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Abbas Al-Sufri

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Ibrahim is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Abbas Al-Sufri. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Mohammad Abbas Al-Sufri bin Haji Ibrahim (16 July 1926 – 8 March 2014) was an aristocrat, civil servant and courtier from Brunei who previously served as the acting personal secretary to Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III. He had a career in the government service of Brunei, in which he held a number of important positions such as being a member of the Privy Council of Brunei from 1972 to 2014.[1]

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Penggawa Laila Bentara Diraja Dato Laila Utama
Abbas Al-Sufri
DK SPMB DSNB POAS PHBS PBLI PJK MVO
عباس الصوفري
Abbas Al-Sufri in the 1950s
Born(1926-07-16)16 July 1926
Brunei
Died8 March 2014(2014-03-08) (aged 87)
Jerudong Park Medical Centre, Brunei–Muara, Brunei
Burial placeKianggeh Muslim Cemetery, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Occupations
EmployersSultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III
Spouse
Besar Yusof
​
(m. 1947)​
Parent(s)Ibrahim Mohammad Jahfar (father)
Saadiah Tahir (mother)
Relatives

Early life and education

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Abbas Al-Sufri was born in Brunei on 16 July 1926,[2] to Ibrahim Mohammad Jahfar (former Menteri Besar of Brunei).[3] Additionally, he was the older brother of Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Bakti Di-Raja Dato Laila Utama Haji Isa, the speaker of the legislative council from 2011 to 2015.[4] He attended Chinese and Malay schools in Brunei Town (now Bandar Seri Begawan) and continued his education at the Government English School in Labuan from 1935 to 1942. In 1956, he participated in a Local Government Study Tour in London, Belfast, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Glasgow. He married Besar binti Haji Mohd. Yusof on 16 June 1947, and they have two daughters.[1]

Career

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Abbas Al-Sufri worked in a variety of capacities during his career in the Brunei Administrative Service (BAS). In 1943, he started out as a clerk in the Japanese-occupied Land Transport Company. He was employed by the British Resident's Office, Public Works Department, and Electrical Office in 1948 as a Grade 'B' clerk. By 1951, he was working as an administrative official and an advisor to Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III.[1]

 
Abbas Al-Sufri (standing third from the left) pictured with the constitutional delegation in London in April 1959

On 1 January 1951, Abbas Al-Sufri began his employment with the government as the a probationer in the BAS. Later in 1953, he would join Sultan Omar Ali's entourage for coronation of Elizabeth II. On 26 April 1956, he stopped serving as the sultan's aide-de-camp (ADC), but he started back on 18 September 1956. From 29 September 1959 to 10 September 1961, he served as the Sultan's acting personal secretary. He and his father traveled to London in April 1959 as part of the Sultan's constitutional delegation to begin work on the Brunei Constitution during the 1959 Brunei Negotiations.[3][5]

As ADC to the sultan, Abbas Al-Sufri reportedly urged TNKU rebel commanders Pengiran Matussin and Awang Hafiz to leave Istana Darul Hana when a group of rebels attempted to deliver a letter to the sultan; according to an unnamed source, the rebels refused to take the letter, and the sultan was never seen by the delegation.[6] During the coronation ceremony at Lapau in Brunei Town on 1 August 1968, where Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was crowned the 29th Sultan of Brunei by his predecessor Omar Ali Saifuddien, Abbas Al-Sufri carried the Kuching Emas, while Pengiran Abdul Momin held the Tungkat Ajai, two of the 25 ceremonial regalia used in the event.[7]

Abbas Al-Sufri was later appointed chief protocol officer from 1968 till his retirement in 1981.[1] On 31 December 1983, during the declaration of Brunei's independence at Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan, Abbas Al-Sufri, along with Pengiran Mokhtar Puteh, played a key role in carrying the "Warkah Pemashuran Kemerdekaan Brunei Darussalam" from the grand chamberlain into Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar 'Ali Saifuddien, accompanied by 20 individuals bearing the Royal Regalia Museum.[8][3]

Abbas Al-Sufri held and performed the tasks assigned to him, such as arranging and maintaining the ceremonial positions and the vehicles for the queen consort, princess consorts, or other sultan wives in all royal ceremonies, both inside and outside the palace. He was also in charge of planning and overseeing the sultan and his consort's food, health, and sleeping arrangements.[9] He continued to work under contract after retirement until 1992.[1]

Later life and death

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On Sunday, 9 March 2014, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah paid his homage at the home of the late Abbas Al-Sufri on Jalan Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha in Bandar Seri Begawan. At the age of 87, He died on Saturday, 8 March.[2][9] Under the direction of State Mufti Abdul Aziz Juned, the sultan also participated in the congregational burial prayer at his home at Mile 1, Jalan Tutong. He is interred at Kianggeh Muslim Cemetery.[4]

During his lifetime, Abbas Al-Sufri had several hobbies, including collecting cars, stamps, and Hari Pertama covers. He also enjoyed various recreational activities such as sports and shooting. In addition, he was active in charitable work and social welfare.[1] Notably, he was also one of the 21 pupils that worked to establish the Brunei Scout Association from the Government English School's First Labuan Scout Troop.[10]

Titles, styles and honours

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Titles and styles

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On 23 September 1958, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III bestowed the title of Pehin Orang Kaya Sanggamara Setia Diraja;[10][11] and later, on 7 May 1968,[11] Abbas Al-Sufri received the upgraded title of Pehin Orang Kaya Penggawa Laila Bentara Diraja.[12] The titles are styled as Yang Dimuliakan.[13]

  • 23 September 1958 – 7 May 1968: Pehin Orang Kaya Sanggamara Setia Diraja
  • 7 May 1968 – 8 March 2014: Pehin Orang Kaya Penggawa Laila Bentara Diraja

Honours

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Abbas Al-Sufri (left) and Pengiran Abdul Momin (right) carrying the Kuching Emas and Tungkat Ajai, respectively, during the coronation of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in 1968

Abbas Al-Sufri has been awarded the following national and foreign honours;[12]

National

Main article: Orders, decorations, and medals of Brunei

Foreign

  • Selangor:
    •   Sultan Salahuddin Silver Jubilee Medal (3 September 1985)
  • United Kingdom:

Things named after him

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Jalan Dato Abbas Al-Sufri sign

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f P. H. 2019, p. 39.
  2. ^ a b Haji Abdul Rahman, Abu Bakar (9 March 2014). "Berkenan berangkat menziarahi jenazah" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). p. 1. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Haji Awang Mohd Jamil al-Sufri (1998). Brunei Darussalam: The Road To Independence. Bandar Seri Begawan: Brunei History Centre, Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports. p. 195.
  4. ^ a b "HM pays last respects to Pehin Dato Hj Abbas". The Brunei Times. 10 March 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  5. ^ Siti Nor Anis Nadiah Haji Mohamad; Mariam Abdul Rahman (15 November 2021). "Penggubalan Perlembagaan Negeri Brunei 1959: Satu Sorotan Sejarah" [Drafting of The Brunei Constitutions of 1959: A Historical Review]. The Sultan Alauddin Sulaiman Shah Journal. 8 (2): 36–37. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  6. ^ Haji Abdul Majid, Dato' Haji Harun. The Brunei Rebellion: December 1962 (PDF). King’s College, London. p. 18.
  7. ^ "D.Y.M.M. di-mahkotakan dengan penoh Istiadat" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). 7 August 1968. pp. 1 and 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  8. ^ Haji Jaafar, Salina (2024). Perlembagaan Negeri Brunei 1959: Dalam Ristaan (in Malay) (1st ed.). Bandar Seri Begawan: Brunei History Centre, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. p. 84. ISBN 978-99917-63-98-9.
  9. ^ a b P. H. 2019, p. 41.
  10. ^ a b Horton, A. V. M. (2015). "Negara Brunei Darussalam: obituary 2014". Borneo Research Bulletin. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Pendekatan Mengenai Istiadat Mengurniakan Gelaran Di Negara Brunei Darussalam" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). 14 July 2004. p. 11. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  12. ^ a b P. H. 2019, p. 40.
  13. ^ Pengiran Ahmad, Awangku Mohd. Noor Hamaddi. "TERASUL DAN BAHASA PENGGANTI DIRI "BAHASA DALAM"" (PDF). Jabatan Adat Istiadat Negara (in Malay). Bandar Seri Begawan. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  14. ^ "27 orang di-kurniakan bintang2, pingat2 kebesaran" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). 7 January 1970. p. 8. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Istiadat mengurniakan bintang2 dan pingat2 kapada 106 orang" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 12 February 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  16. ^ "Raja-Raja Dan Pembesar2 Tanah Melayu Mendapat Pingat Kehormatan" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). 1 October 1958. p. 4. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  17. ^ "D.Y.M.M. Mengurniakan Bintang2 Kehormatan Dan Pingat2 Pada Ari Jadi Baginda" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 2 October 1963. p. 2. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  18. ^ "65 DAPAT BINTANG DAN PINGAT HARI" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). 7 October 1959. p. 1. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  • P. H., Pengiran Fatimah (2019). "Allahyarham Pehin Orang Kaya Penggawa Laila Bentara Diraja Dato Laila Utama Awang Haji Mohd. Abbas Al-Sufri bin Pehin Datu Perdana Menteri Dato Lgila Utama Haji Ibrahim". Majalah Pusaka (in Malay). 47. Bandar Seri Begawan: Brunei History Centre, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports: 38–41.
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