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Chapter Three
SULTAN HASHIM:
A VILLAIN OR VICTIM
The Tutong disturbances of 1901 gave a strong reason for the British
Foreign Office to act decisively with regard to the future of Brunei. It was
to be nothing but a final act, a fait accompli, for dismembering the
sultanate. The Sarawak Rajah was waiting in the wings for the windfall.
Adverse feedback on Brunei (engineered by pro-Brooke sources)
flowed ceaselessly in British circles. First, the residents of the rebellious
districts of Belait and Tutong had allegedly opted for Sarawak Rajah rule,
because it was portrayed as a compassionate government which did not
oppress the people with burdensome taxation. Second, the truncated
Brunei, following the Limbang fiasco, was seen as a barren wasteland to
be better managed by the Sarawak Rajah. Third, complaints by some
thriving Chinese shop keepers/money lenders operating in Brunei Town
about indiscretion by some members of the palace were taken at face
value to prove that Brunei was not a safe place for free trading. Fourth,
Brunei had hopelessly become a bankrupt State. The scrambling
speculators were left with little to grab by way of concessions, monopolies,
mortgages and rights for taxation from the hapless royal family. Fifth, a
cynical view spread that Sultan Hashim Jalilul Alam and his ministers
were expecting a better price for the final surrender of Brunei than the
sum offered by Rajah Brooke. Lastly, Sultan Hashim was suspected of
coveting other foreign powers to the detriment of British interests.
All these were exaggerated accusations no doubt but needed
investigation. Justice, however was on the side of the reigning Sultan
Hashim, notwithstanding his past misdemeanours. No one seemed to
have appreciated the deep wounds he was nursing in his mind, as a proud
scion of an ancient kingdom. His faith in the British seemed to have
vanished. True, his forefathers had made the original and cardinal mistake
of hiring a foreigner – James Brooke – to get a toehold in their kingdom.
Since then, he and his successor had aggressively extended control over
large parts of Brunei. The cash hungry Brunei royalty was mainly
responsible for this catastrophe by ceding many lands for money.
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B. A. Hussainmiya