Marsal Maun

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Maun is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Marsal. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.
Yang Amat Berhormat Dato Seri Paduka
Marsal Maun
SPMB DSNB SMB POAS PJK
مرسل ماون
Dato Marsal in 1964
2nd Menteri Besar of Brunei
In office
1 September 1962 – 4 November 1968
MonarchOmar Ali Saifuddien III
DeputyPengiran Muhammad Ali
Preceded byIbrahim Mohammad Jahfar
Succeeded byPengiran Muhammad Yusuf
Personal details
Born(1913-11-08)8 November 1913
Kampong Pulau Ambok, Brunei Town, Brunei
Died28 March 2000(2000-03-28) (aged 86)
Kampong Telanai, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Resting placeTelanai 'A' Muslim Cemetery, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
SpouseZubaidah Othman
Children4
Parent(s)Maun Abdul Rahman (father)
Hajijah Abdul Jalil (mother)
Alma materSultan Idris Training College
Profession
  • Politician
  • teacher
Awards1993 Teacher's Day Award

Marsal bin Maun (8 November 1913 – 28 March 2000) was a Bruneian politician and educator who served as the second Menteri Besar of Brunei from 1961 to 1962. His tenure was marked by the outbreak of the Brunei revolt in December 1962. Marsal played a pivotal role in establishing both the Brunei Malay Teachers Association (PGGMB) and the Brunei Scout Movement, which continue to thrive today. A prominent figure within the PGGMB, he was also closely associated with Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III. He was one of the "three M's" that concerned the British government, alongside Pengiran Muhammad Ali and Pengiran Muhammad Yusuf.[1]

Early life and education

Marsal Maun was born on 8 November 1913 at Kampong Pulau Ambok (currently known as Kampong Pintu Malim). He had his early education at the Malay School in Jalan Pemancha from 1923 to 1929.[2] After passing primary four, Marsal was appointed as a probationary teacher, and in 1930 he together with Basir Taha attended a teacher training course at the Sultan Idris Training College (SITC), Tanjung Malim, British Malaya, where he became one of the first two Bruneians to qualify as a teacher there in 1933.[3][2]

Civil service

Upon his return from the United Kingdom, Marsal was as a teacher at Jalan Pemancha Malay School, Brunei Town, in 1933. Its as there, when he formed a Scout troop with 12 boys in January 1933.[4] In January 1935,[2] he would be named acting Superintendent of Malay Education, and his appointment was confirmed in 1936.[1][3] Zaidi Taha, headmaster of the school, who was also the head of the Education Department became the Scoutmaster while Marsal serve as the Assistant Scoutmaster.[4]

Marsal later became a founding member of the PGGMB during the period before the Second World War. It was through this association that he became a close confidante of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III.[3] A number of Brunei students were trained by the Japanese during their occupation of the country; they included Marsal, Yassin Affandi, A. M. Azahari, Pengiran Muhammad Yusuf, and Jamil Al-Sufri.[5] During the occupation, Marsal was recruited into the Japanese Propaganda Department and was suspended by the British Military Administration and British Residency until September 1946.[2]

Marsal was sent back to SITC in 1949–1950 after serving as the Assistant British Resident's education adviser in Kuala Belait. He was then restored as the Superintendent of Malay Education, a position he maintained until being named Deputy State Secretary in May 1960. A member of the Brunei-Muara District Advisory Council from 1954 to 1957; a "Observer" of the State Council from 1954 to 1957; an unofficial member of the State Council from 1957 to 1959; and, up until August 1961, an unofficial member of the Legislative and Executive Councils.[2]

Marsal was one of the people who was responsible for advising Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III in drafting the 1959 Constitution for Brunei. He was also one of the members of the constitutional delegation, representing Brunei, during the 1959 Brunei Negotiations in London.[2][6]

Menteri Besar

Dato Marsal (middle) presenting a gift to Angus MacKintosh (left) in 1963

Marsal was named Deputy State Secretary on 1 May 1960, and Acting Menteri Besar on 1 August 1961, a position he held until being confirmed on 1 September 1962.[1][7] On 4 May 1960, he was among the 12 state diginitaries selected to become the Royal Regency Council, which they would carry out the duties of the Sultan of Brunei during his trip to the Federation of Malaya.[2]

On 29 July 1961, the Standing Advisory Council on Defence convened. This body was established under the 1959 Agreement to address issues related to internal security. The High Commissioner, the Chief Police Officer, the Officer in Charge of the Special Branch, and the Menteri Besar made up its membership. The Sultan served as its chairman. However, Dato Haji Ibrahim, the Menteri Besar, was absent due to illness. In his stead, the Sultan appointed two of his closest advisors: Pengiran Ali, the head of the Department of Religious Affairs, and Dato Marsal, then Acting Menteri Besar.[8]

On 31 March 1963, Dato Marsal led a group of scouts during the farewell ceremony for the departing British High Commissioner to Brunei, Sir Dennis White at Istana Darul Hana. He proceed to thank and praise Dennis for his service to Brunei for many years.[9] On 6 December 1963, Scouts in the Belait District gathered in Padang Besar, to bid farewell to Angus MacKay Mackintosh. Dato Marsal, the Chairman of the Brunei State Scout Council, also gave the former Scout Leader a memento that had been given by Scouts across the State of Brunei.[10]

Brunei revolt

Queen's Own Highlanders on a riverine patrol in Seria during the Brunei revolt

Once the Brunei revolt got going on 8 December 1962, rebels turned off Brunei Town's electricity. The chief minister's office (Rumah Jerambak), Istana Darul Hana, and the central police station were the primary targets in the capital. The TNKU would compel the Sultan to proclaim a North Borneo Federation by holding him captive. Rebels captured the police guard and stormed the chief minister's office on Jalan Kumpang Pasang in Gadong.[11]

Dato Marsal called police headquarters to request assistance. Six officers from headquarters, including Inspector Ahmad, were deployed. The rebels surrounded and attacked the policemen after they arrived. The police surrounded themselves in a protective circle and demanded that the rebels give up. In a short while, the rebels consented to surrender and were promptly returned to the police station, where they managed to enter without incident despite considerable opposition. Accompanying them was Dato Marsal.[11]

A TNKU group traveled to Istana Darul Hana in a car and a jeep that had been captured. The Chief Minister, Dato Marsal was at the police station at the time, so the Sultan asked them to bring their petition to him instead of accepting their request to meet him. They carried out this action, and upon reaching the police station, Dato Marsal not only dismissed their appeal but also urged them to turn themselves in. After running away, the rebels were apprehended by the police.[11]

The Sultan had made a transmission on Brunei Radio earlier that morning. He denounced the TNKU revolt as unlawful and issued a dire warning to all those who assisted it. Dato Marsal also did a radio program later that morning. He issued an order for everyone in the nation to surrender their firearms and their certifications to law enforcement, and he imposed a nationwide curfew. The curfew was gradually relaxed after two days, when it was loosened between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. to allow people to purchase food and other necessities.[12] The PRB was declared to be prohibited by Dato Marsal.[13]

Later life and death

Due to health concerns on 1 October 1965, Marsal was forced to take a leave while Pengiran Muhammad Yusuf was appointed as the acting Chief Minister.[14] On 4 November 1968, Dato Marsal retired and started a private business.[1] He continued to be active as an elder statesman. He continued to give advice to more junior ministers who regarded him as mentor. Marsal died on 28 March 2000.

Personal life

Marsal Maun was married to Datin Zubaidah Othman and blessed with four children; including Zainuddin and Salim.[15]

Namesakes

Several places were named after him, including:

Honours and awards

Awards

  • 1991 Teacher's Day Award

Honours

Marsal was posthumously granted the soubriquet Bapa Perlembagaan (Father of the Constitution). Notably, he was also awarded;[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Hussainmiya 2000, p. 248.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Mohamad Yusop Damit 1995, p. 404.
  3. ^ a b c Pelita Brunei 1960, p. 3.
  4. ^ a b Buku Laporan tahunan Negeri Brunei Tahun 1933.
  5. ^ Hussainmiya 2003, p. 285.
  6. ^ Siti Nor Anis Nadiah Haji Mohamad & Mariam Abdul Rahman 2021, p. 36–37.
  7. ^ Sidhu 2009, p. 143.
  8. ^ Mohamad Yusop Damit 1995, p. 297.
  9. ^ Pelita Brunei (3 April 1963), p. 4.
  10. ^ Pelita Brunei (18 December 1963), p. 2.
  11. ^ a b c Dato’ Haji Harun Bin Haji Abdul Majid, p. 13.
  12. ^ Dato’ Haji Harun Bin Haji Abdul Majid, p. 15.
  13. ^ Dato’ Haji Harun Bin Haji Abdul Majid, p. 20.
  14. ^ Pelita Brunei (6 October 1965), p. 1.
  15. ^ Catalogue of Privy Council Papers 1998.
  16. ^ AROUND BRUNEI 2012.
  17. ^ Borneo Bulletin 2005, p. 15.
  18. ^ Pelita Brunei (1 March 1967), p. 8.
  19. ^ Pelita Brunei (2 October 1963), p. 2.
  20. ^ Pelita Brunei (1 October 1958), p. 4.
  21. ^ Steinberg 2016, p. 153.
  22. ^ "65 DAPAT BINTANG DAN PINGAT HARI" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). 7 October 1959. p. 1. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  23. ^ Brunei Government Gazette (PDF). Brunei History Centre. 1 February 1951. p. 14.
Political offices
Preceded by 2nd Menteri Besar
1 September 1962 – 4 November 1968 		Succeeded by