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Brunei: Revival of 1906
Sultan Hashim himself had to bear the blame for handing over
key territories while he served as Pengiran Temenggung, during the reign
of Sultan Abdul Mumin. The Temenggung sincerely regretted his past
when in 1885 he took the oath Umanat under the Sultan. For the
Temenggung, like others in his shoes, it was like bolting the door of
stables after the escape of horses. When he came to power in 1885 as
Sultan Hashim, he bore the heaviest responsibility to stand by the Umanat.
Yet, it was he who lost the last worthy piece of land – Limbang – but this
time due to direct and unjust aggression by Brooke. Sultan Hashim thus
faced the most perilous situation at the very end of his life. Since then,
Sultan Hashim became “battle-hardened” from negotiating any deals.
Desperately trying to cling on to his throne, he was “the last man standing”
against the might of Brooke.
EARLY CAREER
Hashim Jalilul, or Pengiran Anak Hashim as he was known (not to be
confused with his nemesis, Pengiran Muda Hashim, who was the chief
minister under Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II), was perhaps one of the
most important yet contentious figures in Brunei history. Many
Westerners visited or had passed through his kingdom during his reign
and left vivid accounts of the State, the palace and Bruneian town of
Kampung Ayer. Some of their impressions were compiled in a short
booklet titled Pictures of the Palace by Simon Francis. The Sultan and his
surroundings have been described negatively if not disparagingly by some
of these visitors at a time when the sultanate had entered the phase of “a
dying kingdom.”
Pengiran Anak Hashim Jalilul was born to Sultan Omar Ali
Saifuddin II (d. 1852). However, his mother was not the royal consort.
Opinions differ regarding his actual date of birth. It has been placed
from a date between the years 1811 to 1835. However, A. V. M. Horton’s
estimate of 1824 seems to be more plausible. Years of stress caused by
involvement in statecraft had sapped his energy in his octogenarian years.
He was an old and feeble Sultan when he was met by McArthur in 1904,
who thought his age to be 70 while the Sultan himself told him that he
had reached his 80s.
Pengiran Anak Hashim was no ordinary chief; confrontational at
times and diplomatic at other times. Contemporary British accounts
portray him as a crafty and determined personality who harboured no
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