu Bandar, Datu Amar, and Datu Temenggong helped Ali. Patinggi Ali, one of Datu's disciples, first constructed defense fortifications in Siniawan, Lidah Tanah, and other locations—an additional location upstream Bau. Their objective is to remove the Bruneian governor and liberate Sarawak from the Sultanate of Brunei's rule. In addition to setting up battle plans, he offered them words of encouragement and counsel. They put up a fierce fight with Pengiran Indera Makkota. They were still unable to vanquish Pengiran Indera Mahkota despite several battles. Similarly, Ali was defeated by Pengiran Indera Mahkota as well.
This brother persisted and got worse in 1838, following 1839. Ali will have assistance, the Sambas Sultan pledged.[16] Additionally, there is material indicating that the Kalimantan Dutch had prepared to assist the people of the Bau area in defeating the Pengiran Indera Mahkota.[17] Pengiran Muda Hashim understood how tough it would be to overcome Ali's troops. James Brooke, an English traveler who was in Kuching at the time, was approached for assistance.[18] Brooke and a few other Royalist crew members sail up the Sarawak River to Siniawan in 1840.[19] The ship is outfitted with contemporary weaponry. There have been several conflicts and occasionally the same number of talks with Ali. At last, Brooke is said to have defeated his army at the Lidah Tanah citadel with the aid of 600 part-time troops who back him and are Iban, Malay, and Chinese.
The scarcity of food supplies at the time forced Ali's supporters to flee, and many of them—particularly the Bidayuh people—starved to death. The fact that Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapur and Datu Tumanggong Mersal fled to Sambas and Datu Patinggi Ali sought safety in Sarikei after Brooke put an end to the uprising demonstrated the Sultanate of Sambas' sympathy for the rebels. By late 1840, Datu Patinggi Ali had promised to terminate the conflict, but only if Pengiran Indera Mahkota and his family left Kuching and were spared along with him and his supporters. The conflict with Pengiran Indera Mahkota has ended with the aforesaid arrangement. In the end, he and his supporters were able to drive Pengiran Indera Mahkota and his family from Sarawak. At Belidah in December 1840, he submitted, knowing that Brooke would go on to rule an independent Sarawak, he submitted with the idea that Brooke would take over the role of Raja and put an end to the Brunei Pengirans' oppression of him.
Following Brooke's coronation as Raja and Governor of Sarawak on 24 September 1841,[20] he restored Ali to his position as the chief of the Sarawak Malays.[21] He worked for the government as a well-known warrior for James Brooke from 1841 until 1844. Additionally, Ali assisted Brooke in prosecuting Saribas and Skrang inhabitants who were thought to have committed pelation.[22] He fought in an 1844 excursion to the upper Batang Lupar River with a group of volunteers. He forced the other seven prahus to retreat after capturing one during their first encounter. He was later killed in Skrang,[23] along with twenty-nine of his comrades, in an ambush by opposing troops. His exit from the Brooke administration did not, however, end his legacy or his position in the administration. This was a result of Datu Patinggi Ali's children rising to prominence in the realm. Among them is his son-in-law, Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapor, who succeeded Datu Patinggi Ali as the principal Malay leader throughout his upbringing. Unlike Ali, Abdul Ghapur's inauguration caused disapproval among his royal servants.
Ali was the son of Abang Amir bin Datu Patinggi Abang Hashim and Dayang Yong. He married Dayang Turyah, a Sarawakian woman, when he was an adult. Together they had nine children. Datu Patinggi Ali had several children; Muhammad Lana (later Datu Bandar) and Bua Hasan (later Datu Bandar). His grandchildren were Abang Kassim (son of Muhammad Lana; later Datu Muda) and Muhammad Ali (son of Bua Hasan; later Datu Hakim). Datu Patinggi Abdul Gapor would go on to marry his daughter, Dayang Inda.[24]
Additionally, a number of other names belong to Kuching local authorities who are descended from the Datu Patinggi Ali dynasty. The title of Datu Imam is held by a number of his children as well as other brothers including Abdul Karim and Muhammad Taim. Among his great-grandchildren is Datu Patinggi Abdillah (grandson of Bua Hasan).[25]
Situated in the seas of the Malaysian Economic Zone, Beting Patinggi Ali (Patinggi Ali Shoal) is situated from the Miri shoreline, precisely in Tanjung Baram, Sarawak.[26] A road in Kuching is named in honour of him, Jalan Patinggi Ali.[27]