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Jementah Civil War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
![]() Supported by: ![]() | Muar faction | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
![]() ![]() ![]() | Tengku Alam Shah Tengku Nong Tengku Mat |
TheJementah Civil War broke out in 1879 inJementah in northernJohor whenTengku Alam Shah, the heir of lateSultan Ali of the autonomous principality ofMuar refused to surrender the principality to the central administration ofAbu Bakar, the then Maharaja of Johor.
The aftermath of the conflict led to the consolidation of Johor's rules over Muar territory again and the opening ofMuar town by Sultan Abu Bakar as the first sultan of modern Johor.
Johor was ruled byTemenggong Daeng Ibrahim as the de facto Maharajah of Johor who was more favored than Sultan Ali. As a compromise, Sultan Ali was granted afiefdom over Muar region, while Temenggong Ibrahim ruled the rest of Johor.
Following Sultan Ali's death in 1877, the custody of the Kesang territory lay in the hands of Ungku Jalil, Sultan Ali's elder brother. ColonelEdward Anson, the actingGovernor of the Straits Settlements, instituted an election for the Temenggong Paduka Tuan of Muar and the territory's chieftains to decide on the destiny of the Kesang territory, and they voted unanimously for Maharaja Abu Bakar as their leader.
Ungku Jalil handed over the custodianship of the Kesang territory and the GovernorWilliam Robinson recognised the fiefdom of Muar as having returned to Maharaja Abu Bakar's central administration inJohor Bahru, which greatly upsets Tengku Alam and many of his followers.
Tengku Alam began his moves by asking his cousins Tengku Nong and Tengku Mat to spread false information to the residents of Muar district to be on his side. He also gathered some powerful warriors for the battle.
Tengku Alam and his followers launched the first blow of the war by seizing Jementah town, just outsideSegamat, on 25 October 1879. The headman or governor of Jementah reported to the ruler of Johor, Maharaja Abu Bakar, who responded by sending a powerful force led by his cousin, Ungku Ahmad. Ungku Ahmad was a great tactician who contributed to the Johor Government's rapid victory.
Dato' Mohammed Salleh bin Perang, also known asDato' Bentara Luar, was deployed by the government on 2 December to assist the government army. As a strategy, he split the Johor government army into four units to fight enemies easier. Each unit contained about 100 men.
By mid-December, the government army conquered more enemy strongholds and finally gained total victory at dawn on 30 December after a surprise attack on the enemy's final redoubt. Since then, the original District ofMuar, which then includedSegamat, was reintegrated into Johor.
The most notable event that happened as a result of the Johor government's victory in the Jementah Civil War was the opening ofMuar as a new modern town by the Maharaja Abu Bakar, where the town was conferred theBandar Maharani new title. Besides this event, the soldiers from both sides who later resided in the areas ofJementah andSegamat opened the residencies(mukim) ofPagoh, as well as some villages there.