Dato' Sri Amar DiRaja Abdul Rahman bin Dato' Wan Andak (13 June 1859 – 10 September 1930), was a campaigner for

Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...

's independence when the British were trying to extend their influence throughout Malay States. From modest origins, in 1878 he was recruited into the Johor Civil Service.Abdul Rahman Andak
on the

Brookwood Cemetery Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regist ...

website He was appointed State Secretary of Johor in 1893 and for twenty years he was adviser to Sultan Abu Bakar and Sultan Ibrahim.

History

Early life

Abdul Rahman was the son of Andak bin Meng, a minor government official, with his first wife Hawa Binti Abdullah. When in 1871 the childless Maharaja Abu Bakar sent a nephew, Ungku Othman, to be educated in England Andak was sent too in recognition of his potential. Following his graduation Andak was recruited into the Johor Civil Service in 1878.Biography of Abdul Rahman Andak
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As Sultan's adviser

He became the Private Secretary to Maharajah Abu Bakar in 1884 and in 1885 he was selected by the Maharajah as one of his senior advisers to negotiate the Anglo-Johor Treaty with the British Governor Sir

Frederick Weld Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld (9 May 1823 – 20 July 1891), was an English-born New Zealand politician and colonial administrator of various British colonies and territories located in Oceania and Southeast Asia. He was the sixth Prime Minis ...

. Under this treaty the British recognized Abu Bakar as

Sultan of Johor The Sultan of Johor (Malay language, Malay: ''Sultan Johor''; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a hereditary seat and the sovereign ruler of the Malaysian state of Johor. In the past, the sultan held absolute power over the state and was advised by a '' ...

and the Treaty became a buffer for Johor against further British colonial designs in the region. In 1886 Andak received the

Order of the Crown of Johor The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Johor ( Malay: ''Darjah Mahkota Johor Yang Amat Mulia'') is an Order of chivalry awarded by the Sultan of Johor. It was first instituted on July 31, 1886. It is awarded in three classes: *Knight Grand Co ...

(DPMJ) (Second Class) and the honorific title of Dato’ Sri Amar DiRaja. Andak received the Order of the Crown of Johor (SPMJ) (First Class) in 1892 and was appointed State Secretary of Johor in 1893 with a seat on the State Council. For twenty years he was advisor to Sultan Abu Bakar (Sultan of Johor 1862-1895) and Sultan Ibrahim (Sultan of Johor 1895-1959). Andak's influence over Sultan Abu Bakar lead to the Sultan becoming increasingly reluctant to accept British advice. Andak drafted the Johor Constitution, the first to be written by any of the Malay States, and which became law in 1894. He represented Johor on behalf of the sultan leading an entourage to the 1893 World's Fair in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

following an invitation from the United States Consul-General to Singapore Rounsevelle Wildman. Andak was the founder of the ''Pakatan Belajar Mengajar Pengetahuan Bahasa'' ("Language Knowledge Teaching Pact), a literary society which increased the usage of the

Malay language Malay ( , ; , Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language spoken primarily by Malays (ethnic group), Malays in several islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and the Malay Peninsula on the mainland Asia. The lang ...

and made it the official language of the government; the body was also responsible for introducing

neologism In linguistics, a neologism (; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language. Most definitively, a word can be considered ...

s purely expressing new ideas of governance brought with British influence. It later became the Royal Society of Malay Literature of Johor. A

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, he was initiated into the Lodge of St George No 1152 in Singapore in 1889. Abdul Rahman Bin Andak in the England, United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers, 1751-1921
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Retirement

The British Government attempted to stop the government of Johor from receiving advice from its own Johor Advisory Board in London and also attempted to build a railway line across Johor. Seeing Andak as a threat to their plans, they also attempted to force his resignation.

Cecil Clementi Smith Sir Cecil Clementi Smith (23 December 1840 – 6 February 1916),. was a British colonial administrator of the Government, administrator. Background The son of an Essex rector, John Smith, and his wife Cecilia Susanna Clementi (daughter of Muz ...

wrote of him "as a clever little fellow but an absolute nobody among the Malay aristocrats". Other descriptions include "corrupt" and "a mischievous little dog".

Frank Swettenham Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham (28 March 1850 – 11 June 1946) was a British colonial administrator who became the first Resident general of the Federated Malay States, which brought the Malay states of Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and ...

denigrated him as “a bad adviser for anyone, quite unscrupulous... and dangerous because he speaks English and has to do with Europeans all his life." Eventually he was dismissed by Sultan Ibrahim and sent into forced exile in London in April 1909 with an annual pension of £1,000. In England Andak oversaw the education of Sultan Ibrahim's sons Ismail (who succeeded his father as Sultan), Abu Bakar and Ahmad while they were attending schools in London.

Personal life

Andak married twice, firstly to Che' Lembek, who died in 1885 and with whom he had a daughter, Rahmah. He later married Auguste "Gustel" Reis (died 1933), who after the marriage took the name of Auguste Abdul Rahman and lived with her in London where they had three sons, Henry, Mansor and Walter.

Death

He died in London on 10 September 1930 and was buried in the Muslim section of

near

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Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. His wife died on 30 March 1933 and was buried beside him.

References

{{reflist, 2 1859 births 1930 deaths Malaysian politicians of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims Malaysian Freemasons Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor Burials at Brookwood Cemetery Second Classes of the Royal Family Order of Johor Honorary companions of the Order of St Michael and St George People from British Malaya