Lasting symbol of Brunei's sovereignty

LAST Sunday was the annual ceremony to raise the 'giant' flag of Brunei. The giant flag, mea-suring 12 feet by 24 feet, was hoisted up the 110 feet flagpole.

This occasion marked the beginning of the National Day celebrations; and in turn, the 25th Jubilee National Day celebrations will mark an important milestone in Brunei's modern history.

Brunei's modern national flag was created in 1906, one hundred and three years ago. Its origin coincided with the beginning of the modern government of Brunei Darus-salam.

On December 3, 1905, Sultan Hashim J'Alilul Alam Aqamad-din signed a Supplementary Agreement with the British which was significant for the relationship between the British and the Sultan: "His Highness will receive a British Officer, to be styled Resident, and will provide a suitable residence for him. The Resident will be the Agent and Representative of his Britannic Majesty's Government under the High Commissioner for the British Protectorate in Borneo, and his advice must be taken and acted upon on all questions in Brunei, other than those affecting the Mohammedan religion, in order that a similar system may be established to that existing in other Malay States now under protection."

The agreement was also signed by the Principal Wazirs (Viziers) at that time, Pengiran Bendahara Sri Maharaja Permaisuara Pangiran Anak Besar Muhammad bin Pengiran Anak Muhammad Tajuddin and Pengi-ran Pemancha Sahib ul-Rae' Wal Mushuarat Pengiran Anak Muhammad Saleh bin Pengiran Maharaja Lela Sahib ul-Kahar Pengiran Anak Abdul Kahar. With the signing of that 1906 agreement, Brunei had a modern western style administration headed by the British Resident.

It was felt that there was a need for Brunei to have its own flag. This thus brought into existence the national flag in its present form, except for the crest which was added in 1959. Prior to that, Brunei Darussalam did not have a national state flag but instead personal standards granted by the Sultan were widely used.

The standard belonging to His Majesty the Sultan was yellow and the standards for the four Wazirs were white for Pengiran Bendahara, green for Pengiran Digadong, black for Pengiran Pemancha and purple for Pengiran Temenggong. These standards were the most important for Brunei then. (Note: the title Pengiran Perdana Wazir as the principal of the Wazirs was established in 1970). The colour scheme of the Brunei Darussalam flag adopted in 1906 was therefore the colours of the principal signatories to the 1906 Agreement which were the colours of the Sultan (yellow) as the primary colour, Pengiran Bendahara (white stripe) and Pengiran Pemancha (black stripe). It is not known who was the principal proponent for the Brunei flag and the use of the Brunei colours, most likely it was done by a committee.

The Brunei flag flew continuously until the Second World War when the Japanese flag was flown in Brunei. However, when the British came back to Brunei in 1945, Brunei was placed under the British Military Administration (BMA). It was almost two years before the British Resident came back to Brunei. But even with the return of the British Resident, the Brunei flag was still not flown on Brunei's flagpole. In fact, Brunei's flag was given an indifferent treatment. In June 1946, a celebration to mark the anniversary of the Allied Forces landing in Brunei was launched in Brunei Town. School children were assigned to carry a number of flags such as the Union Jack, the Chinese flag and the Brunei flag. It was the Union Jack that was placed in front and the Brunei flag carried by Malay school children were placed at the rear of the processions.

It took the intervention of His Royal Highness Pengiran Muda Omar 'Ali Saifuddien (who later became His Majesty Sultan Haji Sultan Omar 'Ali Saifuddien in 1950) who witnessed the procession, to order the Brunei flag to be placed at the beginning of the procession immediately. In July 1946, the British Resident, WJ Peel who took over from the British Military Administration, only flew the Union Jack flag in front of the main government office building.

Brunei's fledgling political party known as BARIP (Barisan Pemuda) or the Youth Front wrote to the Resident questioning the fact that the Brunei flag was not flown together with the British Union Jack. The British Resident replied that the reason for the absence of the Brunei flag was due to the unavailability of material to create it. Thus, BARIP members held an emergency meeting trying to obtain material for the flag. It proved not so easy. This was immediately after the Second World War where shortages of any item were quite common.

The members, however, collected enough money and the Supply Depot was able to provide white, black and red cloths but there was insufficient yellow material. One member, Pengiran Muda Abdul Kahar, managed to get sufficient yellow material from his father Pengiran Pemancha Pengiran Anak Haji Mohd Yasin. The flag was immediately sewn by a tailor and rushed to the British Resident.

A flag pole was also erected to accommodate the Brunei flag. It was only then that the Brunei flag was flown everyday while the Union Jack was only flown when the British Resident was in the office.

With the promulgation of the 1959 Brunei Constitution adopted on September 29, 1959 which led to Bruneians taking over their own internal affairs, the flag underwent another change: the crest was added to the flag. The mast and pedestal of the crest represent the three levels of government.

The elements of the crest are the flag (Bendera) and the Royal Umbrella (Payong Ubor-Ubor) based on ancient royal reg'Alia. The wings (Sayap), each made up of four feathers symbolise justice, tranquility, peace and prosperity. The hands (Kimhap) signify that the government preserves and promotes the welfare of the citizens. The crescent (Bulan) stands for Islam, the state religion. The state slogan, written in Arabic script on the crescent means "Always in Service with God's guidance".

The name of the state 'Brunei Darussalam' appears on the ribbon or the scroll. The crest itself has undergone a number of changes since Sultan Sharif 'Ali.

The country's flag is an important emblem raising the spirits of patriotism and love for Brunei wherever it is hoisted, symbolising the greatness of the nation's determination and spirit to protect, instilling the sovereignty of the nation and the country.

The Brunei Times