SOAS 3 History project.docx

7/21/2019 SOAS 3 History project.docx

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the tomb of sultan sharif ali at Kota Batu

Sutan Sharif Ali was the third sultan of Brunei. He was also known as Barkat Ali Ibnu

Sharif Ajlan Ibni Sharif Rumaithah. He was made Sultan after Sultan Ahmad died

without leaving any male descendantsand as such at the re!uest of the "eo"le of

Brunei themselves he become eligible for the throne after marrying Sultan Ahmad#s

daughter $uteri Ratna Kesuma.

Sharif Ali was a very "ious ruler and was therefore nicknamed %Sultan Berkat%

&Blessed Sultan'. He was the (rst sultan to build a mos!ue and forti(ed the defense

of Brunei by ordering his "eo"le to build a stone fortress. Sharif Ali governed Brunei

according to Islamic "rinci"les and his reign was "o"ular and highly res"ected. After

his death Sharif Ali was succeeded by his son Sulaiman.

)he royal symbol origin came from the world largest seed called %*oco +e ,er%.

Sultan Sharif Ali was the direct-descendant of ,uhammad. His grandchild was

Saidina Hassan r.a. Sultan Sharif Ali was the ancestor of the Brunei Sulu royal

families.

Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien 0 was born on 10 se"tember 2324 at Istana Kota

Kam"ong Sultan 5ama Brunei )own &now Bandar Seri Begawan'. He was the 16th

sultan of Brunei. He was installed as the 16th sultan of Brunei on 7une 24 2389

was crowned on ,ay 02 2382.

He was the seventh child of Sultan ,uhammad 7amalul Alam 1 and Raja Isteri

:atimah and the second surviving son of the cou"le with his elderly brother who

would later become Sultan Ahmad )ajuddin.

$engiran ,uda /mar Ali Saifuddien studied at the ,alay *ollege Kuala Kangsar in

$erak ,alaya from 2301 to 230;. After (nishing education in ,alaya His Highness

then came back to Brunei in 230; to work in the :oresrty +e"artment Kuala Belait

as a *adet /<cer. In 2306 he was transferred to the 7udiciary +e"artment also in

Kuala Belait in 230=.

He was conferred with the title $engiran Bendahara Seri ,aharaja $ermaisuara by

his brother Sultan Ahmad )ajuddin on 28 7uly 234=. He was subse!uently a""ointed

as a member of Brunei State *ouncil and *hairman of the Syariah *ourt.

/n the death of his brother leaving no male heirs on 4 7une 2389 he was

"roclaimed as the ne>t Sultan on the ;th 7une 2389.



In the early era of his rule Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien focused on raising Brunei#s

standard of living. His to" "riority was "roviding ade!uate education. Several

"rimary and secondary schools were built throughout the nation to ensure that all

citi?ens could attend formal schooling. A free-food scheme was introduced in rural

schools and students with distinction results were sent abroad for higher education.

In 2380 he introduced the (rst national develo"ment "lan with an allocation of

@299 million. )he "lan#s aims included "roviding basic education to all districts

im"roving communication systems raising the !uality of medical and health

services increasing agricultural "roducts as well as "roviding basic services such asroads electricity and water to all the "eo"le.

In 2381 Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien worked for the im"lementation of the Brunei

written constitution as the foundation of governance and the achievement of

inde"endence from Britain. +iscussions with the British government culminated in

the signing of the Brunei written constitution and the Brunei Agreement on 13

Se"tember 2383 at the 5a"au in Bandar Seri Begawan. Among other things the

constitution sti"ulated that ,alay and Islam are res"ectively to be the o<cial

language and the o<cial religion of Brunei. At the same time Sultan /mar Ali

Saifuddien had consented to the formation of the Brunei ,alay Regiment which was

elevated to the Royal Brunei Armed :orces after inde"endence.

After ruling for 2= years on 4 /ctober 23;= Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien willingly

abdicated in favour of his eldest son His ,ajesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.

Brunei achieved its inde"endence on 2 7anuary 2364 as "romised by Sultan /mar

Ali Saifuddien. Although he had abdicated Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien continued to

"lay an im"ortant role as a mentor to his son as the (rst Brunei +efence ,inister

until his death on = Se"tember 236;.

Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien#s reign was marked by so much "rogress that he is

known as the %Architect of ,odern Brunei%. In recognition of his contributions on/ctober 23=9 His ,ajesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah had consented to rename

Brunei )own Brunei#s ca"ital to Bandar Seri Begawan after his father#s title further

several institutions and "laces in Brunei were named after him the Sultan /mar Ali

Saifuddin ,os!ue Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien *ollege the Seri Begawan Religious

)eaching *ollege the Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien Institute of Islamic studies of

Cniversiti Brunei +arussalam the $aduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science *ollege and

the )aman Haji Sir ,uda /mar Ali Saifuddien in the ca"ital



Al-,arhum Sultan Haji /mar Ali Saifuddien SaDadul Khairi Eaddien III remembered

as the FArchitect of ,odern BruneiG was the 16th Sultan of Brunei. Al-,arhum ruled

Brunei from 2389 until he abdicated in 23;=. His great determination and dedication

which have been accorded international recognition hel"ed to build the

infrastructure society and economy of modern Brunei.

Birth

Al-,arhum was born on 10rd Se"tember 2324 in Kam"ong Sultan 5ama which was a

ward of the famous Kam"ong Ayer &Eater illage' in Brunei )own.

ducation



Al-,arhum underwent a traditional Islamic education in the "alace. It was an

informal education based on reading and memorising the Holy Juran. *lassical

literary te>ts of hikayatD and syairD es"ecially with historical and didactic themes

were also taught.

Al-,arhum /mar Ali Saifuddien received his formal education from 2301-0; in the

,alay *ollege in Kuala Kangsar ,alaya &now ,alaysia'.

arly *areer

Ehen Al-,arhum returned from his studies in ,alaya he entered the state

administrative service with the encouragement of R. . )urnbull. His (rst

a""ointment was as a cadet in the :orestry +e"artment stationed in Kuala Belait.

After a year he joined the 7udiciary as a cadet. Here he was able to learn as"ects of

the *ivil $rocedure *ode and the *riminal $rocedure *ode from the Assistant

Resident Hughes Hallet. )he young "rince also attended court "roceedings to

ac!uire a "ractical knowledge of law.

In 2342 until the end of the 7a"anese occu"ation in 2348 Al-,arhum worked with

nche Ibrahim bin ,uhammad 7ahfar as an administrator in the o<ce of the British

Resident. In :ebruary 2341 he was a""ointed to the State *ouncil and at there!uest of the 7a"anese Sub-district *ommander Kimura he began work at the

7a"anese LovernorDs o<ce.

A"art from working in the civil service Al-,arhum was also active in the nationalist

movement in Brunei. Al-,arhum was the "resident of the Kesatuan ,elayu Brunei

&K,B' which was set u" in 2303. He was a strong su""orter of Barisan $emuda.

Al-,arhum Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien was installed as +uli Mang )eramat ,ulia Seri

$aduka $engiran Bendahara Seri ,aharaja $ermaisura by his brother Sultan Ahmad )ajuddin in 234=. Shortly afterwards he was a""ointed chairman of the Syariah

*ourt. Al-,arhum was the (rst member of the royal family to suggest fact-(nding

visits to the villages. )his demonstrated Al-,arhumDs early commitment to

im"roving the socio-economic standards and welfare of the "eo"le.

Accession )o )he )hrone

/n 4 7une 2389 Sultan Ahmad )ajuddin died leaving no male heir to succeed him.

He was succeeded by +uli $engiran Bendahara /mar Ali Saifuddien who was

"roclaimed the 16th Sultan on ; 7une 2389. )he coronation took "lace at 5a"au

+iRaja &)he Royal *eremonial Hall' on 02 ,ay 2382.

It was during this ceremony that Al-,arhum was awarded the British medal the

*ham"ion of the /rder of St ,ichael and St Leorge &*,L'. Ehen he visited 5ondon

in 2380 to attend the coronation of Jueen li?abeth II of ngland he was awarded

the Knight *ommander of the /rder of St ,ichael and St Leorge which gave him the

title SirD.

:amily



/n ; Se"tember 2342 Al-,arhum Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien married Mang Amat

,ulia $engiran Anak +amit binti $engiran Bendahara $engiran Anak Abdul Rahman

the grand-daughter of Al-,arhum Sultan Hashim 7alilul Alam A!amaddin.

)he royal cou"le had four sons and si> daughters. )he eldest son K+M,, $aduka

Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah ,uDi??addin Eaddaulah is the "resent

Sultan and Mang +i-$ertuan of Negara Brunei +arussalam. His Royal Highness $rince

,ohammed Bolkiah the second son is the ,inister of :oreign AOairs.

Hobbies

Ehen Al-,arhum was young he liked many games such as to" s"inning tarik kalatD

&tug of war' "ancak silatD kuitD and tatak garisD. )his showed his "enchant for the

traditions and culture of Brunei. Al-,arhum always made sure to win and this hel"ed

him to develo" a strong sense of determination. 5ater Al-,arhum took a keen

interest in football hockey s!uash and badminton. Besides "laying games he

collected diOerent ty"es of kris and walking sticks.

Al-,arhum Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien had a considerable literary talent as well. Al-,arhum wrote a number of "oems. Among them are Syair $erlembagaan Negeri

Brunei +arussalamD which e>"resses his ambitions for Brunei to be a sovereign

nation with full inde"endence and Syair Asli Rajang HariD which describes his ho"es

for his nation and his e>"erience of hardshi" and "ain. /ther notable "oetic works

are Syair NasihatD Syair $erkakas $erkaranganD Ram"aian 5aila SyairD Syair 5aila

*intaD Syair 5aila 7enakaD and Syair KemerdekaanD. ach of these "oems is uni!ue

in conveying Al-,arhumDs vision for the future and his "lans advice and guidance.

:or Al-,arhumDs contributions in the (eld of literature he was honoured with the title

of )he Royal $oetD.

Achievements

/n his accession to the throne Al-,arhum set out to work for an im"roved standard

of living for all his "eo"le. His seventeen years of rule &2389-23;=' witnessed

economic social and "olitical develo"ment that took Brunei con(dently as a

modern country into the twentieth century.

Al-,arhum Sultan /mar Ali SaifuddienDs concern for his "eo"le found e>"ression in

the :irst and Second :ive Mear +evelo"ment $lans. )he $lans "rovided for

considerable e>"ansion of the education system throughout the state. nglishschools were built scholarshi"s to overseas institutions were "rovided and school

children were assured of at least one free meal a day. Religious schools were given

utmost "riority.

Hos"itals clinics were set u" and dental services to schools were "rovided. /ther

im"rovements included "rogrammes for the eradication of dysentery and malaria.

)he "lan also covered a system for state electri(cation develo"ment of roads and

telecommunication systems swam" reclamation and resettlement.

New industries "ro"osed included manufacturing industries based on "etroleum

natural gas silica sand and forest "roducts.



)he Religious AOairs +e"artment was established in 2388 and by the 2383 Brunei

*onstitution Islam was made the o<cial religion of Negara Brunei +arussalam. )he

Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddien ,os!ue an e>!uisite e>am"le of ,uslim architecture

was built in the ca"ital in 2386.

)he Royal Brunei ,alay Regiment &"resently known as the Royal Brunei Armed

:orces' was set u" in 23;2. )he *urrency Board was established in 23;=. Al-,arhum

Sultan Haji /mar Ali SaifuddienDs reign also marked signi(cant changes in BruneiDs

"olitical develo"ment. Before the written *onstitution was drawn u" the

administration was in the hands of the British Residents. After consistent "lanning

and eOective di"lomacy with the *olonial /<ce in 5ondon he signed the (rst

written constitution with Sir Robert Scott at the 5a"au on 13th Se"tember 2383. By

this *onstitution Brunei was res"onsible for its own internal administration. )hus

ended the Residential System in Brunei.

Another im"ortant as"ect of his rule was the 23;2 Nationality nactment. :or the

(rst time law was written on national status so nationals could be registered.

/ne of the most im"ortant decisions made by Al-,arhum during his reign was to

maintain and strengthen BruneiDs sovereignty and he decided not to join the

:ederation of ,alaysia on 6 7uly 23;0.

Abdication

/n 4 /ctober 23;= Al-,arhum Sultan /mar Ali Saifuddin III voluntarily abdicated in

favour of his eldest son Mang )eramat ,ulia +uli $engiran ,uda ,ahkota Hassanal

Bolkiah.

After the abdication Al-,arhum was then known as Kebawah +uli Mang ,aha ,ulia

,aulana $aduka Seri Begawan Sultan ,uda /mar Ali Saifuddien SaDadul Khairi

Eaddien. His Royal Highness continued to be active and su""ortive both as a father

and as a statesman. He was untiringly involved in council meetings and discussionses"ecially those concerning the inde"endence treaty.

At midnight on 02 +ecember 2360 when Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah "roclaimed the

+eclaration of Inde"endence the "eo"le joined $aduka Seri Begawan in chanting

FAllahu AkbarG.

In 2364 when the *abinet was established Al-,arhum became the ,inister of

+efence

+emise

Al-,arhum Sultan Haji /mar Ali Saifuddien III "assed away "eacefully on =

Se"tember 236; and was laid to rest in the Royal ,ausoleum bringing to an end an

era of transition in Brunei. He had "romoted "eace security and well-being among

his "eo"le. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah "rovided a (tting eulogy FHis name will be a

source of national "ride and he will be talked about through the agesG. Her ,ajesty

Jueen li?abeth II described his death as a Fsad loss for BritainG. /ther heads of

state also remarked on Al-,arhumDs vision foresight and generous service to his

"eo"le.



+uring his reign Al-,arhum Sultan Haji /mar Ali Saifuddien managed to achieve

e>traordinary objectives and ensured the "reservation of an inde"endent ,alay

,uslim ,onarchy in the modern world. He "roved that small nations could survive.

)o commemorate the SultanDs rule Brunei )own was renamed Bandar Seri Begawan

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SOAS 3 History project.docx