Abbas Al-Sufri

Abbas Al-Sufri MVO (25 October 1925 – 8 March 2014) was a nobleman, 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.[1]

In this Malay name, there is no family name. The name Ibrahim is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Abbas Al-Sufri. The Arabic-derived word "bin" or "binti"/"binte", if used, means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.
Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Penggawa Laila Bentara Diraja Dato Laila Utama

Abbas Al-Sufri

DK SPMB DSNB MVO
Abbas Al-Sufri in 1968
Born
Mohammad Abbas Al-Sufri

(1925-10-25)25 October 1925
Brunei
Died8 March 2014(2014-03-08) (aged 88)
Burial placeKianggeh Muslim Cemetery
Occupation(s)Personal secretary and courtier
EmployersSultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III
SpouseBesar Yusof
Children2
Parent(s)Ibrahim Mohammad Jahfar (father)
Saadiah Mohd Tahir (mother)

Biography

Abbas Al-Sufri was born on 25 October 1925, to Ibrahim Mohammad Jahfar (former Menteri Besar of Brunei). On 1 January 1951, he began his employment with the government as a Probationer for the Brunei Administrative Service. Later, he would join Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Ill's entourage for Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 Coronation. On 26 April 1956, he stopped serving as HH 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. In April 1959, he traveled to London to attend the Brunei Constitutional Conference.[2]

ADC to the Sultan, Abbas Al-Sufri reportedly urged TNKU rebel commanders Pengiran Matussin and Awang Hafiz to leave Istana Darul Hana when a party of rebels attempted to deliver a letter to the Sultan. The rebels also refused to take the letter, according to an unnamed source. The Sultan was never even seen by the delegation.[3]

Abbas Al-Sufri was one of the two officials that went with the Grand Chamberlain (GC) on 1 January 1984, to deliver the Proclamation of Independence to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.[2] 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.[4]

On 10 March 2014, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah paid his last respects to Abbas Al-Sufri. On 8 March, he passed away at the age of 88. Before his interment at Kianggeh Muslim Cemetery, State Mufti Abdul Aziz Juned performed prayers at his home at Mile 1, Jalan Tutong.[5]

Personal life

Married to Dayang Besar binti Yusof and they have two sons. He was the older brother of Pehin Isa, the speaker of the legislative council.[5]

Honours

Abbas Al-Sufri was given the title of Yang Berhormat (The Honourable) Pehin Orang Kaya Penggawa Laila Bentara Diraja on 7 May 1968,[6] previously holding Pehin Orang Kaya Sanggamara Seri Diraja since 23 September 1958.[7]

Jalan Dato Abbas Al-Sufri in 2023

Namesakes

Honours

He has earned the following honours;[8][9]

National
Main article: Orders, decorations, and medals of Brunei

Foreign

References
  1. A Year Book of the Commonwealth. H.M. Stationery Office. 1974. p. 450. ISBN 978-0-11-580141-9.
  2. al-Sufri, Haji Awang Mohd Jamil (1998). Brunei Darussalam, the Road to Independence. Brunei History Centre, Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports. p. 195.
  3. Bin Haji Abdul Majid, Dato’ Haji Harun. The Brunei Rebellion: December 1962 (PDF). King’s College, London. p. 18.
  4. "Negara Brunei Darussalam: obituary 2014. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  5. "HM pays last respects to Pehin Dato Hj Abbas | The BT Archive". btarchive.org. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  6. Awang.), Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri (Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Diraja Dato Seri Utama Haji (2003). Adat istiadat Diraja Brunei (in Malay). Jabatan Adat Istiadat Negara, Jabatan Perdana Menteri. p. 579. ISBN 978-99917-34-22-4.
  7. "Negara Brunei Darussalam: obituary 2014. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  8. Brunei (1982). Brunei. behalf of the Information Section, Department of State Secretariat, Brunei. p. 165.
  9. Brunei (1977). Annual Report on the Social and Economic Progress of the People of Brunei. Printed at the Brunei Press. p. 502.
  10. "Istiadat mengurniakan bintang2 dan pingat2 kapada 106 orang" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 1969-02-12. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  11. "Raja-Raja Dan Pembesar2 Tanah Melayu Mendapat Pingat Kehormatan" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 1958-10-01. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  12. "D.Y.M.M. Mengurniakan Bintang2 Kehormatan Dan Pingat2 Pada Ari Jadi Baginda" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 1963-10-02. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
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