Maybe you are curious about the history of this small, historic island in the Batam island area. Why is it called “Belakang Padang”? Does it have anything to do with the Minang Tribe and Padang City? and why is there the nickname ‘Pulau Penawar Rindu’?
There is not much historical literature that touches directly on the origin of the island of Belakang Padang, a small island in the north of Batam Island which is directly adjacent to Singapore. Historical sources mostly come from hereditary stories and local myths.
The inhabitants of the island of Belakang Padang are very heterogeneous. Most of them are immigrants from various regions in Indonesia which are dominated by the Malays, Javanese and Chinese ethnic groups who are spread across five villages. These sub-districts are Sekanak Raya Village, Tanjung Sari Village, Terong Island Village, Pemping Village, Kasu Village, and Pecong Village.
Belakang Padang Was The Center Of Batam Island
In order to know the history of the Belakang Padang island, it is also good to know the history of Batam Island first.
Batam Island, formerly known as ‘Batang Island’, is a small island that is only inhabited by fishermen on its coast. These fishermen were Malay people who at that time were better known as ‘Orang Selat’ or Orang Laut.
Apart from being on the island of Batam, these strait people are also scattered in several other islands such as Bulan Island, Bintan Island, to small islands around it. It is estimated that they are the original Batam tribe who have a Malay race. These strait people inhabited the islands of the Malacca Strait, including Batam for the first time in 231 AD
It should be noted that historically Belakang Padang District was the capital of Batam District when it was still under the Riau Islands Regency Administration (Assistant Wedana). Based on Government Regulation Number 34 of 1983 dated December 24, 1983 the District area is divided into three sub-districts, namely: West Batam District, East Batam District and Belakang Padang District itself.
This shows that before 1983, Belakang Padang District was the center of Batam Island. In addition, the location of old cities in Batam is also centered in the northern area of Batam Island. Thus, it is highly probable that if we say ‘strait people’ in a historical context, it refers to the people who occupied small islands north of Batam such as Belakang Padang Island.
Pirate Island
In the past, the name of the Belakang Padang Pirates was a frightening threat to ships passing through the Philip Strait and Singapore Strait every day.
Throughout 1991, there were 185 cases of piracy that occurred in the waters of the Riau Police. Then from 1992 to May 63 cases were recorded. Various foreign mass media have published news about this piracy case, and this will certainly create a bad image for Singapore and Indonesia.
The location Belakang Padang, which is near the Singapore Strait, the Philip Strait and the Malacca Strait, is likely to have been a pirate den since time immemorial.
According to historical records, the Strait of Malacca has been a busy trade route for a long time. The density of the strait as a trade route made it vulnerable to pirate piracy because most ships sailing through the Strait of Malacca carried trade goods which were of great value.
According to historical records from China in the 14th century, a traveler named Wang Dayuan in his book Daoyi Zhilue described the existence of pirates from Long Ya Men (Tumasek / Singapore) and Lambri (Areas in the part of North Sumatra) attacking Chinese merchant ships with their fleets that reached three hundred small boats.
The peak of ship hijacking was in the 18th to 19th centuries as written in the book The Scents of Eden: A Narrative of The Spice Trade. In that century spices became the most expensive commodity apart from whale oil. The Strait of Malacca is a very busy spice route and makes it prone to piracy.
The Dutch who controlled Indonesia and England, who at that time controlled Malay and Singapore, made an agreement to eradicate pirates in their respective colonies. This has triggered the creation of the Malaysian and Indonesian borders which are in effect today.
By looking at the location of the Padang Island, which is right in front of the Singapore Strait and at the southern end of the Malacca Strait. It is very likely that this island was once a pirate hideout due to its strategic location in the form of small islands that made it easier for pirates to anchor their ships.
The Origin of Padang’s Last Name
It turns out that Belakang Padang has nothing to do with the city of Padang and the Minang tribe in West Sumatra. According to local residents who have been told from generation to generation, the origin of the last name Padang can be traced back to the Dutch colonial era.
In 1897 the Dutch established an oil base on the island of Sambu, an island located just east of the island, Belakang Padang. Sambu Island as a producer of petroleum makes it an important island for the Netherlands.
This petroleum base has become a magnet for many people to come to earn a fortune on the island of Sambu, so that eventually Sambu island becomes a small, bustling city (now Sambu island is one of the old cities in Batam).
At that time the Dutch ordered workers, the majority of whom were indigenous to open new land on an island located behind the island of Sambu. The Netherlands wants to open and level the land on the island to make a field or a large field. Possibility to become a settlement.
So the workers went to cross the island behind the island of Sambu and leveled the land there to be made into a field so that now the island is named the island of Belakang Padang (or the field behind the island of Sambu).
Over time, the island was settled by workers at the Sambu Island oil base. It was this worker from Sambu who became the forerunner of the residents of Belakang Padang Island.
There is also another version which reveals that a long time ago, there was a Bugis named Daeng Demak. He sailed and found an uninhabited island. The island consists of flat and wide plains (fields). Because of the large amount of vacant land behind the lush trees, the island was named the island, Rear Padang Island.
Why is it named Penawar Rindu Island?
Still according to hereditary narrative from local residents, it is said that the name ‘antidote for longing’ emerged from among the pantun warriors who often came and went Belakang Padang.
Chanting is one of the favorite arts of Malay people. Whatever will be used as a poem. It can be said, for Malay people, there is no day without guidance.
Belakang Padang as an island in the middle of Batam and Temasek (Singapore), it is often a stopover for sailors. Pantun warriors make the phrase ‘Penawar Rindu (Antidote missed)’ addressed to people who have visited Rear Padang and then returned there to treat their homesickness for friends, family, or the girl they love.
The famous expression of the pantun warrior at that time was, “if you have hit the water in the background, you will definitely come again. Because this island is the island of longing antidotes (Penawar Rindu) “.
So, if you want to spend your vacation time in Batam, please also try visiting this historic island to broaden your knowledge.
Source :abesagara
