

226
Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2023
First used in 1906, the Brunei
Darussalam flag is made up of four
colours: yellow, white, black and red.
The yellow serves as a backdrop with
two wide stripes of black and white
across it diagonally. A red state crest,
added in 1959, sits in the centre of the
flag. The national flag was officially
used when the Sultanate signed
the Supplementary Agreement with
Britain.
The colours represent the signatories
of the agreement: yellow for the Sultan,
white for the Pengiran Bendahara and
black for the Pengiran Pemancha.
The National Crest
consists of:
• The
Bendera
(flag)
• The
Payung Ubor-Ubor
(the royal umbrella)
• The
Sayap
(wing of four feathers) which
signifies the protection of justice,
tranquillity, prosperity and peace
• The
Tangan
(hands) represents the
government’s pledge to promote
welfare, peace and prosperity
• The
Bulan
(crescent) which
symbolises Islam – the national
religion of Brunei
The Arabic characters inscribed on the
crescent read “Always in Service with
God’s Guidance”, while the words on
the scroll mean “Brunei, the Abode of
Peace”.
Flag and Crest