PREFACE

This catalogue of Malay, Minangkabau, and South Sumatran MSS presented here is printed from the genuine description I made with the co-operation of academics, whose names will be mentioned below. To avoid misunderstandings and misrepresentations I hereby take the opportunity to give the exact account of the history leading to its publication, which for insiders is a well-known fact. At the beginning of 1976 when I was teaching as professor of Classical Malay literature and History of Malay Culture at the National University of Malaysia, Prof. E.M. Uhlenbeck came over from Leiden as external examiner for the University of Malaya. He revealed to me that there an important project was in the pipeline, describing Malay manuscripts at the Leiden University Library for a new catalogue. If I were interested in doing the job, I should give a response within two months. Realizing that this would be an important task I soon made up my mind. After the publication of Ph.S. van Ronkel’s catalogue of Malay and Minangkabau MSS in 1921, many more Malay MSS had been acquired by the Leiden University Library during a period of more than fifty years. It crossed my mind that at that time there were two great scholars, Dr P.Voorhoeve and Prof. R. Roolvink, both former conservators of Oriental MSS at the Leiden University Library, who were better qualified for that job. But I presumed that these scholars had their own avocations. As a matter of fact, during my sabbatical leave in 1974, I had the honour to be invited to Leiden to edit the draft-catalogue of Achehnese MSS compiled by Dr Voorhoeve. During the years 1957-58, when I was writing my dissertation, I had been in charge of making abstracts of Achehnese MSS from the Damsté collection for the purpose of the above-mentioned draft-catalogue, to be published in 1994 under the title Catalogue of Acehnese Manuscripts. That was probably the reason why I was selected for the job, as the proverb says: tiada rotan, akar pun jadi. Within the aforesaid time-limit I had made up my mind and accepted the offer. My chief motivation was that I considered this project to be of the utmost importance for the Indonesian people in general and for Indonesian Studies in particular. In July 1976 I was in Leiden ready to commence my task. The catalogue project was set up in the framework of the Cultural Co-operation Indonesia/Netherlands, under the aegis of the Bureau Indonesian Studies, with consent of the University Library. Prior to my arrival in Leiden, discussions concerning this project has been held between the LUB, represented by its keeper of Oriental MSS, Drs P.S. van Koningsveld, the lnterpres Legati Warneriani Prof. G.W.J. Drewes, and its adiutor Prof. R. Roolvink. Prof. Roolvink was appointed as project supervisor. When I arrived in Leiden I received from him a box with of cards containing titles of texts in MSS to be described. This card system had been prepared during the time he was keeper of Oriental MSS at the Legatum Warnerianum. These titles were found in Malay and Minangkabau MSS already described by H.H. Juynboll and Ph.S. van Ronkel, enlarged with the titles of other MSS acquired after 1921. Furthermore Prof. Roolvink told me to find out myself whether their are other Malay MSS in the store-room which were not yet put in the cardsystem.