Jejak Nyemah Mulya: Afonso de Albuquerque

Foto: Beberapa Gambaran Wajah Albuquerque

Dalam Novel 1515, ada memerihalkan tentang Afonso de Albuquerque, penakluk Portugis yang agung yang menganggap dirinya utusan Tuhan dan matlamat utamanya untuk memacakkan salib di setiap inci bumi Islam.

Mungkin ada antara kita yang masih menguingati sewaktu kita di sekolah dahulu, kita di ajar oleh guru-guru bahawa kedatangan Portugis ke Melaka adalah untuk menguasai Perdagangan Rempah..

Ya..Perdagangan Rempah…dan ini kita terima sebagai fakta untuk tempoh yang terlalu lama..dan hingga ke hari ini masih ada generasi yang masih percaya bahawa kedatangan Portugis (serangan) oleh Albuquerque adalah bagi menguasai perdagangan rempah di Asia Tenggara.

Seingat saya, antara alasan tolol yang menyokong kenyataan ini ialah kerana musim sejuk di Portugal yang menyebabkan orang2 Portugis memerlukan rempah untuk mereka memanaskan badan..dan Melaka adalah sasarannya.

Sebegitu lama kita terjajah minda rupanya. Kerana tiada dalam mana-mana catatan sejarah yang menyatakan bahawa bersama-sama Albuquerque datang bersama-sama pakar masakan/tukang masang agung yang berfungsi untuk mengenali rempah-rempah yang berpotensi untuk di bawa pulang ke Lisbon.

“Andai kau benar ingin tahu apa yang berlaku , ia bermula pada April 1511. Wizurai Tua yang percaya dirinya ialah utusan Tuhan untuk menanam salib di atas setiap inci muka bumi itu belayar dari Goa bersama-sama lapan belas buah bahtera, seangkatan kecil lapan ratus soldadu Portugis serta dua ratus orang upahan Malabar” (1515:58)

Siapa Albuquerque?

Saya turunkan sedikit petikan tentang diri beliau dari Encyclopædia Britannica yang tidak saya edit dan terjemah.

Afonso de Albuquerque, born 1453, Alhandra, near Lisbondied Dec. 15, 1515, at sea, off Goa, India
“Portuguese soldier, conqueror of Goa (1510) in India and of Melaka (1511) on the Malay Peninsula. His program to gain control of all the main maritime trade routes of the East and to build permanent fortresses with settled populations laid the foundations of Portuguese hegemony in the Orient.

Albuquerque was the second son of the senhor of Vila Verde. His paternal great-grandfather and grandfather had been confidential secretaries to kings John I and Edward (Duarte); his maternal grandfather had been admiral of Portugal. Albuquerque served 10 years in North Africa, where he gained early military experience crusading against Muslims. He was present at Afonso V's conquest of Arzila and Tangier in 1471. King John II (ruled 1481–95) made him master of the horse, a post Albuquerque held throughout the reign. In 1489 he again served in North Africa at the defense of Graciosa. Under John's successor, Manuel I, Albuquerque was less prominent at court but again served in Morocco.

Although Albuquerque made his mark under the stern John II and gained his experience in Africa, his reputation rests on his service in the East. When Vasco da Gama returned to Portugal in 1499 from his pioneering voyage around the Cape of Good Hope to India, King Manuel straightway sent a second fleet under Pedro Álvares Cabral to open relations and trade with the Indian rulers. The Muslim traders who had monopolized the distribution of spices turned the zamorin, or Hindu prince of Calicut, against the Portuguese. His dependency, Cochin, on the southwestern Indian coast, however, welcomed them.

In 1503 Albuquerque arrived with his cousin Francisco to protect the ruler of Cochin, where he built the first Portuguese fortress in Asia and placed a garrison. After setting up a trading post at Quilon, he returned to Lisbon in July 1504, where he was well received by Manuel and participated in the formulation of policy. In 1505 Manuel appointed Dom Francisco de Almeida first governor in India, with the rank of viceroy. Almeida's object was to develop trade and aid the allies of the Portuguese.

Albuquerque left Lisbon with Tristão da Cunha in April 1506 to explore the east coast of Africa and build a fortress on the island of Socotra to block the mouth of the Red Sea and cut off Arab trade with India. This done (August 1507), Albuquerque captured Hormuz (Ormuz), an island in the channel between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, to open Persian trade with Europe. His project of building a fortress at Hormuz had to be abandoned because of differences with his captains, who departed for India. Albuquerque, though left with only two ships, continued to raid the Persian and Arabian coasts.

King Manuel appointed Albuquerque to succeed Almeida at the end of his term, though without the rank of viceroy. When Albuquerque reached India in December 1508, Almeida had crushed the improvised sea force of Calicut, but a navy from Egypt had defeated and killed his son. Insisting on retaining power until he had avenged his son's death, Almeida, to avoid interference, had Albuquerque imprisoned. Almeida defeated the Muslims off Diu in February 1509, and it was only in the following November, with the arrival of a fleet from Portugal, that he finally turned his office over to Albuquerque.

Albuquerque's plan was to assume active control over all the main maritime trade routes of the East and to establish permanent fortresses with settled populations. His attempt to seize Cochin in January 1510 was unsuccessful. By February Albuquerque had realized that it was better to try to supplant the Muslims; assisted by a powerful corsair named Timoja, he took 23 ships to attack Goa, long ruled by Muslim princes. He occupied it in March 1510, was forced out of the citadel by a Muslim army in May, and was finally able to carry it by assault in November. The Muslim defenders were put to the sword.

After this victory over the Muslims, the Hindu rulers accepted the Portuguese presence in India. Albuquerque planned to use Goa as a naval base against the Muslims, to divert the spice trade to it, and to use it to supply Persian horses to the Hindu princes. By marrying his men to the widows of his victims he would give Goa its own population, and its supplies would be assured by the village communities under a special regime. After providing for the government of Goa, Albuquerque embarked on the conquest of Malacca, on the Malay Peninsula, the immediate point of distribution for the Spice Islands and points east. He took that port in July 1511, garrisoned it, and sent ships in search of spices.

In the meantime Goa was again under heavy attack. He left in January 1512 and relieved Goa. Having established himself there and having gained control over the movement of goods by a licensing system, Albuquerque again turned to the Red Sea, taking a force of Portuguese and Indians. Because Socotra was inadequate as a base, he attempted to take Aden, but his forces proved insufficient. He thereupon explored the Arabian and Abyssinian coasts. Returning to India, he finally subdued Calicut, hitherto the main seat of opposition to the Portuguese.

In February 1515 he again left Goa with 26 ships for Hormuz, gaining control of part of the island. He was taken ill in September and turned back to Goa. On the way he learned that he had been superseded by his personal enemy, Lope Soares; he died embittered on shipboard before reaching his destination.

Albuquerque's plans derived from the crusading spirit of John II and others. He did not allow himself to be diverted from his schemes by considerations of mercantile gain. His boldest concepts, such as turning the Persians against the Turks or ruining Egypt by diverting the course of the Nile, were perhaps superhuman, but so perhaps was his”

(Albuquerque, Afonso de, the Great.Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved
2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD)

Dalam buku Albuquerque:Caesar Timur (1995:1), dinyatakan bahawa Albuquerque ialah salah seorang yang istimewa yang pernah hidup pada abad ke enam belas. Beliau Pembina empayar Portugis yang agung, yang bertaraf lebih besar daripada Caesar. Dari Laut Merah hingga ke Melaka, sejauh 3000 batu, angkatan lautnya menggempur Bandar-bandar dan membina kubu-kubu, hamper berjaya menguasai keseluruhan perdagangan Lautan Hindi di bawah kawalan Portugis.

Masa Albuquerque dihabiskan dengan berperang di darat dan di laut, mengemudi pelayaran angkatan laut, mewujudkan diplomasi dan mentadbir penduduk yang jauh dan tidak mudah dikawal. Tetapi beliau bukan sahaja cepat bertindak, seperti Caesar, beliau juga penulis yang produktif, menulis pada waktu malam atau mengarahkan penulisan surat-surat dan warkah kebanyakannya kepada raja Portugal, Don Manuel bagi menjelaskan dan mewajarkan semua tindakannya.

Dalam novel 1515, ada beberapa petikan dan perincian yang memerihalkan tentang Albuquerque ini antaranya:

“Hamba ada mendengar khabar awal pada tahun 1511, tidak ingat pula hamba berapa haribulan secara tepat, tentang seorang wizurai tua kerepot yang mempercayai dirinya utusan Tuahn untuk menanam salib di atas setiap ceruk muka bumi dan ada hati pula mahu membongkar makam Rasulullah , telah belayar dari Goa bersama-sama lapan belas buah bahtera, diiring seangkatan kecil lapan ratus soldadu Portugis serta dua ratus upahan Malabar”
(1515:148)

Dalam mukasurat 174, Faisal memperincikan tentang keinginan yang amat kuat yang ada dalam diri Albuquerque untuk menjajah dan menakluk Melaka:

“Albuquerque diam membatu mendengar segala pandangan sebelum bersuara., ‘Sesungguhnya aku amat yakin untuk menyerang Melaka kerana azamku, setiap denyut jantung dan sedutan nafasku adalah untuk mengusir dan membunuh setiap pengikut Muhammad. Aku adalah hamba yang paling setia dan berkhidmat untuk Raja Manuel dan tidakkah kau pasti dapat membunuh perdagangan orang Islam di Timur Tengah dan kita akan menjadi raja, melebihi Perancis, dan inggeris mahupun orang-orang Jerman di Eropah. Dengan menguasai Melaka, orang-orang Belanda akan berlutut di hadapan kita, sementara orang Sepanyol akan merangkak datang ke Lisbon untuk segala rempah”

“Albuquerque bersuara lebih tegas, menyambung..’kita bertempur esok hari dan lihat bagaimana keadaannya. Jika memang kita sulit untuk menawan Melaka, aku bersetuju untuk pulang ke Goa dan menyusun bala tentera yang lebih gagah dan berlayar semula ke sini untuk menawannya’

Walaubagaimanapun, Faisal dengan imaginasi yang tinggi dalam mukasurat 250, cuba memperincikan keadaan fizikal Albuquerque hingga menghasilkan kenyataan seperti berikut:

“ Pemilik kamar masuk. Lelaki bertubuh sasa walaupun sudah agak tua. Matanya hijau kebiruan agak bulat: walah ramus dengan jambang yang lebat . Di dada tergantung rantai dengan dahat (salib). Bibirnya nipis merah dan telinga pula sedikit besar. Dia tersengih menampakkan barisan gigi kekuningan. Rambutnya pendek dan botak di tengah’

Kematian Albuquerque

Dalam novel 1515, versi yang paling masyur tentang kematian Alburquque ialah beliau mati di Melaka dan tidak sempat untuk menakluki Melaka kerana tentangan hebat dari pahlawan Melaka serta Tun Nyemah (walaupun ada lagi versi yang lain dalam buku ini tetapi saya sengaja memilih versi ini). Kematiannya di Melaka serta Janji Tun Nyemah terhadapnya sebelum kematiannya itu telah menggerakkan armada Melaka ke Portugal untuk menakluk Portugal disamping mengotakan tuntutannya untuk mengebumikan jasadnya di Lisbon…

Walaubagaimanapun, samada versi yang dikemukakan oleh Faisal adalah benar atau sebaliknya, Faisal lebih mengetahui (lagipun telah dikatakan bahawa novel ini campuran antara Fiksyen dan fakta)

Ya… Albuquerque mati pada tahun 1515, namun demikian kematiannya bukanlah di bumi Melaka dan bukan juga di tangan pendekar Melaka mahupun Nyemah Mulya:

“Tindakan cemerlang Albuquerque di Ormuz pada 1515 telah menyebabkan Portugis menguasai sepenuhnya bandaraya dan sultan yang masih muda itu. Ini merupakan sumbangannya yang terakhir kepada Empayar Portugis. Dia memulakan kerja membina kubu, tetapi tidak lama kemudiandia telah jatuh sakit. Penyakityang serupa sejenis disenteri menyebabkannya terlalu lemah sehingga dia tidak mampu meneruskannya dan dia berazam untuk pulang ke Goa dan mati di sana. Dia hanya sempat melihat Bandar itu (GOA) sekejap sahaja dari pintu kabinnya sebelum dia mati”
(Albuquerque: Caesar Timur, 1995:315)

Penutup

Walaupun apa anggapan, sanjungan, cacian dan makian terhadapnya. Beliau tetap tertulis dalam sejarah sebagai perancang utama dalam serangan ke atas Melaka dan seterusnya memastikan Melaka jatuh ke tangan Portugis pada tahun 1511 dan seterusnya merealisasikan cita-citanya untuk menghapuskan ajaran Islam di muka bumi ini. Satu fakta sejarah yang amat memilukan untuk dikenang……..