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- Published on Tuesday, 04 February 2014 08:41
- Written by HASIMI MUHAMAD
RAJA Noor Jan Raja Shah claimed himself as the 44th Sultan MelakaPic:AntaraposLET'S take a moment to ponder: will you accept a non blue-blooded Sultan as your ruler or an ordinary man who claims to have supernatural powers as God?
It would be impossible to accept and even more impossible to take them seriously because their claims are way beyond human logic.
However, often we read in the newspapers about those individuals who aspire to be Sultans and Gods, namely the cases of Tuhan Harun, Ayah Pin and the most recent Sultan of Malacca. What baffles the mind is that there are people who believe and accept these claims.
A Case Of High Ambitions
In 1968, a group of deviationist teachings called Al Arqam managed to pull thousands of followers in Malaysia. Led by Ashaari Mohammad, the group became popular until the authorities detected the deviant teachings by Ashaari, and in August 1994 the National Fatwa Council banned the group.
The Al Arqam case was not the last and 'wakil kerajaan langit' (Sky Kingdom) phenomenon emerged in Terengganu under the leadership of Ayah Pin or Ariffin Mohammed, who was supposedly to have special mystical powers.The emergence of Tuhan Harun shocked the country, whose modus operandi was based on university studies.
SYMBOLIC: Sky Kingdom in Jerteh/Pic:Thestar
SYMBOLIC: Sky Kingdom in Jerteh/Pic:Thestar
Tuhan Harun's belief was called the 'University Universal Overhead God'. In early January, the group's leader, Harun Mat Saad along with some of his group members were associated to the murder of a Pahang Islamic Religious Department's officer.
The most recent controversial case of Raja Noor Jan Shah Raja Tuah who admitted to have been enthroned as Sultan in the Penganugerahan Watikah Gelar Adat Kesultanan Melaka ceremony. He claimed himself as the 44th Sultan Melaka which carries the title of Sultan Ahmad Shah, whereas the Melaka Sultanate has been obsolete for centuries.
Upon observation, the appearance of such individuals is like a list in the career field that is most sought after.However, looking at these cases, their story is so far out that it has become an interesting joke.
Fantasy World
Lecturer of Psychology, Associate Professor Dr Mariani Md Nor from the University Malaya Faculty of Education said, these individuals are actually living in a fantasy world that they created. The conception of their belief was so deep that they begin to develop their ideologies.
By doing so, it seems that their beliefs are justified."This group usually has its own beliefs and when they themselves believe that their faith can be spread, they start to look for followers. With the increase in followers, their identity will become stronger thus confirming their fantasy world," she told Malaysian Digest (mD).
PROFFESOR Dr Mariani Md Nor;these individuals are actually living in a fantasy world that they created/Pic:kosmo!According to Mariani, the emergence of these groups will only be noticed after they have attracted many followers. The number of followers will be seen as an acknowledgment for the 'leader'.
"The story of Ayah Pin has appealed the Malaysian crowd. His followers were so into it that they were willing to do anything including drink from his feet," said Mariani.
The ability of those such as Ayah Pin in influencing others has raised a question - what could have made people believe that a mere person can become a God or have special powers? What's worrisome is the fact that some of his followers include highly educated people.
Irrational Minds
Mariani thinks that the educated followers' compliance to those 'Sultan' or 'God' is caused by their failure to think rationally in making assessment. Sanity is the base for being rational and someone who has a vast knowledge does not necessarily mean the person is rational."
A wise person is someone who thinks rationally towards something good and those easily influenced are those who fail to do so."The enthusiasm and high self-confidence of these 'Sultan' and 'God' strengthens the influence on the followers, making them more extreme," she said.
Identity Problem
Lecturer of Department of Psychology University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM),Associate Professor Dr Khaidzir Ismail agreed with Mariani. He considers the scenario that appears now is a result of the individual's personality problems, who clearly is an attention seeker.
"This person likes to draw attention, power hungry and feel that they are needed in the community."This kind of mentality causes them to believe that they can be leaders of the people and they crave for admiration," he said.
CLAIMED himself as a 'Nabi Kahar'/Pic:gempak.org
CLAIMED himself as a 'Nabi Kahar'/Pic:gempak.org
Apart from that, those who want to lead in accordance to their belief may have a personal agenda and try to obscure people's minds by claiming to have special knowledge or power.
"In actuality, those who want to be leaders only want self-satisfaction, for example, they want wealth or properties, sex slaves and probably use others to commit crimes on their behalf," he said.
A Way To Gain Self-Confidence
Senior Lecturer, University Malaya's Department of Socio-Culture Ahmad Hakimi thinks these individuals with unrealistic ambitions believe that their fantasy is a reality and truth that must be accepted by the public.
This causes the individual to take action by sharing their fantasy to the public. The support given by the followers adds to the person's confidence.
"There is no denying that there are individuals who want to deceive and influence people for their own interests," he said.Hakimi explained that the followers who adhered to the self proclaimed 'Sultan' or 'God' is confused with their own identity. They could be suffering from depression and decided to be a follower in order to avoid facing their own real problems.
"They may not be very happy in their daily life, they may be experiencing economic difficulties, personal and so on. When they become followers, they will be more enthusiastic from the moral support they get from friends and other followers," he said.
But why are those who claimed themselves as 'Sultan' and 'God' are Malays? Hakimi said Malays are people who hold strongly to family lineage and believe in superstitions."Sultan is usually associated with Malays, and logically Malays are the ones who appear and claim themselves as Sultan," said Hakimi.
HAKIMI;The support given by the followers adds to the person's confidence./Pic:cmsad.um
HAKIMI;The support given by the followers adds to the person's confidence./Pic:cmsad.um
The history of the Malay monarchy which has many Hindu influences also play a role, even more so when the Hindu teachings involve belief in deities.
"If Ayah Pin appeared in India, maybe the community there will accept him because Hindus believe in the existence of deities (Gods). However, Ayah Pin's belief is clearly against the religion and principles of Islam, which is the religion of the Malays," he said.
Ahmad Hakimi suggests that this problem can be eradicated if there is a system that takes care and clarifies the chronology of the Malay sultanate.
"The system has to be made and well cared for because the sultanate status is synonymous with wealth and fame. This is a strong factor in influencing individuals to exploit the monarchy institution," he added.
Make It As An Example
While we laugh and scoff at these people's desire of becoming Gods and Sultans, we must not take this social problem for granted. The best way is for the public to learn from the previous incidents and teach ourselves to always be aware of the surrounding circumstances.
There is no doubt, our negligence may be the reason for Al-Arqam, Ayah Pin and Tuhan Harun's deviant teachings to go rampant and managed to convince a lot of people. Therefore, it is necessary for us to take part in helping those who are naive from being exploited.
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