Pengendalian Perdagangan di Pelabuhan Melaka

Nakhoda kapal asing yang tiba di Melaka melaporkan ketibaan mereka kepada Syahbandar.Melalui Syahbandar,perkenan Sultan diperolehi.Bingkisan hadiah tertentu dipersembahkan.Kebenaran berniaga,kemudahan berlabuh dan peruntukan gudang penyimpanan barang diperolehi.Kapal-kapal besar misalnya dari Coromandel yang muatannya 12 hingga 15 ribu cruzados dikenakan  6% cukai nilai keseluruhan barangan.Sebuah jawatankuasa tertentu dibentuk bagi menilai dan menentukan jumlah cukai.Ia bertujuan menjamin kepentingan pihak Melaka dan kebajikan pedagang.Sekumpulan saudagar Melaka berunding harga barang dengan nakhoda atau wakilnya sebelum dagangan itu diagih dan dipasarkan di pelabuhan,pasar,gerai atau sejumlah warung yang disediakan sepanjang jambatan yang merentasi Sungai Melaka.

Jangkamasa paling sibuk berurus niaga di Melaka  ialah antara Disember dan Mac iaitu masa ketibaan kapal-kapal dari Asia Barat dan Asia Timur,Jong,tongkang,kapal dari Jawa serta kepulauan rempah berniaga sekitar bulan Mei hingga September.Angkatan laut di bawah Laksamanan dianggotai oleh penduduk tempatan dan orang laut mengawasi perairan Melaka.Pemerintah Melaka mempunyai kuasa mutlak menggubal dan melaksanakan sisitem perdagangan Melaka.Ribuan saudagar Arab,Parsi,Gujerat dan lain-lain berkunjung ke Melaka.Sejumlah 84 bahasa dipertuturkan di sini.

Replika Aktiviti Perdagangan di Pelabuhan Melaka

The Management of Trade in Melaka Port

Foreign sea captains arriving in Melaka would report to the Harbour Master (Syahbandar)and thought him,consent of the Sultan was procured.Subsequently,gifts were presented and trading rights,docking facilities and warehouse provisions were accorded.A 6% ad valorem tax was imposed on larger ships originating from the Coromandel,with tonnage between 12 and 15 thousand cruzados.A special committee was appointed to assessand determine amount of taxes to be levied.It was aimed to safeguard the interest of Melaka as well as the welfare of the traders.A group of Melaka merchants would negotiate the price of the goods with the sea captains or their representatives.The goods were then distributed and marketed at the port,bazaar stalls or booths set up on the bridge across the Melaka River.

The busiest period of trading in Melaka was between the months of December and March when ships from West and East Asia arrived.Junks,boats and ships from Java and the Spice Islands conducted their trading during the months from May to September.The navy,comprising the natives and the Orang Laut,under the command of the Admiral patrol the waters.The Melaka ruler had absolute power to decide on matters pertaining to the trading system.Thousands of Arabs,Persians,Gujeratis,and others traded here and a total of 84 languages were spoken in Melaka.