Andrew Sia
Published: Oct 27, 2024 10:09 AM
COMMENT | A PAS MP recently proposed to rename the South China Sea as Laut Melayu or the Malay Sea.
Is this the party’s latest quest to prove they are “defending” Malay rights by going against the name of the sea washing the shores of Tumpat, Kelantan? Maybe this is why its MP, Mumtaz Md Nawi, suggested the name change.
But there is one big problem - it’s not historically accurate. The centre of the Malay world was at Srivijaya (south Sumatra), starting in the 7th century.
Then Malacca inherited this mantle, controlling both sides of the Straits of Malacca. That is a de facto “Malay Sea” that has already been commemorated.
But can the South China Sea be called a Malay lake? Sabah and Sarawak were, and arguably still are, peripheral to the Malay world. A fairer name may be the Malay-Dayak Sea, after the collective name of the Borneo natives.
Countering foreign claims
Mumtaz had another suggestion to rename the South China Sea (from here on, I’ll call it SCS, but please don’t confuse it with that butter brand that has a star logo!). And that is to call it Laut Asia Tenggara or the Southeast Asian Sea.
Published: Oct 27, 2024 10:09 AM
COMMENT | A PAS MP recently proposed to rename the South China Sea as Laut Melayu or the Malay Sea.
Is this the party’s latest quest to prove they are “defending” Malay rights by going against the name of the sea washing the shores of Tumpat, Kelantan? Maybe this is why its MP, Mumtaz Md Nawi, suggested the name change.
But there is one big problem - it’s not historically accurate. The centre of the Malay world was at Srivijaya (south Sumatra), starting in the 7th century.
Then Malacca inherited this mantle, controlling both sides of the Straits of Malacca. That is a de facto “Malay Sea” that has already been commemorated.
But can the South China Sea be called a Malay lake? Sabah and Sarawak were, and arguably still are, peripheral to the Malay world. A fairer name may be the Malay-Dayak Sea, after the collective name of the Borneo natives.
Countering foreign claims
Mumtaz had another suggestion to rename the South China Sea (from here on, I’ll call it SCS, but please don’t confuse it with that butter brand that has a star logo!). And that is to call it Laut Asia Tenggara or the Southeast Asian Sea.
Tumpat MP Mumtaz Md Nawi
The MP does have a point. Other countries have renamed parts of the SCS (within 370km of their shores, the legal limit of a maritime Exclusive Economic Zone) to reflect their territorial claims.
Vietnam calls their portion Biển Đông or the East Sea. On the other side of the SCS, Manila began calling it the West Philippine Sea in March 2011.
Before that, the Tagalog name for it was Dagat Timog Tsina, which means, yes, the South China Sea. The current Malay name, Laut Cina Selatan, has the same meaning.
While the SCS is only on one side, east or west, of Vietnam and the Philippines, respectively, Malaysia has a great advantage - we straddle both sides of the SCS.
Thus, the logical name for that loving embrace should be - the Malaysian Sea or Laut Malaysia. Or how about the Malaya-Borneo Sea?
Going to extremes
This can be taken to extremes. Why not rename all bodies of water touching our shores?
For example, the waves off Sandakan, Sabah, should no longer be called the Sulu Sea. That name reflects the Sulu Sultanate, which ruled from islands southwest of Mindanao, upon which the Philippines claimed Sabah as its own.
The MP does have a point. Other countries have renamed parts of the SCS (within 370km of their shores, the legal limit of a maritime Exclusive Economic Zone) to reflect their territorial claims.
Vietnam calls their portion Biển Đông or the East Sea. On the other side of the SCS, Manila began calling it the West Philippine Sea in March 2011.
Before that, the Tagalog name for it was Dagat Timog Tsina, which means, yes, the South China Sea. The current Malay name, Laut Cina Selatan, has the same meaning.
While the SCS is only on one side, east or west, of Vietnam and the Philippines, respectively, Malaysia has a great advantage - we straddle both sides of the SCS.
Thus, the logical name for that loving embrace should be - the Malaysian Sea or Laut Malaysia. Or how about the Malaya-Borneo Sea?
Going to extremes
This can be taken to extremes. Why not rename all bodies of water touching our shores?
For example, the waves off Sandakan, Sabah, should no longer be called the Sulu Sea. That name reflects the Sulu Sultanate, which ruled from islands southwest of Mindanao, upon which the Philippines claimed Sabah as its own.
A Bajau Laut village in Semporna, Sabah
So, going by Mumtaz’s logic, we should definitely rename it, perhaps the East Sabah Sea or the Sandakan Sea.
Similarly, the waters off Semporna and Lahad Datu are called the Celebes Sea or Last Sulawesi. But why should we acknowledge an Indonesian island?
Why not instead call it the South Sabah Sea or, better still, the Semporna Sea, after the town that is the home base of traditional Bajau Laut seafarers? It also sounds like “sempurna”, the Malay word for perfect.
Disputed waters
The SCS and the Spratly Islands and reefs within it are now global news because of China’s claims to almost the entire area.
However, China was actually late in physically planting its flag there. According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, France and then Japan first controlled this strategic area.
After World War 2, Taiwan set up a garrison on the largest Spratly island called Itu Aba, which remains there today, though the media hardly mentions it.
In the 1970s, US ally South Vietnam occupied three of the Spratly Islands. Then, another American ally, the Philippines, moved forces onto seven of the remaining islets and built an airstrip (1976) on Pagasa Island.
The next country to stake a claim on the Spratlys was Malaysia, when we set up a small naval base on Turumbu Layang-Layang or Swallow Reef in the early 1980s. A dive resort was later added.
All this while, China was too busy being engulfed in the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and then reforming its economy.
Although China bases its claim on ancient maritime history, its physical presence in the SCS and Spratly Islands was the last among the claimants.
According to the Britannica, China first established a small presence in 1988, when its military forcibly removed a Vietnamese garrison from Johnson South Reef. This was followed by Mischief Reef in 1994.
However, it was only in early 2014 that China began massively building up artificial land on many reefs and atolls.
‘Game of Names’
The Game of Names carries symbolic weight when it comes to claims. I speak as someone who played a small part in this global geopolitical chessboard by going diving at Layang-Layang over 20 years ago.
Yes, I’d like to think my wet footsteps and frothy scuba bubbles helped our country stake a claim here!
But even the name is disputed. Vietnam calls Layang-Layang Đá Hoa Lau; in Mandarin Chinese, it’s called Yànzi Dǎo (Swallow Island), while the Filipinos refer to it as Bahura ng Celerio (Celerio Reef).
Similarly, even the Spratly Islands are known by different names. The Filipinos refer to them as Pangkat Islang Kalayaan, while the Vietnamese label them Quan Dao Truong Sa.
In Chinese, well, it depends on whether it’s China’s claim (Nansha Qundao) or Taiwan’s (Nan-sha Ch’un-tao).
So shall we call the SCS the “Malay Sea”? No, it’s historically inaccurate. How about the “Malaysian Sea”? I feel this may be unnecessarily provocative for a small nation with limited military power.
Can we enforce our claims when the building of just six littoral combat ships has been engulfed in years of controversy?
So, going by Mumtaz’s logic, we should definitely rename it, perhaps the East Sabah Sea or the Sandakan Sea.
Similarly, the waters off Semporna and Lahad Datu are called the Celebes Sea or Last Sulawesi. But why should we acknowledge an Indonesian island?
Why not instead call it the South Sabah Sea or, better still, the Semporna Sea, after the town that is the home base of traditional Bajau Laut seafarers? It also sounds like “sempurna”, the Malay word for perfect.
Disputed waters
The SCS and the Spratly Islands and reefs within it are now global news because of China’s claims to almost the entire area.
However, China was actually late in physically planting its flag there. According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, France and then Japan first controlled this strategic area.
After World War 2, Taiwan set up a garrison on the largest Spratly island called Itu Aba, which remains there today, though the media hardly mentions it.
In the 1970s, US ally South Vietnam occupied three of the Spratly Islands. Then, another American ally, the Philippines, moved forces onto seven of the remaining islets and built an airstrip (1976) on Pagasa Island.
The next country to stake a claim on the Spratlys was Malaysia, when we set up a small naval base on Turumbu Layang-Layang or Swallow Reef in the early 1980s. A dive resort was later added.
All this while, China was too busy being engulfed in the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and then reforming its economy.
Although China bases its claim on ancient maritime history, its physical presence in the SCS and Spratly Islands was the last among the claimants.
According to the Britannica, China first established a small presence in 1988, when its military forcibly removed a Vietnamese garrison from Johnson South Reef. This was followed by Mischief Reef in 1994.
However, it was only in early 2014 that China began massively building up artificial land on many reefs and atolls.
‘Game of Names’
The Game of Names carries symbolic weight when it comes to claims. I speak as someone who played a small part in this global geopolitical chessboard by going diving at Layang-Layang over 20 years ago.
Yes, I’d like to think my wet footsteps and frothy scuba bubbles helped our country stake a claim here!
But even the name is disputed. Vietnam calls Layang-Layang Đá Hoa Lau; in Mandarin Chinese, it’s called Yànzi Dǎo (Swallow Island), while the Filipinos refer to it as Bahura ng Celerio (Celerio Reef).
Similarly, even the Spratly Islands are known by different names. The Filipinos refer to them as Pangkat Islang Kalayaan, while the Vietnamese label them Quan Dao Truong Sa.
In Chinese, well, it depends on whether it’s China’s claim (Nansha Qundao) or Taiwan’s (Nan-sha Ch’un-tao).
So shall we call the SCS the “Malay Sea”? No, it’s historically inaccurate. How about the “Malaysian Sea”? I feel this may be unnecessarily provocative for a small nation with limited military power.
Can we enforce our claims when the building of just six littoral combat ships has been engulfed in years of controversy?
PAC members inspecting the troubled LCS project at the Lumut dockyard on June 10, 2023
Unlike the Philippines, we don’t have a superpower backing us. And unlike Vietnam, we have never defeated a superpower.
But Mumtaz’s other proposal to rename the SCS as Laut Asia Tenggara is far more amicable since four of the claimants - Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei - are all members of Asean. Hopefully, they too will agree to this neutral name.
Our corner of Asia has been defined by the maritime intercourse of people, trade, and ideas, both within the region and beyond.
The role of a historical entrepot or hub that connected us to China, India, the Middle East, and Europe began at Srivijaya and Malacca. It continued with Johor Lama, Acheh, Ayutthaya, and now Singapore.
Despite the central role of marine routes in our history, why don’t we have waters to call our own? Heck, even Petaling Jaya has two housing areas named after Southeast Asia, namely Sea Park and Taman SEA!
So in conclusion, it’s really about time that Southeast Asia has its own sea.
Unlike the Philippines, we don’t have a superpower backing us. And unlike Vietnam, we have never defeated a superpower.
But Mumtaz’s other proposal to rename the SCS as Laut Asia Tenggara is far more amicable since four of the claimants - Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei - are all members of Asean. Hopefully, they too will agree to this neutral name.
Our corner of Asia has been defined by the maritime intercourse of people, trade, and ideas, both within the region and beyond.
The role of a historical entrepot or hub that connected us to China, India, the Middle East, and Europe began at Srivijaya and Malacca. It continued with Johor Lama, Acheh, Ayutthaya, and now Singapore.
Despite the central role of marine routes in our history, why don’t we have waters to call our own? Heck, even Petaling Jaya has two housing areas named after Southeast Asia, namely Sea Park and Taman SEA!
So in conclusion, it’s really about time that Southeast Asia has its own sea.
ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com
The Arabian Sea does not belong to Arabs - only so far as legitimate territorial seas and EEZ under international law;
ReplyDeletethe Gulf of Mexico does not belong to Mexico - only so far as legitimate territorial seas and EEZ under international law .
So, what's yr mfering definition of legitimate territorial seas and EEZ under international law?
DeleteBased on that f*cked demoNcratic international rules based order as skewed with western dominance!