Mahsuri’s curse—globalisation and tourist development in Pulau Langkawi |
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| Authors: | Ooi Giok Ling |
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| Institution: | (1) National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore |
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| Abstract: | The legend of Mahsuri abounds in Malaysian school textbooks. Mahsuri was a beautiful and very charming village maiden who
lived in Pulau Langkawi and was wrongfully put to death in 1819 or the year 1235 hijrab. Accused of adultery by a jealous
member of the royal house, Mahsuri, who was married to the Chief Minister, was sentenced to death together with her alleged
lover, a trader from a place which is now part of Thailand in Phuket. Killed with her own family’s keris (a traditional Malay
sword), Mahsuri put a curse on Pulau Langkawi for seven generations. She swore before her death that there would be no peace
or prosperity on the island for the duration of these seven generations. Mahsuri’s family moved to another village in what
was then the territory of Thailand and finally settled in Phuket, illustrating the cultural and trading links that have existed
in this northern part of Malaysia between the southern parts of Thailand and the states of Perlis and Kedah. Mahsuri’s family
and she appear to have not been allowed to rest in peace since her premature death. Her tomb, which was enshrined by the villagers,
has been relocated several times and the exact location of its whereabouts may not be known. The tombstone itself is now housed
in a museum that has been constructed near to the site where the tomb is believed to be. A huge tourist complex called Kota
Mahsuri is being developed around the site of Mahsuri’s tomb. Pulau Langkawi may be the island paradise lost. Perhaps Mahsuri’s
curse lingers, no matter that seven generations have passed and with them the industries that integration with the global
economy has seen developed, declined and disappeared. Then again, perhaps this is indeed the curse—the quest for prosperity
in a globalizing world and its relentless exploitation of the heritage in strategic parts of Malaysia—both natural and cultural—for
the gains of a few and questionable benefits to the rest. |
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| Keywords: | Globalisation Economic integration Commodification |
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