Omar Ali Saifuddien III

Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien (23 September 1914 – 7 September 1986) was the 28th Sultan of Brunei, reigning from 1950 until his abdication from the throne in 1967.

He was also Brunei's first Minister of Defence after the country's independence.

He was known as "The Architect of Modern Brunei", "The Royal Poet", and "The Father of Independence".

During his reign, three chief ministers were appointed according to the Constitution.

They were Ibrahim Mohammed Jaafar, Marsal Maun, and Yura Halim.

Pengiran Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien was born at Istana Kota, Kampong Sultan Lama, Brunei Town on 23 September 1914.

He was the second son of Muhammad Jamalul Alam II and Raja Isteri Fatimah.

Omar Ali Saifuddien, under the behest of his British mentor and father-figure Sir Roland Evelyn Turnbull, studied at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) in Perak, British Malaya from 1932 to 1936.

As a result, he was the first of the Brunei sultans to receive formal education in a foreign institution.

After completing education in Malaya, he returned to Brunei in 1936 to work in the Forestry Department, as a Cadet Officer.

In 1937, he was transferred to the Judiciary Department, also became an administrative officer in 1938.

During the Japanese occupation of Brunei from 1941 until 1945, Omar Ali Saifuddien worked under State Secretary Ibrahim Mohammad Jahfar.

After the Second World War, in 1947, he was subsequently appointed a member of Brunei State Council and chairman of the Syariah Court.

He had the title Pengiran Bendahara Seri Maharaja Permaisuara conferred on him by his brother, Ahmad Tajuddin on 15 July 1947.

Upon the sudden death of his brother in Singapore, who left no male heirs, on 4 June 1950, he was proclaimed the next Sultan on 6 June 1950.

Omar Ali Saifuddien was crowned as the Sultan Dan Yang Di-Pertuan in the Old Lapau on 31 May 1951.

In conjunction of the coronation, he was conferred with the Honorary Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) by Queen Elizabeth II.

In September 1951, upon becoming Sultan, he performed his first pilgrimage to Mecca.

In 1952 the Sultan worked for the implementation of the constitution as the foundation of governance and the achievement of independence from the United Kingdom.

He also attended the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey, London on 2 June 1953.

On 9 June 1953, he was conferred with the Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (KCMG) by Queen Elizabeth II.

In July 1953, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III formed a seven-member committee named Tujuh Serangkai to find out the citizens’ views regarding a written constitution for Brunei.

The First National Development plan was introduced in 1953.

A total sum of B$100 million was approved by the Brunei State Council for the plan.

E.R. Bevington from the Colonial Office in Fiji.

A $14 million Gas Plant was built under the plan.

In May 1954, a meeting attended by the Sultan, the Resident and the High Commissioner was held to discuss the findings of the committee.

In 1954, survey and exploration works were undertaken by Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) on both offshore and onshore fields.

By 1956, production reached 114,700 bpd.

In March 1959 the Sultan led a delegation to London to discuss the proposed constitution.

The British delegation was led by Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton who was the Secretary of State for the Colonies.

The British Government later accepted the draft constitution.

On 29 September 1959, the Constitution Agreement was signed in Brunei Town.

The agreement was signed by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III and Sir Robert Scott, the Commissioner-General for Southeast Asia.

Some of the points of the constitution were:

Five councils were also set up:

...The success which we had get in this year (1959) had attract and made us happy, especially as a victory which our people had dreamed of, that is the Written Constitution for Brunei.

With this Constitution, our country now faced one great change.

With the enforcement of this Written Constitution, which, hopefully, can be enforced, this mean Brunei will had its internal self government.

He had launched the first delivery of a 10-inch oil pipeline from the seabed off the coast of the Seria oil field on 28 October 1964.