Perubahan Sosial Masyarakat Siam di Pendang, Kedah

Abstract

ABSTRAK

Masyarakat Siam merupakan golongan minoriti di Malaysia. Penempatan orang Siam bertumpu di kawasan utara semenanjung, khususnya di Kedah, Perlis dan Kelantan. Walaupun bilangan orang Siam rendah, pencapaian sosial mereka seiring dengan kaum Melayu, Cina dan India di Malaysia. Penempatan orang Siam di Kedah bermula secara besar-besaran semasa pemerintahan Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah (1882-1942). Pada masa itu, Raja Siam Rama V Chulalongkorn (1868-1910) menggalakkan rakyatnya berhijrah untuk mencari kawasan pertanian dan menetap di Kedah. Kertas kerja ini melihat secara khusus kepada masyarakat Siam di Daerah Pendang, Kedah, yakni permulaan dan perkembangan mereka. Hari ini, walaupun bilangan orang Siam rendah di Pendang, masyarakat minoriti ini banyak terlibat dalam aktiviti sosial dan kebanyakan mereka sudah mencapai kemajuan dalam aspek sosial. Dengan merujuk kepada sumber bertulis seperti Surat Menyurat Sultan Abdul Hamid, sumber lisan dan pemerhatian lihat pandang, kertas kerja ini meneliti perkembangan sejarah sosial masyarakat Siam di Pendang, sebagai sebuah masyarakat minoriti dalam perkembangan Malaysia semasa zaman kolonial dan pasca kemerdekaan. Secara keseluruhan, kertas kerja ini mengisi kelompongan kajian orang Siam di Malaysia dan membuka ruangan kepada kajian masyarakat minoriti yang lain di negara ini.

Kata Kunci: Siam, Kedah, Pendang, Sejarah, Perubahan Sosial

ABSTRACT

The Siamese society is a minority race in Malaysia. The concentration of the Siamese are mainly in the northern region of the peninsula, especially in Kedah, Perlis and Kelantan. Despite their low numbers, the Siamese social achievements are in line with the Malays, Chinese and Indians in Malaysia. The settlements of the Siamese in Kedah were recorded during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah (1882-1942). At that time, King Rama V Chulalongkorn of Siam (1868-1910) encouraged the Siamese to migrate in search of agricultural land in Kedah. This paper looks specifically at the Siamese community in Pendang, Kedah, namely their social development. Today, despite their low numbers in Pendang, this minority community are involved in many social activities and many of have made progress in the social aspect. With references to written sources such as The Correspondence of Sultan Abdul Hamid, oral sources and observations, this paper examines the the social history of the Siamese community in Pendang, in line with the development of Malaysia during colonial times and after independence. Overall, this paper fills the void of Siamese scholarship in Malaysia and opens the space for further studies on other minorities.

Key Words : Siam, Kedah, Pendang, History, Social Change