Sejarah

The History of Selama, Perak

30 Dec 2016 · 2 min read · 33 ·By Sakirin Haji Muhamed

Selama, formerly known as Kampung Selamat, was founded by an office boy to Long Jaafar. Let's read its story.

Larut, Matang, and Selama, Perak is a district located in the northern part of the state of Perak. This district borders the Kerian District to the northwest, Kuala Kangsar District to the east, Manjung District to the south, and Hulu Perak District to the northeast.

The Straits of Malacca lies to the west and the state of Kedah to the north. The district's administrative center is located in the town of Taiping, which is among the earliest towns in Malaysia. The district comprises 3 sub-districts, namely Larut in the center and south, Matang in the west, and Selama in the north, covering an area of 151,104.03 hectares (170 square kilometers). This article will share a little bit about the history of how Selama, Perak came to be.

Introduction to Selama, Perak

Selama, Perak is located within the Larut Parliamentary constituency. Kampung Selama, or formerly called Kampung Selamat, was founded by Encik Abdul Karim bin Raja Aman Shah on January 22, 1870, corresponding to 14 Muharram 1290 Hijrah. Before that, Mr. Abdul Karim worked as an office boy under the Orang Kaya Menteri of Larut, Long Jaafar.

He was later promoted to clerk. In 1858, Ngah Ibrahim succeeded his father as the Orang Kaya Menteri of Larut. Encik Abdul Karim, who continued to work with Ngah Ibrahim, later requested his blessing to open a village in northern Larut. His request was granted by Ngah Ibrahim.

Old Settlements in Selama, Perak

Before the arrival of Encik Abdul Karim, a village already existed near the river about 10km from Pekan Selama, known as Kampung Sungai Bayor. This village was inhabited by Malays of Pattani descent and was founded by the family of Tok Mat Sheik.

Encik Abdul Karim's entourage traveled upstream by sampan along the Kerian River and stopped at a place called Tanjong Medan (now known as Kampung Medan). Later, they moved to Kampung Selamat, located between Jalan Sir Chulan and Kampung Gudang, and the village was subsequently renamed Kampung Selama.

Discovery of Tin Ore in Selama, Perak

When tin ore was discovered (behind the current Selama District Office), Encik Abdul Karim invited people of Rawa descent from Sumatra and the Chinese community to come to Selama to develop the tin mining industry.

Encik Abdul Karim once established a security guard force to protect the safety of his workers and tin mining operations. The ore was extracted using panning and gravel pump methods. The ore was processed into ingots and marketed to Nibong Tebal using sampans.

Handing Over Kampung Selama to the British

When tin production declined, Encik Abdul Karim handed over Kampung Selama to the British in 1888. It was under British rule that Selama continued to develop and progress.

Encik Abdul Karim was also appointed as a member of the State Council under the reign of Raja Yusuf. Encik Abdul Karim passed away in 1890 and was buried next to the Old Mosque on Jalan Sri Chulan, Selama, Perak.

Conclusion

If anyone knows more about the history of Selama, Perak, please share it so that history is not lost to time and future generations will know about the history of Selama, Perak.