Resuscitating Nationalism : Brunei under the Japanese Military Administration (1941-1945)

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Like in many other areas ofhistorical research, Brunei Darussalam lacks substantial study on the period of Japanese involvement which has been variously termed as the Japanese occupation periodj or the period of the Japanese interlude and so on. The disruptive nature of the occupation period aside, it has now been acknowledged that this `Japanese phase' created a new national and social awareness among the indigenous communities, especially the majority Malay-Muslim population in the region (cf. Abu Talib Ahmad 1995). The period undoubtedly witnessed the birth of a new political awareness among Malay youth, the willingness of the Malays to break off from their oppressive and parochial environment and the flowering of new social organizations in various segments of society including women (Zainal Abidin Abidin Wahid 1983; Aisah Ghani 1992). While it, may not have been the Japanese intention, the wartime occupation of Brunei, Singapore, Malaya and the Borneo territories alike gave stimulus to the pan-Malay aspirations of the educated nationalist Malay elites. wnile pan-Malayism did not take a virulently anti-British form in Brunei as it did in Sarawak (Sanib Said 1985), at the same time Brunei could not remain quarantined from the nationalist currents washing out from Indonesian anti-colonialist movement, another legacy of the Japanese Occupation. Not all Malay-Muslim communities, which came under the Japanese administration, have been studied in depth, including Brunei. In general, historical research on Brunei Darussalam have lagged behind due to several reasons. The country remained isolated during most of the British Residency rule which lasted from 1906 until 1959 (cf. Horton 1986). Also, the Brunei Malays lack a strong historiographic tradition (Brown 1988: 75-85). Since attaining fu11 independence in 1984, Bnmei has become a fbcus for specialized studies. The establishment of Brunei's first University of Brunei Darussalam in 1985 has contributed to an increased awareness to improve.research on Brunei related topics. Like in the other parts of Southeast Asia, Brunei lacks vital historical material to elucidate the period under study. The War destroyed the rudimentary Archives of Brunei built by the British Residents. The British Administration destroyed impbrtant documents to prevent them from fa11ing into the hands of their enemies. The Japanese too would have done the same. According to a story currently .circulating in Brunei, a leading Brunei official, namely Pehin Datu Haji Ibrahim Ja'afar, the Chief Secretary during the Japanese period, took care to preserve some selected documents including land grants and State Council