Hussein Djajadiningrat: The First Indonesian Doctor and the Respectful Intellectual in the Netherland

“Two of Hussein’s works above were just the beginning of the other works on the Indonesian history that Hussein made him not only crowned as the ‘Father of History Science Methodology in Indonesia’, but also the ‘first Indonesian Indolog’ or expert on the indigenous people. This event was important because since it was no scientific perspectives about Indonesia by Indonesian natives themselves. This event was also a significant because even to this day when I look for in international journals or books in the English language libraries of the world, the study of Indonesia is still dominated by foreign names, and very hard to find the name of Indonesia. What would happen if the world’s understanding of Indonesia is only determined by the foreigners only?” — Wijayanto, a PhD student in the Faculty of Humanities, University of Leiden, The Netherland, a receiver of DIKTI-2012 scholarship.

http://news.detik.com/read/2013/12/06/163524/2434780/103/mengenang-satu-abad-husein-jayadiningrat

Upholding Islamic law in Brunei

Darul Aqsha
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

WHEN His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, declared the full independence of Brunei on January 1, 1984, I was then working at The Jakarta Post. During that historic moment, all the editorial staff and employees, including the chief editor who five years later would become the Indonesian ambassador to Australia were standing in front of the television watching and witnessing the emergence of a new independent country, some 1,527 kilometres northeast of Jakarta.

After the proclamation of the independence of the new country, His Majesty’s father, His Royal Highness Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien, continued with three shouts of Allahu Akbar (Allah is Great), followed by the people and the sound of hadrah. I was thrilled and enchanted all at once. It reminded me of Bung Tomo, an Indonesian fighter who shouted the same takbir to revive the spirit of young fighters against Dutch rule in Surabaya, 65 years ago. His Majesty, in his independence titah, confirmed that Brunei is forever to remain a Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) and is based on “the teachings of Islam according to the ahli sunnah wal jama’ah” (people of the prophetical tradition and community).

Almost a decade later, in his titah at the opening of the 8th Session of the Council of the Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) Academy, 1993, His Majesty expressed his conviction that Islamic law is compatible with modern life.

“The present world will witness a more extensive application of Islamic law as a comprehensive and complete way of life in all aspects of life. And it is precisely on this basis that Brunei Darussalam is currently actively moving towards the Islamisation of its laws,” His Majesty said.

Allahyarham Professor Dato’ Dr Haji Mahmud Saedon Othman, former Islamic Legal Specialist at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, supported and uphold the MIB concept and its laws thoroughly and extensively practised in Brunei.

Professor Dato’ Dr Haji Mahmud Saedon Othman

In his book entitled A Review On: The Implementation and Administration of Islamic Law In Brunei Darussalam (DBP, 1996 in Malay, republished by the Islamic Da’wah Centre, 2008, in English) the professor proposed that the Islamic law be made the basic law and the main supreme reference of our legal system. “This law needs to be executed in its entirety, administered competently, smoothly and wisely so that it is effective, adhered to and respected in our beloved Brunei Darussalam,” he said.

His book, which he dedicated to his country during His Majesty’s 50th birthday anniversary, consists of two parts. The first part discusses the spread of Islam throughout the Malay archipelago, the implementation of Islamic law in Brunei from the time of conversion of Awang Alak Betatar who changed his name to Sultan Muhammad Shah, the first sultan of Brunei (1363-1402) to present, the Melaka Canon Law and its influence, Islam in Brunei since its inception in the 14th century to the 19th century, the status and the execution of Islamic law before British intervention, and the British legal and judicial intervention.

He also described the efforts of the late Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien, in ensuring respect for the status of Islam, the vision of His Majesty and the Brunei post-independence policy regarding the implementation of Islamic law, and the steps taken to achieve the vision outlined by His Majesty.

The second part discusses law and its division, the special characteristics of Islamic law, a comparison between Islamic law and Civil Law with the aim of further highlighting the uniqueness and the superiority of Islamic law compared with human law. In this case, Professor Dato’ Dr Haji Mahmud Saedon quoted His Majesty’s titah on the occasion of the launching of the handwritten Quran to replace the mace as the Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s identity in 1996: “There is no law or constitution that is superior to, or truer than al-Quran.”

In this book, he also discussed the administration of law and justice through the Islamic judiciary, the administration of law and justice as managed by the Brunei Court before British intervention, and British intervention in Brunei’s legislation and judiciary and its effects. He also touched on the role of Kadhi Court since the 1950s, which he calls “independent but deficient” because of its limited jurisdiction.

Before the British implemented its Civil Law, the main body of basic law in Brunei was Syariah (Islamic law). “It was well executed and administered and it was effective,” Professor Dato’ Dr Haji Mahmud Saedon said, referring to the Brunei Canon Law, a written law of custom and tradition as well as Syara’ (Islamic law).

The law was initiated by Sultan Muhammad Hassan (1582-1598) and implemented and enforced during the reign of Sultan Abdul Jalilul Akbar (1619-1649) and his son Sultan Abdul Jalilul Jabbar (1659-1660).

Brunei Canon Law dealt with almost all aspects of socio-economic life, including debts, bankruptcy, interest payments, trade, marriage and divorce, crime (adultery, slander, murder, theft and burglary). It also covers a wide area of Islamic law, with at least 47 clauses complying with Islamic law.

To effectively overcome problems, Professor Dato’ Dr Haji Mahmud Saedon suggested that Brunei needs to restore the judicial system to that before British intervention: that is, a Brunei Court should be Brunei’s sole legal and judicial system with no Kadhi Court and no Civil Court.

“History has proved that there once existed a court that administered Brunei laws (based on Syara’), customs and Syara’ laws. That court was the Brunei Sultanate Court,” he said.

The professor asserted that making Islamic law the basic and the supreme law is not introducing something new; it is simply an effort to restore the religion to its original status, a return to Islam in all aspects of life. “Therefore, immediate actions that are organised, wise and effective in realising this need must be taken without delay,” he recommended.

Since the book’s publication, Professor Dato’ Dr Haji Mahmud Saedon’s suggestion and his support over His Majesty’s vision of Islam and its laws implemented thoroughly in Brunei have echoed once again and remain relevant.

Last Tuesday, His Majesty in his titah proposed the introduction of the Islamic Criminal Act, specifically to deal with criminal offences under Islam in order to avoid chaos in society and Allah (SWT)’s torment for not implementing the law.

The Brunei Times
Friday, March 18, 2011

http://archive.bt.com.bn/features/2011/03/18/upholding-islamic-law-brunei

Striving to maintain prosperity, good name of Brunei

Darul Aqsha
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

HIS Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, was born during the era when Brunei was completely experiencing shortcomings after a three-year Japanese military occupation and under the Allied Forces’s administration.

His Majesty was born at Istana Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, on July 15, 1946, when his uncle, Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin, who ruled as the 27th Sultan of Brunei, was struggling to sow the seeds of nationalism, uniting Bruneian people to gain their independence.

Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin was then supported by Crown Prince Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien, father of His Majesty.

They were the trio of Bruneian sultans who struggled to gain independence from the British as described in His Majesty’s biography entitled Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Penegak Warisan Bangsa Melayu (Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Upholder of Malay National Legacy).

The biography was written in Malay by Dr Muhammad Hadi Muhammad Melayong, a senior historian (now Director of the Department of Information).

Before published by the Brunei History Centre in 2007, the 146-book was a manuscript slated for the “Publication Project of the Committee for the Royal Sovereignty Exhibition” in conjunction with the 60th Anniversary of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah’s birthday in 2006.

The writer mentioned that the struggle of the Brunei independence was reached through processes under the leaderships of the three sultans.

Firstly, Sultan Tajuddin who pioneered the movement of Brunei’s nationalism in the 1940s. Secondly, Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien who designed and negotiated for the manifestation of an independent state based upon the Malay Islamic Monarchy (1950-1967) concept. Thirdly, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah who prepared and gained the full independence of Brunei (1967-1984).

According to the writer, the pre-independence era had served as a platform to prepare to discipline and train His Majesty into becoming the “Visionary and Caring Sultan”.

Under his leadership, His Majesty tries to continue his uncle and father’s struggles to rule and to develop the country.

By declaring the Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) as the state philosophy, he successfully rules his administration by uniting the people and revitalising the Sultanate as a peaceful, prosperous and respectful country as his commitment. During His Majesty’s ascension to the throne on October 5, 1967: “I will do my best to carry out the policies of my father and will always protect the peace and tranquility and the endeavour to maintain the prosperity and the good name of Brunei.”

In his proclamation of independence’s on January 1, 1984, His Majesty emphasised that “Negara Brunei Darussalam with Allah God the Most Holy and the Most High’s permission and abundant grant is forever to remain a democratic, sovereign, and independent State of Malay Islamic Monarchy based on the Islamic teachings according to Ahli Sunnah Waljama’ah and also based on justice, trust, and freedom, as well as Allah’s guidance and blessings.”

After the proclamation, however, fierce criticisms came from both abroad and local parties, showing their pessimism and disbelief in the ability and practicality of the MIB philosophy as the basis of the Sultanate’s administration.

One of the MIB elements, Islam, is the faith which highly respects plurality, while the others, Malay and Monarchy, are to preserve the existence of Malay culture and people as well as the Sultanate continuity respectively.

Although the MIB was legally declared in 1984 by His Majesty, actually it has been existing as the supporter of the nation, religion, and state since 600 years ago when Awang Alak Betatar established the Islamic Malay sultanate and changed his name to Sultan Muhammad Shah.

In his Golden Jubilee Anniversary’s titah, 5 October 1992, His Majesty underscored that the existing philosophy and system “is strong and even successfully brings benevolence for the people and state and creating well-being and superiority for Negara Brunei Darussalam”.

The biography is interesting because the writer used socio-historical approaches, making the readers, especially Brunei’s younger generation to understand more of socio-political conditions faced by His Majesty in respective situation.

The writer’s description about the 1962 rebellion is apparently too long and over-lapping at least in the two chapters.

Besides that there are no any index and biodata of the writer at the end of the book to assist those who have interest in His Majesty’s biography and Brunei history, including students, journalists, and researchers, in conducting further research.

The Brunei Times
Monday, August 3, 2009

http://www.bt.com.bn/books/2009/08/03/striving_to_maintain_prosperity_good_name_of_brunei

A Sultan for Brunei people

Darul Aqsha
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THERE have been at least two great Islamic leaders with the name Omar who are renown for travelling incognito among the common people, although their lives were 1,400 years apart.

The first Omar was Omar (Umar) ibn Khattab, the second Caliph of Khulafa al-Rasyiduun (The Rightly Guided Caliphs, 581-644). Early in his life, he was a fierce opponent of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but after embracing Islam he became a strong defender of the faith.

He was a humble leader, but creative. One of his great initiatives was the introduction of the Islamic calendar Hijriyah, which starts from the time the Prophet migrated from Mekkah to Madinah in 622.

One night while travelling incognito, he saw a mother boiling stones to feed her crying, hungry children. As a leader, this sight worried him, and occupied his thoughts all the way home. Then, he returned to her with a sack of wheat which he bore by himself. Even when he handed the mother the sack, she still did not recognise him.

The second Omar was Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien III (1914-1986), the 28th Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam. He often travelled incognito, in the city or in rural areas, to see how and in what conditions his people lived.

One day, while driving along Jalan Tutong, he saw an old woman trader waiting for a bus to Kianggeh Market in Bandar Town and offered her a ride. Arriving at the market, the woman tried to pay him, but the kind Sultan refused, and even handed her a $100 note.

This fine example of the Sultan is recorded in his memoir Memoir Seorang Negarawan (Memoir of a Statesman), though the book does not indicate whether the act was inspired by Omar (Umar) ibn Khattab.

Muslim leaders know and learn many things from Omar (Umar) ibn Khattab’s leadership, whose grandson, Omar ibn Abdul Aziz, continues to inspire Muslims to avoid corruption.

The memoir was written by local senior historian Dr Muhammad Hadi Muhammad Melayong and published by the Brunei History Centre early this year. The writer now is the Director of the Department of Information of the Prime Minister’s Office.

The book details the life of Sultan Omar so that Brunei’s younger generation can learn the struggle and merits of their past leaders.

The 149-page tome has 12 chapters. In the first, the writer explains his methods and motivation for writing the memoir. Throughout the rest of the book, the writer follows the life of Sultan Omar, from his birth during World War I to the Japanese occupation (1941-1945), which fuelled his passion to make his country politically independent from the British and to make his country and people progressive, modern and prosperous.

The writer recounts key events from Sultan Omar’s marriage to HM Pengiran Anak Damit in 1941; his ascension to the throne in 1950, replacing his brother Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin; his coronation in 1951; his plans to develop Brunei after WWII; his critical role in creating Brunei’s written constitution of 1959; his handling of the 1962 rebellion; to his handing over of the throne to his first son, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, in 1967.

The memoir also covers the important role Sultan Omar played in supporting and guiding his son in leading the country to full independence in 1984, up to his death in 1986.

The book closes with Chapter 12, which contains a timeline of key events throughout Sultan Omar’s life.

An interesting tale that has become part of the book is that when the writer was conducting research at the National Archives in London, he found many documents about Britain-Brunei relations, including Limbang. Some of the documents are still sealed at the library and cannot be revealed to the public until the British statute of limitations allows them to be disclosed in the coming decades.

This memoir was published not long before Limbang made local headlines after Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s visit in March.

The writer also reveals Sultan Omar’s favourite pastimes, from traditional games to sports such as rowing, pencak silat, shooting, golf, gasing, tug-of-war, squash, badminton and football.

Sultan Omar also enjoyed writing poetry and was regarded as one of the leading poets in Brunei. He put forward his political thought in the form of poetry in Syair Perlembagaan Negeri Brunei (Brunei Constitutional Poems), which is reminiscent of Ibn Malik, who delivered his thoughts on Arabic grammar and morphology through his collection of poems Matan Alfiyah Ibn Malik.

Sultan Omar’s works of poetry include Syair Asli Rajang Hari, Syair Nasihat, Syair Perkakas Perkarangan, Syair Laila Cinta, Rampaian Laila Syair, Syair Laila Jenaka and Syair Kemerdekaan.

The memoir is interesting because it’s not only a biography, but it explains the socio-historical context of Sultan Omar’s life, making it a valuable reference.

The writer also offers a huge amount of data and information gathered from his research in several foreign countries, interviews with leaders of neighbouring countries and with local people and leaders.

The book also contains rare pictures of Sultan Omar and scenes of Brunei in years gone by. Unfortunately, some of the pictures do not have captions, such as one showing the writer with Gen (rtd) Abdul Harris Nasution and Roeslan Abdulgani of Indonesia. Perhaps some readers may know who the prominent leaders pictured are, but many will be left guessing.

Another downside is that the book has neither bibliography nor glossary, or any details about the author so that readers, especially researchers, can easily conduct further research or contact the writer.

The Brunei Times
Sunday, May 31, 2009

http://archive.bt.com.bn/life/2009/05/31/a_sultan_for_brunei_people

Bridging the communication gap between Malay, Malay and Malay

Darul Aqsha
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

LAST year my boss showed me an article published in a leading Indonesian newspaper. He wondered about the article’s title, which used the term Sang Raja to refer to the Sultan of Brunei.

According to him, sang was considered offensive in this usage because in Brunei it is used only for animals, as in sang kancil (mouse deer), sang macan (tiger) and sang buaya (crocodile).

However, he finally understood that was not the intended meaning after I showed him an Indonesian dictionary in which sang as defined as an “honoric epithet or article (also used in sarcastic or derogatory way)” like Sang Hyang (title for God), Sang Prabu (His Majesty), Sang Surya (sun), Sang Suami (honorable husband), or Sang Pencuri (thief).

Throughout Southeast Asia, many words have similar spellings or pronounciations, but have different meanings.

Such words can cause misunderstandings, specifically between Bruneians, Indonesians, Malaysians and Singaporeans.

In Indonesian, boleh means “may”, but in Brunei it means “can”, but in certain circumstances it can also mean “may”. The Indonesian word for “can” is bisa.

Similarly, harus in Indonesian means “must”, but Bruneians use mesti.

This confusion can be real fun. I am Indonesian, and recently at the library in Bandar the staff were confused when I asked should I return the books in dua pekan, because pekan in Brunei means “town”. In Indonesian, pekan can mean “market” or “week”. In Brunei, the word for “week” is minggu and the word for “market” is tamu or pasar. Pasar also means “market” in Indonesian, but tamu means “guest”. Confused yet?

Therefore Dr Mataim Bakar, former Director of the Language and Literature Bureau of Brunei Darussalam (DBPB), was quite right when he wrote in his foreword, “Some of the words have meanings and concepts which have different usage depending on their context, background and user.”

He added that sometimes a word is bound to a cultural factor so that its expression is limited to the certain norms and values, or in another words, “the word is considered as taboo”.

In order to avoid such misunderstandings, the DBPB published the dictionary Kamus Kata dan Ungkapan Am Bahasa Melayu Brunei/Bahasa Indonesia/Bahasa Malaysia (Dictionary of Words and Idioms of Bruneian/Indonesian/Malaysian Malay Languages). It was published in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the Majelis Bahasa Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia (Mabbim, the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia Language Council).

The dictionary was first published in 1994 as a realisation of one of the decisions of the 21st Meeting of the Majlis Bahasa Indonesia-Malaysia (MBIM, Indonesian-Malaysian Language Council) in April 1984 and at the same time to mark Brunei’s contribution after the Sultanate joined the council, which changed its name to Mabbim in November 1985. The dictionary was revised and reprinted in 2003 and 2007.

The other aim of the dictionary is for people in the three Malay countries to be able to select the right word and idiom and avoid usage that may lead to different understandings than intended.

The dictionary includes a list of words and idioms that have similar spellings but different meanings (homonyms) and contrasts their meanings across the three dialects. It uses national language dictionaries: Kamus Bahasa Melayu Brunei for Brunei, Kamus Dewan for Malaysia and Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia and Kamus Umum Bahasa Indonesia for Indonesian.

It also uses Kamus Kata dan Ungkapan Am Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia-Bahasa Melayu Brunei, published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in Kuala Lumpur in 1988.

Among the examples, the word amit is used for “addressing an uncle or auntie in the sixth rank among seven siblings”, but in Indonesian it means “permission”, while in Malaysian it means “snacks”. Another meaning for amit in Brunei is “to raise somebody’s cattle to obtain a share if the cattle gives birth”.

Unfortunately, the committee in charge of composing the revised edition lacked the enthusiasm to explore the Indonesian or Malaysian meanings of some Brunei words, such as bantai, bantal, bantat, banting, bara, barang, basi, biduk, among others. Hence, these are published without Indonesian and Malaysian meanings, whereas they have their own meanings in those dialects.

That said, the dictionary is very helpful, especially for businesses, workers and expatriates, students and researchers, not only in the three Malay-speaking countries, but also throughout Southeast Asia in general, to improve understanding between the dialects and to avoid mistakes and misunderstandings.

The Brunei Times
Sunday, June 28, 2009

http://archive.bt.com.bn/life/2009/06/28/bridging_the_communication_gap_between_malay_malay_and_malay