Sheikh Ahmad M. Azahari bin Sheikh Mahmud (28 August 1928 – 30 May 2002), better known as A. M. Azahari, was a Bruneian politician, businessman and nationalist who fought against Dutch colonialism in the Dutch East Indies, the chairman of the Parti Rakyat Brunei (Brunei People's Party) from 1947 to 1962, and the Prime Minister of the North Borneo Federation in 1962.
Having trained under the Japanese, Azahari elevated Brunei's political opposition to colonialism to unprecedented levels. After serving as an anti-colonialist soldier in Java, he returned in 1952 and became the catalyst for the Brunei revolt against British colonial interests. During the 20th century, he was arguably the most charismatic politician in Brunei. He was an instrument of Indonesian imperialism and is known to have publicly opposed Brunei's admission into the Federation of Malaysia.
Early life and education A. M. Azahari, also known as Sheikh Ahmad M. Azahari bin Sheikh Mahmud, was born in the Crown Colony of Labuan on 28 August 1928. His mother was Bruneian Malay, while his grandfather, Sheikh Abdul Hamid, was of Arab descent hence the Sheikh moniker. He has three brothers who are Sheikh Nikman, Sheikh Muhammad and Sheikh Osman. In addition, Mahmud Saedon is his nephew. He was raised in a family with ties to the Bruneian sultan, whose ancestry predates the initial waves of European colonisation. According to historian Bachamiya A. Hussainmiya, it is not possible to verify the truth about his 'Brunei birth'. Many people claimed he was born in Labuan, but Azahari strongly denied the claims and said he was born in Brunei Town in a house on the site where the Churchill Memorial Museum (currently Royal Regalia Museum) was later built.
In pre-war Brunei, Azahari had known Omar Ali Saifuddin, the younger brother of the 27th Sultan of Brunei, Ahmad Tajuddin. He attended the Brunei Town Catholic mission school (later St. George's School) and studied English there. The Japanese occupation of Brunei, they chose Azahari, then fifteen years old, to go to school in the Dutch East Indies and pursue a career in veterinary medicine.
Despite going against his parents' wishes, he arrived alone in Jakarta with what appeared to be inadequate documentation to sustain his claim he was on a Japanese scholarship, he was temporarily detained by the Kempeitai. He was only allowed to continue south to Buitenzorg when a military administrator from Jakarta interfered. As the only delegate from Brunei, Azahari quickly got to know Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, the delegate from Sarawak. He did not finish his official training in Java, he stayed on and enrolled at the (Economics School) in 1947, where he spent two of his four years course studying business-related courses.
Independence of Indonesia Azahari joined the Indonesian independence movement against the Dutch East Indies after meeting Mohammad Hatta in Java. He became friends with Ahmad Zaidi Adruce of Sarawak at Bogor, and the two of them started an independence movement for the British-ruled areas of northern Borneo. After Sukarno and Hatta unilaterally declared Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945, Azahari entered the fight against the Dutch and fought in the Battle of Palembang and Battle of Surabaya. He enlisted in the Badan Keamanan Rakyat (BKR), which was General Sudirman's predecessor to the Indonesian Army, in the middle of 1945.
He stayed in the Dutch East Indies for the duration of the Indonesian National Revolution. When Dutch and British soldiers landed in Tanjung Priok in September and October 1945, he took part in demonstrations and fighting. Using Japanese weaponry, the BKR—later renamed Tentara Keamanan Rakyat (TKR)—fought in several clashes at Tanah Tinggi. To make his first mission in Banten easier, he learned the Sundanese language and taught a group of twenty-seven recruits. An important incident that happened while he was there was the killing of an Indonesian commander and seven other people while fighting Dutch soldiers close to Tangerang. Even though their remains were only found a week after the war, he performed a ceremony for their burial in front of a mosque.
While on a visit to Jakarta, he was captured by the Dutch and sent into British captivity, where he fully revealed to British officials his role in the Indonesian independence movement before being freed. Under the leadership of Raden Muliarwan and Colonel Sambas Atmadinata, Azahari operated in Purwakarta from 1946 to 1950, mostly obtaining intelligence on Dutch operations. For over a month and a half, he covered a large region on foot to report on enemy operations southeast of Jakarta. Because of his commitment to Islam during these operations, he gained respect from Islamic insurgents who ran their own separate operations alongside the nationalist movement.
He participated in the motorcade parade celebrating Indonesian independence from Purwakarta in 1949. In an effort to avoid factional conflicts following victory, district military commanders were entrusted with ensuring an easy transition to Indonesian governance. Despite the considerable Islamic separatist presence in the region, Azahari's nomination as head of the administrative committee for West Java acknowledged his relationship with Darul Islam leaders. Sambas, who had first welcomed his appointment, was taken aback when he foresaw continued instability in the event that talks with Darul Islam would not begin. He quit when Sambas accused him of advocating, but a number of influential people, including the chief of police, the government secretary, and the leader of the West Java Masjumi, pushed him to change his mind. However, he declined. In an additional act of protest, he resigned as a captain in the Indonesian Armed Forces. As soon as he completed this task, he was contacted by Sukamto, the head of the national police, and his deputy to join Captain Soeprapto.
Return to Brunei After five years, Azahari finally returned to Brunei, but not before encountering challenges organised by British Resident Eric Ernest Falk Pretty, who at first denied his request to come back even after his identity was known. Pretty, who had known his family prior to the war, attempted to convince his uncle, Pengiran Mohammad, not to help arrange for his return, arguing that Sukarno had had a bad effect on him. In the end, he got a travel visa from the British embassy in Jakarta and went to Singapore, where he stayed with a Bruneian family until money was supplied, with the Colonial Office delegating the choice to the Sultan. Only a select handful were originally aware of his covert return to Brunei; he arrived by ship to Labuan, where he saw his father before being transported by his uncle. Despite this, he arrived in Brunei in October 1952 and once obtaining Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III's approval.
Hales, the manager of BMPC, was eager to deport the last forty Indonesian workers in 1953, so he purposefully portrayed them, Azahari, and the dissatisfaction among Bruneian Malay labour force as a danger to the company's ability to produce oil. Azahari's involvement in the independence struggle and his exploits during the Indonesian revolution won him great admiration from the younger generation. However, British oil interests aimed to throw doubt on his intentions and damage his standing with the Sultan. He was seen as a danger to the British Malayan Petroleum Company's (BMPC) economic interests in Brunei, and they described him as a "communist troublemaker and promoter of Indonesian interests."
Azahari's attempt to form the Brunei Film Production Company (BRUFICO) on 28 October 1952, was a calculated move to draw attention to Brunei's injustices committed by the British. He suggested issuing shares to raise M$250,000. His application was denied because Bruneians were not permitted to independently create these kinds of businesses under the rules in effect at the time. The colonial officials interfered, refusing registration despite the Sultan's original desire to become a stakeholder and igniting a protest against Brunei's restrictive business laws. Together with a sizable group of people, Azahari and his brothers petitioned British Resident J.C.H. Barcroft on 23 January 1953, asking him to reevaluate their application for the Brunei Film Company. The assembly was authorised by State Treasurer E.Q. Cousins at first since the European police officer was not there, but Barcroft eventually declared it to be illegal.
Azahari and his brothers were persuaded to come outside by police officials to prevent any legal complications with their arrests inside their father's home. Once outside, they were taken into custody. On 29 January, Azahari and seven other people—among them his third brother, Sheikh Nikman—were accused of being participants of an unlawful assembly and breach of the peace. He was given a six-month sentence imprisonment by the magistrate, Assistant Resident G.A.T. Shaw. Shaw declared that he would not allow Brunei's calm to be disturbed. Despite being in jail, his popularity grew, and an underground movement () began forming, with plans to organize a revolt, take over police stations, release Azahari, and establish a provisional government under his leadership. After his release, from 1953 to 1956, Azahari focused on business activities, frequently traveling between Singapore and Malaya.
His father, Sheikh Mahmud, asked Singaporean attorney David Marshall, to handle an appeal, which was heard on 4 March 1953. His sentence was lowered from six months in prison and a M$500 fine to just three months. Two days before the appeal, a false rumour circulated claiming that his loyal forces were about to rebel, creating a crisis. The rumour stemmed from the desertion of six constables from the oilfield detachment, who left a note indicating they were joining the resistance forces in the jungle. Another rumor suggested all police were poised to surrender their weapons to the Indonesian labour force and carry out mass desertion. Early 1953 BMPC investigations revealed that him, with direct help from Indonesia, was aiming to take over police stations, acquire weapons, and gather the European people.
Deportation was an option for Azahari in Brunei, but it would require taking the natural-born citizen of Brunei and transferring him to Indonesia. Instead, the chief secretary of Anthony Abell suggested a different strategy for handling him. He recommended that Azahari be sent to a secluded area in Brunei and "rusticated." seemed unaware of the consequences of colonial authoritarian control. Despite being highly controversial, Brunei passed rustication laws 'without much trouble,' keeping Azahari in mind. Azahari became close friends with British Resident John Orman Gilbert and concentrated on managing his bus company, which employed 72 people and provided support to many in the oilfields. Gilbert stated that Azahari was no longer a problem and was actively involved in a number of companies, such as a stationery store, a quarry, a stone-crushing company, and a newspaper known as Suara Bakti (Voice of Service). With the help of Mesir Karuddin, his old prison warden, Azahari persisted in pursuing his political objectives despite his commercial endeavours.