Pengiran Muhammad Yusuf bin Abdul Rahim (May 2, 1923 – April 11, 2016), pen name Yura Halim, was a

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...

an politician, civil servant, diplomat, and writer. He served as the

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

(Menteri Besar) of Brunei from 1967 to 1972. Halim wrote the lyrics for Brunei's

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

, "

Allah Peliharakan Sultan "" ( Jawi: ; "God Bless the Sultan") is the national anthem of Brunei Darussalam. The anthem is sung in Malay, the national language of the country. It was written by Pengiran Haji Mohamed Yusuf bin Pengiran Abdul Rahim (later bestowed with the ...

," in 1947. The song was adopted as the country's official national anthem in 1951, when it was still a British

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

. Halim was longtime member of the Legislative Council of Brunei, serving on the council until his death in 2016.

Early life

Halim was born in Tutong,

, on May 2, 1923. He began his education at Bukit Bendera Malay School in Tutong, which he attend from age 10 until he reached fifth grade. In 1939, he became a trainee teacher, or

student teacher A student teacher or prac teacher (''practice teacher'') is a college, university or graduate student who is teaching under the supervision of a certified teacher in order to qualify for a degree in education. The term is also often used intercha ...

, at Bukit Bendera Malay School, which is now known as Muda Hashim Secondary School, in Tutong. He then enrolled in courses to become a teacher at Sultan Idris Teachers College in Perak, British Malaya, beginning in 1939. Following the

Japanese invasion of Malaya The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles betwee ...

in 1941, Halim was transferred to Kita Bornei Kanri Yosei Jo in Kuching,

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

, to study the

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ...

. In 1944, Halim enrolled in advanced Japanese studies at the International School Kokusai Gakuyukai in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. Halim then studied at the Hiroshima University of Arts and Sciences, now known as present-day

Hiroshima University is a Japanese national university located in Higashihiroshima and Hiroshima, Japan. Established in 1929, it was chartered as a university in 1949 following the merge of a number of national educational institutions. History Under the Nationa ...

, in April 1945, towards the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. On August 6, 1945, Halim, who was a student in at the university, survived the

atomic bombing of Hiroshima The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...

. Yura Halim was one of only three Southeast Asian students who survived the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The other two survivors were

Abdul Razak ʻAbd al-Razzāq (ALA-LC romanization of ar, عبد الرزاق) is a male Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Razzāq'', one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to ...

, who later became a professor of Japanese in Malaysia, and Hasan Rahaya, an

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n politician.

Career

Yura Halim returned to Brunei following the end of World War II, where he worked as a teacher at Kuala Belait Malay School. He also studied

public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit est ...

at South Devon Technical College in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, in 1954. He was then appointed as an officer in the Information Office in 1957. In 1962, he was further appointed as the Deputy State Secretary and Director of Broadcasting and Information, a position he held from 1962 to 1964. Halim was elevated to the post of State Secretary of Brunei in 1964. He was appointed acting Chief Minister of Brunei in 1965 and was confirmed to the office as permanent Chief Minister in 1967. He held the office of Chief Minister, also known as ''Menteri Besar'', from 1967 to 1972. In 1968, he was bestowed the title ''Pengiran Setia Negara'', admitting him into the senior ranks of the ''Cheteria'' ministers. He retired from the Bruneian civil service in 1973. In 1995, Yura Halim was appointed High Commissioner of Brunei to

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. He was next appointed Ambassador to Japan in 2001. Halim, a resident of Sengkarai in

Tutong District Tutong District (; Jawi: دائيره توتوڠ) or simply Tutong is one of the four districts of Brunei. It has an area of ; the population was 48,313 in 2016. The administrative town is Pekan Tutong. It is home to Tasek Merimbun, the count ...

, died on April 11, 2016, at the age of 92. He was survived by eight children, 38 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren.

Honours

Yura Halim was awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from

for promoting peace and bilateral relations between Brunei and Japan on April 22, 2013. He was the first Bruneian to receive such an honor. The only two other Southeast Asian survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Hasan Rahaya of Indonesia and

of Malaysia, had previously been awarded honorary doctorates from Hiroshima University as well.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halim, Yura 1923 births 2016 deaths Chief Ministers of Brunei Government ministers of Brunei Hibakusha Members of the Legislative Council of Brunei National anthem writers High Commissioners of Brunei to Malaysia Ambassadors of Brunei to Japan Bruneian civil servants Bruneian songwriters Bruneian writers Brunei–Japan relations ms:Yura Halim