| Dr Muhammad Hadi bin Muhammad Melayong, Senior Special Duties Officer, Secretariat Office, MIB Supreme Council |

WOULD you be able to name the first Brunei Menteri Besar post-Brunei Constitution 1959 proclamation, without Google or Wikipedia? Unless you have a significant interest in Brunei history or it was your major in university, then obviously you would not know or remember that particular historical event which shows the need to spread Brunei’s history knowledge to the people.

This was the question asked by the author to the participants of Program Bicara Sejarah’s seminar held by the Brunei History Centre and Brunei History Association (PESEBAR).

The lack of knowledge on Brunei’s history strongly suggests that the education sector could make improvement to make history learning much more interactive and possibly an interesting experience.

Given that we live in the present, we tend to be concerned more about the future. The more we plan and worry of the future, the more we tend to forget our past.

While the country should focus on the future development of the country and be ready to face the next industrial revolution, we ought to not forget our history that holds our roots, culture and heritages either.

Fortunately, Brunei History is one of the subjects taught in education institutions. Unfortunately, it gets harder to justify the importance of history, thus people become less drawn to the subject and starts questioning the purpose of studying history.

There are histories that define beauty, demonstrated through our tradition and cultural heritage. It may be a monument like Istana Darussalam, a royal palace with minimalist design, a place such as Tasek Merimbun, or a showcase of our Malay culture.

History also helps us understand the people and their lives, the laws and the policies they abided to, the growth and declination of the country as well as the growth of Islam, all which has shaped the nation to where she is now today.

Understanding our past helps us understand how and why we got here in the present, and it allows us to learn from our past to improve our future, Insya Allah.

In line with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s titah where the people of Brunei should know and learn the history of the country and the history of Islam, we believe that Brunei History and religious education are to be taught in every education institution along with other important subjects with hope that it can nurture our younger generations who will drive and secure a future for Brunei, a country that strives on Malay Islamic Monarchy.

Program Bicara Sejarah was organised to commemorate the declaration of Brunei State Constitution on September 29, 1959, called the ‘Brunei Constitution 1959’.

Representing the MIB Office, the author was invited to present Perlembagaan Negeri Brunei 1959: Asas Revival Negara Melayu Islam Beraja, along with Associate Professor Dr Hasbol bin Haji Mail who presented JawatanKuasa Tujuh Serangkai that highlighted the initial proposal for the Brunei Constitution 1959.

The author illustrated the negotiation stages taken by Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien from the initial proposal in 1953 until its completion in 1959.

The stages began with the drafting on a constitution in 1953, and eventually a discussion of the proposed constitution took place with the British Government in the Colonial Office in London namely, Sir Alan Lennox-Boyd. The proposal was accepted by both parties and the constitution was finally signed in Bandar Seri Begawan between Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien and Sir Robert Scott on September 29, 1959.

It was a known fact that Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien wanted the declaration of 1959 to be executed specifically on September 29, 1959. But questions remain unanswered on the significance of the date chosen by Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien.

What we do know is that, Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien strongly believed that the proclamation must be executed on that date. It’s also a fact that the Brunei State Constitution 1959 is the highest written law of Brunei Darussalam that will be a foundation in the implementation and development of the national administration policy.

This event was a vital turning point for Brunei as she starts leaning closer towards her independence and a sovereign held by her MIB philosophy. And on January 1, 1984, witnessed by his royal subjects, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam declared Brunei as an independent country.

While the philosophy of living as an MIB nation has existed for 651 years, it was during the Brunei Constitution 1959 proclamation that MIB was officially acknowledged to be Brunei’s national philosophy.

Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien was extremely upset with the extended time taken to process the constitution draft as it stretched over five years to complete; from his announcement that was made in May 1952, to the eventual signing of the Constitution on September 29, 1959.

Factually, the process faced obstacles and challenges from both domestic and foreign parties.

Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien set an ultimatum and set the date September 29, 1959 as a “crash” deadline to ensure the constitution was completed on time. This ultimatum gave him the confidence to fulfil his promise to reform the governmental system in Brunei, although his move was strongly discouraged by the British official as they believed Brunei was still an infant and needed more time to develop.

According to historical records from Washington DC’s National Archives, the date and time for Brunei 1959 Declaration was exclusively and strictly decided by Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien. On October 7, Robert Ballantyne, who was then the Second Secretary of the United States (US) Embassy based in Singapore stated the following:

The constitution itself underwent a good deal of amendment in the last weeks and days before Constitution Day, according to the Brunei Desk Officer, who explained that he was unable to furnish the Embassy with an up-to-date version of the Constitution at this time. He said the promulgation of the constitution had been on a “crash” basis as the Sultan had decided that September 29 was an especially propitious day for Brunei and accordingly done all out to meet the Sultan’s wishes that the constitution be launched on that date.

Few factors that affected the extended amount of time to complete the draft was due to the process, discussion and meeting on the constitution was held in different places, and in certain occasion, different countries, such as the Lapau Lama Building, Istana Darul Hana, Colonial Office (London), Singapore as well as Federation of Malaya.

The preliminary idea for Writing Constitution came about on Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien return trip from London in 1952. This proposal was discussed at the Lapau Lama Building with Sarawak Governor, Sir Anthony Abell (High Commissioner for Brunei) including the British Resident in Brunei.

However, the initial meeting with State Council concluded without favourable results. In July 1953, Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien formed a seven member committee named the Jawatan Tujuh Serangkai, who became Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien’s ears and eyes with his subjects and their task was to get the people’s opinion on the constitution. The people of Brunei generally supported this reform plan to further enhance the involvement of the people in the field of administration and development of the country.

However, British officials in Brunei and London were unable to commit to Brunei’s proposal at its current state. This can be demonstrated based on the minutes of meetings held in London in 1957.

However, the British had to accept the proposal from his government in view of the urgency of the people of Brunei especially the pressure came from the leftist party of the People’s Party of Brunei who wanted political development taking place through the introduction of a full-fledged democracy system. This led to Sir Anthony Abell suggesting that this matter to be brought to the Colonial Office, in London.

For their first meeting in London, Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien, together with his delegates departed on March 14, 1957. He stated to his subjects their intention to London is to negotiate the political future of Brunei Darussalam, where he wishes to empower and give the opportunity to the local people to administer their own country’s affair. Unfortunately, they came home with little success.

However, it did not stop them from pursuing and attempted their second mission in September 1957 and Alhamdulillah, the outcome of the meeting was favourable to Brunei.

Throughout the ordeal from 1957 until 1959, Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien was consistently calm and patient facing the challenges. His action is reflected on a Malay proverb “biar lambat asalkan selamat” translated as “it does not matter how long it takes you to get there, as long as you get there safely”.

There was a great deal of challenges faced by Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien’s Government for this constitution. As we know that Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien’s intention and ambition to introduce the Written Constitution of Brunei, an abstract of the text in Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien’s titah (however, this titah was not included in Titah 1959-1967 book published by Language and Literature Bureau).

This statement (titah of Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien) was obtained from Dato Paduka Haji Marsal bin Maun (former Menteri Besar of Brunei) during his interview with the author at his home in Jalan Tutong in the late 1990s.

The Brunei Constitution of 1959 not only represents the declaration of independence. It represents the foundation of an independent Malay Islamic Monarchial state, the beginning of sovereign land blessed by Allah the Al-mighty, led by an Islamic leader, a Sultan who cares for his subject and at the same time is loved by his patriotic subjects. It also represents the hardship, the struggle and the victory won by Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien and His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam who led his country towards independence.

And only from our history, that one would know who their leaders were, their sacrifices, their visions and the legacy they have left for us and our future generation to carry forward.

Now that we know our root and ancestors, we can be proud to be the descendants of Pahlawan Brunei.

And to address the first question in this article, the first Menteri Besar of Brunei was Pehin Datu Perdana Menteri Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Ibrahim bin Mohammad Jaafar.