Datu Patinggi Ali

Datu Patinggi Abang Ali bin Abang Amir (commonly known as Datu Patinggi Ali He played an important role in the 1830s uprising against Bruneian authority. In an endeavor to oppose Brunei's attempts to subjugate Sarawak through local leaders, he was described by contemporaries as a determined and courageous leader. After the Sarawak dispute ended, Brooke appointed Ali as his aide-de-camp. A prince of the Royal House of Minangkabau, Datu Undi (also called Raja Jarom) moved to Borneo with his people and settled near the Sarawak River. Raja Jarom had seven children, and the oldest daughter married a Javanese royal prince. Malays claim that Ali was descended directly from them.

Antimony ore was discovered in Siniawan and Jambusan in 1823. The Bruneian sultan had appointed Ali as the governor of Sarawak in the 1820s. The Chinese mined antimony ore in Siniawan, while the Malays who resided in the Tonga Tanah used Bidayuh laborers. However, as soon as Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II Brunei realized that antimony ore and gold had been discovered in the Bau area, the Sultan named Pengiran Indera Mahkota as the new Governor of Sarawak in 1827, replacing Datu Patinggi Ali, allowing Brunei to take control of the antimony mines and commerce. The administrative center of Sarawak was relocated by Pengiran Indera Mahkota in 1826 from Lidah Tanah to Santubong and subsequently to Kuching. It is said that he moved the administrative center to Kuching using the fear of pirates as justification. However, a deliberate measure was taken to lessen Ali's influence and authority. The full control of the mining activities and antimony trade in Bau was made feasible by Pengiran Indera Mahkota when they seized power from Ali to govern Sarawak.

Mullen, a supporter of Ali, said that Bidayuh and Malays were made to work long hours in the antimony mine. Before Pengiran Indera Mahkota arrived, he had been in charge of them for a considerable time. When he saw the misery of his followers—who were compelled to labor at Pengiran Indera Mahkota's antimony mine—he was reportedly angered. The insistence of Pengiran Indera Mahkota that his followers pay extremely high taxes infuriated Ali even more. Additionally, because Pengiran Indera Mahkota controlled all commercial activity, they could not trade as freely as before. Additionally, there was material indicating that the Kalimantan Dutch had prepared to assist the people of the Bau area in defeating the Pengiran Indera Mahkota. Pengiran Muda Hashim understood how tough it would be to overcome Ali's troops. James Brooke, an English traveler in Kuching at the time, was approached for assistance. Brooke and a few other Royalist crew members sailed up the Sarawak River to Siniawan in 1840. The ship was outfitted with contemporary weaponry. There were several conflicts and occasionally discussions with Ali. At last, Brooke was said to have defeated Ali's army at the Lidah Tanah citadel with 600 part-time troops who were Iban, Malay, and Chinese. he restored Ali to his position as the chief of the Sarawak Malays. He worked for the government as a well-known warrior for James Brooke from 1841 until 1844. Additionally, Ali assisted Brooke in prosecuting Saribas and Skrang inhabitants who were thought to have committed pelation. He fought in an 1844 excursion to the upper Batang Lupar River with volunteers. along with 30 of his comrades, in an ambush by troops lead by Rentap.

Additionally, some other names belong to Kuching local authorities who are descended from the Datu Patinggi Ali dynasty. The title of Datu Imam is held by a number of his children as well as other brothers including Abdul Karim and Muhammad Taim.

Legacy Situated in the seas of the Malaysian Economic Zone, Betting Patinggi Ali (Patinggi Ali Shoal) is located from the Miri shoreline, precisely in Tanjung Baram, Sarawak.

A road in Kuching is named in honour of him, Jalan Patinggi Ali.