KEGIATAN KONGSI GELAP CINA DI KULIM DAN KESANNYA TERHADAP EKONOMI KEDAH, 1888-1890

THE ACTIVITIES OF CHINESE SECRET SOCIETIES IN KULIM AND ITS IMPACT ON KEDAH’S ECONOMY, 1888-1890

Abstract

Abstrak

Artikel ini membincangkan kegiatan kongsi gelap Cina di Kulim yang memberi kesan negatif terhadap ekonomi Kedah antara tahun 1888 hingga 1890. Kajian lepas mengenai kegiatan kongsi gelap di Kedah lebih menumpukan perbincangan kepada kegiatan jenayah sosial seperti merompak dan menyamun sahaja. Manakala kajian-kajian yang memfokuskan perbincangan mengenai kegiatan jenayah sosial di Kedah pula tidak memberi penumpuan secara khusus kepada kongsi gelap Cina kerana perbincangan yang dibuat adalah merangkumi masalah jenayah sosial yang juga turut dilakukan oleh orang Melayu. Oleh sebab itu, penulisan tentang aktiviti ekonomi dan kegiatan jenayah oleh kumpulan kongsi gelap Cina masih kurang diberi perhatian dan dibincangkan secara mendalam. Penulisan ini menggunakan kaedah kualitiatif yang telah menganalisis sumber primer dan sumber sekunder yang diperoleh dari Arkib Negara Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Arkib Negara Malaysia cawangan Kedah/Perlis, Perpustakaan Negara dan Koleksi Malaysiana serta Koleksi Arkib Perpustakaan Hamzah Sendut 1 Universiti Sains Malaysia. Hasil kajian mendapati, selain jenayah sosial seperti merompak dan menyamun, kumpulan kongsi gelap Cina di Kulim turut menjalankan kegiatan ekonomi seperti penjualan candu dan bijih timah secara haram dan juga pengoperasian pusat perjudian secara haram. Perkara ini memburukkan lagi ekonomi Kedah yang telah sedia buruk ekoran beban hutang negeri Kedah yang semakin meningkat. Bagi mengelakkan situasi ekonomi Kedah semakin memburuk, Sultan Abdul Hamid dan pihak berkuasa di Kulim telah mengambil langkah untuk mengawal kegiatan kongsi gelap Cina dengan lebih ketat di samping meningkatkan kawalan keselamatan. Malah hukuman yang berat juga dikenakan kepada pesalah-pesalah yang merupakan ahli kongsi gelap yang telah dibuktikan kesalahan mereka.

Kata Kunci: Kongsi gelap Cina, Kulim, ekonomi Kedah, kegiatan ekonomi, kegiatan jenayah

Abstract

This article discusses the activities of Chinese secret societies in Kulim that had a negative impact on Kedah’s economy between 1888 and 1890. Previous studies on the activities of secret societies in Kedah have primarily focused on social criminal activities, including robbery and theft only. While the studies that focused on the discussion of social crime activities in Kedah did not focus specifically on the Chinese secret societies because the discussion included the problem of social crime that also committed by the Malay people. Therefore, literature about the economic and criminal activities of Chinese secret societies continues to receive little attention and is rarely examined in depth. This paper employs a qualitative method to analyse primary and secondary sources obtained from the National Archives of Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, the National Archives of Malaysia Kedah/Perlis branch, the National Library and Malaysiana collection, and the Hamzah Sendut 1 Library of Universiti Sains Malaysia. The study found that, in addition to social crimes such as robbery and theft, Chinese secret societies in Kulim also carry out economic activities such as the illegal sale of opium and tin ore and also the operation of illegal gambling centres. This is exacerbating Kedah’s already dismal economic situation as a result of the state’s rising debt burden. To avoid Kedah’s economic condition from worsening, Sultan Abdul Hamid and Kulim authorities have made steps to tighten control over Chinese secret societies’ activities while boosting security restrictions. Severe punishment was also imposed on those who were members of the secret society who had been proven guilty.

 Keywords: Chinese secret society, Kulim, Kedah economy, economic activities, criminal activities