Muhamad Salleh bin Perang
Encyclopedia
Muhamad Salleh bin Perang (1841 - 21 July 1915), carrying the title Dato' Bentara Luar, held an important post in the administration of the Malaysian state of Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...

  from 1856 to 1912. His main task was to plan the development of Johore state.

Map making and development tasks

Perang was a bureaucrat whose duty was to manage and develop lands and taking care of gambir
Uncaria gambir
Uncaria gambir, the gambier or gambir, is a species in the genus Uncaria found in Indonesia.Gambier is used in Indonesia for chewing with areca and betel, for tanning, and for dyeing. It contains many flavan-3-ols which are known to have many medicinal properties and are components of Chinese...

 and black pepper plantations. As the Head of Land Management and State Survey, he successfully drew a complete map of Johor with Jawi legends. It was the first complete map that was plotted for a state in East Peninsular Malaya.

This information was then used to plan the development of Johor State. The map showed all the roads and cities that were planned for development during his tenure. The map also shows geographical details for most of the district of Johore.

Perang was involved in the development and planning of the cities of Maharani (1888) and Batu Pahat (1893).

Perang was a Malay. His ability to converse in Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

 and his knowledge of Chinese culture
Culture of China
Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest and most complex. The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces...

 made him close to the Chinese people
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....

 brought in by the Kangchu system. In the 1880s, he accompanied the Sultan on a visit to China. He started of as the commissioner of the State Police and ended up as member of State Legislature and Cabinet.

Batu Pahat

Batu Pahat was a small town situated in the Simpang Kanan area, roughly seven miles from the Sungai Batu Pahat river.

On 11 November 1893, Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor
Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor
Sultan Sir Abu Bakar ibni Daing Ibrahim was the 21st Sultan of Johor. He was also informally known as "The Father of Modern Johor", as many historians accredited Johor's development in the 19th century to Abu Bakar's leadership...

 instructed Perang begin development of Batu Pahat into a city. He started by preparing roads, government departments, and a modernized management system.

The official opening of Batu Pahat city was held on 1 January 1894 by Perang and attended by important dignitaries, influential people, and chiefs of nearby villages. The city prospered under him as the Sultan's representative governor. He later became commissioner and encouraged villagers to develop farms and irrigation works. At the same time, foreign investors opened businesses in Batu Pahat. Perang's contributions were recognized by Ungku Sulaiman bin Daud, the chief commissioner of Johor, during his official visit on 21 December 1896.

Retirement

The death of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor led the British government to increase their influence in the Johor government. Slowly, the district officials throughout Johor, capable Malays in administration and development posts, including Muhammad Salleh Perang himself, were replaced.

On 3 April 1909, Perang received a letter from Dato' Seri Amar Di Raja which asked him to retire from his post. All his life, he had showed his loyalty to the Sultan and proved that he was able to expedite his responsibilities with his own effort. Dato' Bentara Luar accused him of treason but no strong evidence was found. On 21 May 1912, Perang resigned at the age of 71. He was replaced by Ungku Ahmad bin Ungku Muhammad Khalid as the commissioner of Batu Pahat. Under him, the Malay district commissioner was jointly responsible with the British commissioner for administration.

Death

He died on July 21 1915 (18 Syaaban 1333) and buried at Makam Mahmoodiah
Makam Mahmoodiah
Makam Mahmoodiah is a royal mausoleum of Johor located in Jalan Mahmoodiah, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The first Sultan of Johor laid to rest here was Sultan Abu Bakar in 1895...

 cemetery, Johore Bahru.
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