The Hang Tuah, an Applied Administrative Figure in The History of the Indonesian Archipelago

Abstract

This study aims to interpret the role of Hang Tuah as a maritime administrator who applied a practical administrative system within the governance structure of the fifteenth-century Malacca Sultanate. Using an applied anthropological approach, the study examines Hang Tuah’s behavior, values, and administrative practices within the socio-cultural context of the Malay maritime world. Data were collected through historical literature analysis of classical manuscripts such as Sulalatus Salatin and The Malacca Maritime Code, combined with interpretative analysis of Hang Tuah’s administrative conduct in royal governance. The results reveal that Hang Tuah was not only a naval commander but also an administrative reformer who institutionalized meritocracy, bureaucratic discipline, and maritime economic redistribution based on justice. These findings indicate that the Malacca Sultanate had developed a governance system adaptive to cross-cultural trade dynamics. In conclusion, Hang Tuah emerges as a figure of applied administration who bridges Malay ethical leadership values with modern principles of public administration. The implication of this study suggests the need to reinterpret historical Nusantara figures through the lens of contemporary administrative science to enrich models of maritime governance in Southeast Asia.