Abu Bakar (Jawi: ; 3 February 1833 – 4 June 1895) was the Temenggong of Johor. He was the 1st sultan of modern Johor from the House of Temenggong.Section B Planning and Implementation, Part 3 Physical Planning Initiatives, CHAPTER 13, Johor Bahru City Centre , ISKANDAR MALAYSIA, pg 6, "....This was followed later by the 21st Sultan of Johor – Sultan Abu Bakar (1862–1895) who laid the foundation for developing Johor into a modern state. ..." He was also informally known as "The Father of Modern Johor", as many historians accredited Johor's development in the 19th century to Abu Bakar's leadership. He initiated policies and provided aids to ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs to stimulate the development of the state's agricultural economy which was founded by Chinese migrants from southern China in the 1840s.（五）陈旭年与柔佛新山, 新山中华公会 (Johor Chinese Association). Retrieved 28 April 2009 He also took charge of the development of Johor's infrastructure, administrative system, military and civil service, all of which were modelled closely along Western lines.
Abu Bakar was noted for his diplomatic skills, and both the British and Malay rulers had approached him for advice in making important decisions. He was also an avid traveller, and became the first Malay ruler to travel to Europe during his first visit to England in 1866. In particular, Abu Bakar became a lifelong friend of Queen Victoria in his later years. Abu Bakar's friendship with Queen Victoria played an important role in shaping Johor's relationships with Britain, and was the only state by the end of the 19th century in the Peninsular Malaya to maintain autonomy in its internal affairs as the British Colonial Government pushed for greater control over the Malay states by placing a British Resident in the states. He was also an Anglophile, and many of his personal habits and decisions were aligned to European ideas and tastes.
Abu Bakar became the sovereign ruler of Johor when his father, Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim died in 1862. Six years later, Abu Bakar changed his legal state title of "temenggong" to "maharaja". In 1885, Abu Bakar sought legal recognition from Britain for another change in his legal state title of "maharaja" to a regal title of "sultan", and was proclaimed the following year. In all, Abu Bakar's reign lasted for 32 years until his death in 1895.Ismail, Fauziah, He is a ‘Datuk’... but it’s not ‘Sir Shahrukh’, 14 December 2008, New Straits Times, JohorBuzz
Early years Wan Abu Bakar was born on 3 February 1833 in the Istana Temenggong at Teluk Belanga, Singapore. He was the eldest son of Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim and a patrilineal descendant of Temenggong Abdul Rahman who was in turn a descendant of Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah IV, the first Sultan of Johor's Bendahara dynasty. Abu Bakar spent his childhood years in his father's kampung in Teluk Blanga; at a young age he was tutored by local teachers on Islam and Adat (traditional Malay law),Milner, The Invention of Politics in Colonial Malaya, pg 208 before he was sent to the Teluk Blanga Malay school, a mission school run by Reverend Benjamin Peach Keasberry. Under the guidance of the missionary teachers, Abu Bakar was observed to develop the manners of an English gentleman, and the ability to speak fluent English in addition to his native Malay.Jessy, History of Malaya (1400–1959): 1400–1959, pg 225
In 1851, the Temenggong delegated Abu Bakar, then eighteen-years-old, to assist him in negotiation efforts against Sultan Ali Iskandar, who was making attempts to claim sovereignty rights over Johor.Winstedt, A History of Johore (1365–1941), pg 107 As the Temenggong aged, he gradually delegated his state administrative duties to Abu Bakar. During this period, several British officers praised of Abu Bakar's excellent diplomatic skills, as mentioned in William Napier's diaries, who was the senior law agent of Singapore. Napier had accompanied Abu Bakar to fetch Tengku Teh, the mother of the deposed Sultan of Lingga, Mahmud Muzaffar Shah, to Johor shortly after her son began to exert sovereignty claims over Pahang.Winstedt, A History of Johore (1365–1941), pg 136
The outbreak of the Pahang Civil War the following year saw Abu Bakar befriending Tun Mutahir, to whom he provided support for his war efforts. Abu Bakar married Mutahir's daughter in 1860 during a visit in Pahang, and the following year he signed a treaty of friendship, alliance and a guarantee of mutual support with Mutahir.Nadarajah, Johore and the Origins of British Control, pg 20 Meanwhile, Temenggong Ibrahim was already suffering from a prolonged period of ill health, and a bout of high fever resulted in his death on 31 January 1862.Turnbull, The Straits Settlements, 1826–67: Indian Presidency to Crown Colony, pg 286
Administration of Johor Temenggong (1862–1868)
Abu Bakar assumed office as the Temenggong of Johor within three days of his father's death and moved his residence to Tyersall. At the time of his succession, Johor was facing a political threat from the deposed sultan, Mahmud Muzaffar Shah. The Sultan was pursuing his sovereignty claims over Johor and Pahang and aimed to overthrow the Sultan of Terengganu with the backing of Siam. Mahmud Muzaffar Shah established an alliance with Tun Ahmad, half-brother and rival of the Bendahara Tun Koris. The alliance caused Abu Bakar concern that the fall of Tun Koris in Pahang would threaten his own political position in Johor. Abu Bakar signed a treaty of friendship with Tun Koris in June 1862,Tregonning, A History of Modern Malaya, pg 153 and sent a small expeditionary force to Pahang to support Tun Koris when war broke out in August 1862.Winstedt, A History of Johore (1365–1941), pg 117, 121
During the first two years of his reign, Abu Bakar expanded the Kangchu system pioneered by Daeng Ibrahim. He issued Western-style contracts (termed as Surat Sungai in Malay, literally "River Documents") to the Kapitan Cina (Chinese leaders) who had established riverside plantations along the Johor River. Letters of authority (Surat Kuasa) were issued when the first Chinese leaders began settling in Johor during the 1850s. Abu Bakar quickly established good relations with the Kapitan Cina; a Malay administrator who could speak the Teochew Min (the language spoken by most Kapitan Cina) and read Chinese was employed for these purposes.Andaya, A History of Malaysia, pg 140 He also employed the service of a Chinese contractor from Toisan, Wong Ah Fook, to oversee the construction of the Istana Besar.Lim, Wong Ah Fook: Immigrant, Builder and Entrepreneur, pg 61
Various Chinese dialect groups began to compete for commercial interests in the 1850s and 1860s. This led to communal violence. Abu Bakar and the Kapitan Cina in Johor (who were mainly migrants from Chaozhou) tried to assimilate Chinese entrepreneurs of non-Teochew origin. Abu Bakar gave official recognition and support for the Johor branch of the Ngee Ann Kongsi, which was seen as a secret society in Singapore at that time. As Johor prospered from the large revenue generated from the gambier and pepper plantations managed by the Kapitan Cina, Abu Bakar gave generous provisions to the Kapitan Cina in recognition for their contributions to Johor; among his beneficiaries was long-time family friend, Tan Hiok Nee, who was given a seat in the state council.Lim, Wong Ah Fook: Immigrant, Builder and Entrepreneur, pg 46–7 The plantations operated relatively independently of Johor's government, and Abu Bakar was worried about the possible danger to the plantations in the event of an economic crisis. Shortly after a financial crisis broke out in Singapore in 1864, Abu Bakar imposed new regulations on these plantations, as many of them were owned by Chinese businessmen from Singapore. The Kapitan Cina and the Singapore Chamber of Commerce were particularly disturbed by the new regulations, and accused Abu Bakar of attempting to impose a trade monopoly over Johor. The British government pressured Abu Bakar to retract the regulations, which he did in January 1866. In addition, the Kapitan Cina also faced considerable difficulties in securing new agreements with Abu Bakar. The crisis was only resolved in 1866 after Abu Bakar designated five new ports for the registration of cargo, and the British softened their animosity against Abu Bakar.Lim, Wong Ah Fook: Immigrant, Builder and Entrepreneur, pg 81–2
Abu Bakar's relationship with the ruler of Muar, Sultan Ali Iskandar was strained. Soon after Abu Bakar succeeded his father, he sent a letter to Ali Iskandar asserting Johor's sovereignty over Segamat, which Ali Iskandar had hoped to exert political influence over.Winstedt, A History of Johore (1365–1941), pg 129 In addition, Ali Iskandar, who had borrowed a large sum from an Indian moneylender in 1860, became a source of irritation for Abu Bakar. Facing difficulties in repaying his debt, Ali Iskandar asked Abu Bakar to pay Ali's monthly pension to the moneylender; but he alternated asking for payment to himself and to the moneylender. In 1866, when the moneylender lodged a complaint with the British government, Ali Iskandar tried to borrow from Abu Bakar to repay his outstanding debts. As a result of these constant irritations, Abu Bakar persuaded the Straits Governor to sign an agreement to terminate Ali Iskandar's pension.Winstedt, A History of Johore (1365–1941), pg 132
Abu Bakar made revisions to Johor's Islamic code in 1863, after the Sultan of Terengganu revised his state's Islamic judicial system to be more closely aligned with Sharia law. In a letter to the Straits Governor, Abu Bakar expressed hope that his revisions would suit more comfortably with European ideas.Andaya, A History of Malaysia, pg 154 He founded an English school in Tanjung Puteri in 1864. Two years later, Abu Bakar moved the administrative headquarters to Tanjung Puteri, and officially renamed it as Johor Bahru.Winstedt, A History of Johore (1365–1941), pg 145 A new administration was set up, which was modelled after European styles and certain elements of traditional Malay government. He recruited some of his close relatives and his classmates from the Teluk Blanga Malay school into the bureaucracy, and also set up an advisory council which included two Chinese leaders. In the early 1870s, Straits Governor Sir Harry Ord said of Abu Bakar (who became a Maharaja in 1868) that he was the "only Raja in the whole peninsula or adjoining states who rules in accordance with the practice of civilized nations."Andaya, A History of Malaysia, pg 152
Maharaja (1868–1885)
During a state visit to England in 1866, Abu Bakar was commonly addressed as the "Maharaja" of Johor and led him to realise that the Malay title of temenggong poorly known in the Western world. He contemplated changing his title, which led him to send his cousin, Ungku Haji Muhammad and the Dato Bentara, Dato Jaafar to meet the Bugis historian, Raja Ali Haji who was residing in Riau. Raja Ali supported Abu Bakar's cause, after they did a cross examination and concluded that the past office holders had wielded actual control over the affairs of Johor, rather than the sultans of the Bendahara dynasty. In addition, questions pertaining to Abu Bakar's pursuits to clamour for recognition were also sidelined as he was able to trace his ancestry to the first sultan of the Bendahara dynasty, Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah IV by his patrilineal ancestors. The Sultan of Lingga, gave his approval for a formal recognition of Abu Bakar as the Maharaja of Johor, after Ungku Haji and Dato Jaafar travelled to Lingga and presented their claims. Abu Bakar also secured approval from the Governor of the Straits Settlements for his change in title, and was officially proclaimed as the Maharaja of Johor on 30 June 1868.Winstedt, A History of Johore (1365–1941), pg 124–5