Pandak Lam was a descendant of Daeng Salili (Haji Besar), the son of a Bugis Raja that hailed from Daerah Luwuk in Sulawesi. During the reign of Almarhum Sultan Mudzaffar Shah III, Daeng Salili came to Perak in 1743 and was appointed as a mufti and was bestowed the title Dato’ Maharaja Lela Tan Lela Putera Panchong Ta’ Bertanya.
Like Daeng Salili, Pandak Lam was also made Dato’ Maharaja Lela and had a pivotal role in the fight against British rule in Perak. Pandak Lam planned the assassination of James Wheeler Woodford Birch, the British Resident for Perak, in collaboration with the Orang Kaya-kaya Seri Agar Diraja Dato’ Sagor and Ngah Kandin. The decision for the resistance against British rule was made at a meeting chaired by Sultan Abdullah at Durian Sebatang on May 21 1875, which was also attended by other Perak chiefs, ultimately culminating in the meeting at Belanja on October 1 1875, which consented the Dato’ Maharaja Lela to proceed with the assassination .
After Birch’s assassination in Pasir Salak on November 2 1875, Dato’ Maharaja Lela Pandak Lam was pursued by the British and was arrested. He was tried in a court of law presided by Raja (later Sultan Sir Idris I) Dris which ran from December 14 to 22 1876, and was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. He was hung on January 20 1877 in Taiping, along with his collaborators, which included Dato Sagor and Ngah Ibrahim.
One view is that Birch’s assassination was because he outlawed slavery in Perak. Dato’ Maharaja Lela, whose income depended on capturing and selling the indigenes of Perak or Orang Asli as slaves, was then incensed and plotted with some of the slave-traders to kill Birch by spearing him when he was taking his bath in the river.
The more popular view among local historians indicate that Birch was assassinated because of his disrespect to the local custom and tradition, and conflict with local Malay chiefs. He (Birch) was known to be arrogant and disrespectful of even the Sultan of Perak. Some history books noted how he was despised by the Sultan. Dato’ Maharaja Lela is generally celebrated as a folk hero among Malaysians, due to his substantial contribution.
For more information regarding the role of a Dato’ Maharaja Lela in Perak, click here.