Vizier (Brunei)

The Wazir (English: Vizier; Jawi: وازير) are a group of royal dignitaries within the Sultanate of Brunei whose position ranks the second-highest official in the country behind the Sultan.[1] The vizier had formerly held the position of the Sultan's highest official in the administration of the then-reigning government throughout Brunei's history, particularly during the times prior to and after the British protectorate (British Resident and Assistant British Resident).[2] The core of Brunei's nobility consisted of this class of governmental offices,[3] and it consists of a Perdana Wazir (head of the vizier), and four Wazir under him, namely Bendahara, Di-Gadong, Pemancha and Temenggong. Notably, they are sometimes referred to as and acted as senior ministers.[4]

See also: Vizier
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History

In the administration of the Government of Brunei, the vizier position has long been the top one in Brunei. The only viziers during the early Sultans of Brunei's rule were Bendahara and Temenggong.[5] Traditionally, the ranking of the four wazirs is as folows; Bendahara, Di-Gadong, Temenggong and Pemancha.[1] At the end of the 16th century, under Sultan Muhammad Hasan, Pemancha and Di-Gadong were first used.[6][7] During the reign of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the present Sultan of Brunei, Perdana Wazir was only recently introduced.[7] The viziers sit above the cheteria and manteri.[8] These ministers, who are often men of royal descent, fly separate flags above their homes: white for the Bandahara, green for the Di-Gadong, and scarlet for the Temenggong. The flags are remarkably straightforward and affordable.[9]

Copper, silver, and gold crafts used in royal traditions reveal the identity of the user or owner. Tools like daggers and betelwere given to royal dignitaries who received the titles of Wazir, Ceteria, and Manteri, for instance. The kaskol given to the Wazir and Kepala Ceteria is made of gold. Pehin Dato Perdana Menteri and Pehin Orang Kaya Di-Gadong received a silver-bearing tipa for the Besar Ceteria, Besar Pengalasan Ceteria, Damit Pengalasan Ceteria, and Manteri-Manteri. While copper-born tipa was granted for the other people.[10]

Bendahara
Main article: Bendahara

The office of bendahara (a Sanskrit title) increased in significance during the Malacca Sultanate about 1400. In the traditional Malay states, the bendahara is the chief minister and is second only to the sultan in rank, power, and authority. Its duties included carrying out the sultan's orders, serving as prime minister, and serving as commander in chief. In order to increase the sultan's independence, the bendahara also provided him with a palace and a bride who was a member of his own family. After a sultan passed away, this official's most significant task may have been to gather the royal regalia and serve as regent during the interim until he turned the regalia over to the heir. The role was frequently held by a senior member of the sultan's family.[11]

Di-Gadong

Di-Gadong is a high official title whose definitions are ambiguous.[12] His responsibilities were differently described but generally included three components. He was in charge of the treasury or finances. The Sultan's household was under his management. In particular, he was in charge of taxation inside the Sultanate's domains. Considering the latter, it should be understood that he was in charge of the Sultan's apprehensions.[13] Notably, the Bruneian Malay term for the colour green is gadong.[14] The term "Gadong" refers to a greenish affluent of the Brunei River, which is itself an affluent of the Kedayan River, which it joins.[15]

Temenggong
Main article: Temenggong

In the traditional Malay states, the person in charge of enforcing the law and overseeing the army and police was known as a Temenggong. This significant nonhereditary role was defined during the rise of the Malaccan Sultanate in the 15th century, which served as a hub for trade between Southeast Asia, China, and India. The temenggong played a crucial role in upholding the household tranquility necessary for the thriving trade of the Malaccan Sultanate. His responsibilities included maintaining order, caring for criminals, constructing jails, policing city streets, and ensuring the precision of weights and measures in commerce. Although Malacca's prominence declined after the 15th century, other Malay rulers adopted its administrative system, which included the office of temenggong, and it flourished and persisted till the 19th century.[16]

Pemancha

Pemancha is a high official title whose definitions are ambiguous.[12] Lower-level evidence suggests that district chiefs in Sabah are known as Orang Kaya Kaya and that the Land Dayak counterpart of a Penghulu in Sarawak is known as Orang Kaya Pemancha.[17] The headmen of several villages are also referred to as "Pemancha" in Sarawak.[18]

Hierarchy

The Head Vizier (Kepala Wazir)'s official title is Perdana Wazir,[19] while the Four Viziers (Wazir Empat)'s official titles are Bendahara, Di-Gadong, Pemancha, and Temenggong.[2] The title is invariably followed by Pengiran, nevertheless, because wazirs are typically chosen from the people with Pengiran titles, particularly the royal family and Pengiran Bertaras. In addition, a few additional words were added following the basic title of vizier. But only when the incumbent is still alive will these extra words be used. Wazir's list is as follows:[7][20][21]

  • Kepala Wazir
    • Pengiran Perdana Wazir Sahibul Himmah Wal-Waqar
  • Wazir Empat
    • Pengiran Bendahara Seri Maharaja Permaisuara
    • Pengiran Di-Gadong Sahibul Mal
    • Pengiran Pemancha Sahibul Rae' Wal-Mashuarah
    • Pengiran Temenggong Sahibul Bahar

Title and styling
Main article: Malay styles and titles

Every person who becomes a wazir possesses a certain set of rules that they must follow when discussing certain aspects of the surat-menyurat (letters used for activities carried out by one party to another party continuously, whose activities are carried out by sending letters to each other), including naming the wazir in question. Wazir is understood to originate from a prince who is either gahara (pure royal lineage) or not. For the wazir who is the prince of the Sultan, it is styled as Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri, while other than that, it is referred to as Yang Teramat Mulia Seri Paduka.[20]

Viziers

The vizier must be a member of the Royal Family, namely one of the royal princes who is gahara (pure descendants of the sultan), as stated in Chapter 2 (1) of the Proclamation to Lift and Appoint Regent from 1959. Pengiran-Pengiran Kebanyakan, however, may also be given the title of vizier with the Sultan's consent. A ceremony known as mengarak is used to designate someone as vizier and bestow the appropriate title.[7]

Title Wazir Incumbent Date Predecessor
Pengiran Perdana Wazir Sahibul Himmah Wal-Waqar Perdana Wazir Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Perdana Wazir Sahibul Himmah Wal-Waqar Pengiran Muda Mohamed Bolkiah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien[22] 6 February 1970[23] Office established
Pengiran Bendahara Seri Maharaja Permaisuara Bendahara Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Bendahara Seri Maharaja Permaisuara Pengiran Muda Haji Sufri Bolkiah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien[24] 14 November 1979[25] Yang Teramat Mulia Seri Paduka Pengiran Bendahara Seri Maharaja Permaisuara Pengiran Muda Haji Hashim ibni Al-Marhum Pengiran Bendahara Pengiran Anak Abdul Rahman[26]
Pengiran Di-Gadong Sahibul Mal Di-Gadong Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Di-Gadong Sahibul Mal Pengiran Muda Haji Jefri Bolkiah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien[27] 14 November 1979[25] Yang Teramat Mulia Seri Paduka Pengiran Di-Gadong Sahibul Mal Pengiran Anak Haji Khamis ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hashim Jalilul Alam Aqamaddin[28]
Pengiran Temenggong Sahibul Bahar Temenggong Vacant - Yang Teramat Mulia Seri Paduka Pengiran Temenggong Sahibul Bahar Pengiran Haji Mohammad bin Pengiran Abdul Rahman Piut[29]
Pengiran Pemancha Sahibul Rae' Wal-Mashuarah Pemancha Vacant - Yang Teramat Mulia Seri Paduka Pengiran Pemancha Sahibul Rae' Wal-Mashuarah Pengiran Anak Haji Mohamed Alam ibni Al-Marhum Pengiran Bendahara Pengiran Anak Abdul Rahman[30]

See also

References
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  2. Gin, Ooi Keat (2013-05-29). Post-War Borneo, 1945-1950: Nationalism, Empire and State-Building. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-05810-5.
  3. Sullivan, Anwar; Leong, Cecilia (1981). Commemorative History of Sabah, 1881-1981. Sabah State Government, Centenary Publications Committee. p. 92.
  4. Gin, Ooi Keat (2015-12-14). Brunei - History, Islam, Society and Contemporary Issues. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-65997-6.
  5. Awang.), Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri (Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Diraja Dato Seri Utama Haji (1997). Tarsilah Brunei: Zaman kegemilangan dan kemasyhuran (in Malay). Jabatan Pusat Sejarah, Kementerian Kebudayaan Belia dan Sukan. p. 109.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
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  7. 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. pp. 10–11, 14, 19. ISBN 978-99917-34-22-4.
  8. Brunei, Muzium (1971). Brunei Museum Journal. Brunei Museum. p. 4.
  9. Treacher, W. H. Sir (2022-09-04). British Borneo: Sketches of Brunai, Sarawak, Labuan, and North Borneo. DigiCat.
  10. HAJI WAHSALFELAH, SITI NORKHALBI (2014). Sejarah Sosio-Budaya Kraftangan di Brunei Darussalam: Barangan Logam dan Kain Tenunan (PDF) (in Malay). Jurnal Kajian Sejarah & Pendidikan Sejarah. p. 35.
  11. "Bendahara | Malay Court, Sultanate, Financial Management | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  12. Baring-Gould, Sabine; Bampfylde, C. A. (1909). A History of Sarawak Under Its Two White Rajahs, 1839-1908. H. Sotheran & Company. pp. xxii.
  13. The Brunei Museum journal. The Museum. 1969. p. 109.
  14. "More Origin of Place Names in Brunei". More Origin of Place Names in Brunei. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
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  20. Melayu Islam Beraja Menengah II (in Malay). Jabatan Perkembangan Kurikulum. 1998. p. 186. ISBN 9991722394.
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  23. "The Brunei Darussalam State Flag". Information Department.
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