Pengiran Ibnu Basit

Pengiran Ibnu Basit bin Pengiran Haji ApongEfn|The alternate spelling of his given name is "Pengiran Ibnu Ba'asith" rather than "Pengiran Ibnu Basit." who served as the ketua kampung of Sungai Kianggeh. In early December 1960, a radio station and the local newspaper announced a two-year officer cadet training opportunity at the Federation Military College (FMC) in Malaya. By mid-December, 17 cadets who had applied for the programme underwent a selection process at the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien College gymnasium in Tasek Lama, where they were interviewed by a panel of four officers from the Malayan armed forces. Only three out of the seven candidates were selected: Sulaiman Damit, Mohammad Daud, and Awangku Ibnu Basit, who became known as the "three musketeers." On 24 December 1960, they took their oaths before departing Brunei the next day through Singapore.

During their first year as junior cadets, they underwent basic military training, which included parade drills, weapons handling, tactics, administration, and the military code of justice. Alongside their military instruction, they also received academic education to prepare for the Higher School Certificate, equivalent to the GCE 'A' Level. Their second year of senior cadet training was significantly more challenging. By 4 November 1961, as part of the Malayan armed forces, the cadets were temporarily assigned to a battalion in Mentakab, Pahang, and Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan, where they gained practical experience and further honed their skills. During this time, he spent three months at a marine school in Labuan, learning seamanship and navigation. Shortly after, he was appointed commanding officer of and was also associated with the Marine Department, undertaking voyages to Limbang and Labuan. He was later selected to attend a two-week navigation course in Singapore, returning home in mid-1966 with a newly acquired riverine patrol boat. Due to his strong performance, he was given the opportunity to enrol in an advanced course in Kota Kinabalu. Notably, during a deployment to Kuching, he was involved in a rescue operation when one of his crew members fell overboard while passing through the Sarawak River.

In 1968, alongside the other "three musketeers," he underwent advanced small arms and tactics training at the British Army School of Infantry in Warminster. This was followed by attachments to three British battalions in Germany and a British infantry brigade. After completing this training, he was promoted to major on 1 July 1969, along with Captain H. N. Houghton. In 1971, he attended a course in Australia after passing the Staff College Entrance Examination. During Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Brunei in 1972, he was appointed as her parade commander. In 1977, he became aide-de-camp to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and in 1986, he retired with the rank of major general.

On 8 June 2000, Achmad Sutjipto, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy, paid a courtesy call to Pengiran Ibnu Basit as part of his two-day official visit to Brunei following his appointment as commander the previous year. Later, on 31 July, the Ministry of Defence hosted the 6th Defence Cooperation Committee meeting between Bruneian and Malaysian governments at the Royal Brunei Recreation Club, where military training programs and other defense cooperation initiatives were discussed. During this meeting, bilateral defence topics were reviewed during a courtesy visit by Malaysian Ministry of Defence's secretary with Pengiran Ibnu Basit. Additionally, on 14 September, Pengiran Ibnu Basit attended a briefing at the Bolkiah Garrison by the multinational company Thomson-CSF, which presented management-level employment opportunities to senior government officials.

As part of a three-day formal visit to deepen bilateral military and defence cooperation between Malaysia and Brunei, Malaysian Defence Minister Najib Razak made a courtesy call to Pengiran Ibnu Basit at his office in Bolkiah Garrison on 29 January 2001. During the visit, Pengiran Ibnu Basit emphasised the importance of thoroughly understanding and sincerely executing their mission to protect the nation's sovereignty. On 11 May, he reminded the RBAF personnel not to become complacent, stressing the critical role they play as the nation's defence line and the need to carry out their duties and responsibilities with dedication.

As part of a three-day official visit to strengthen bilateral defence ties between Brunei and Thailand, Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and his delegation arrived in Brunei on 10 April 2002 and paid a courtesy call to Pengiran Ibnu Basit on 1 May. Later that month, on 20 April, Chief of Defence Force Lim Chuan Poh and his delegation also paid a courtesy call. On 22 October, as part of a one-day visit to enhance defence relations with Australia, Chief of Air Force Angus Houston and his delegation followed suit with a courtesy call to Pengiran Ibnu Basit. Later, on 17 December, he received a courtesy call from Md Hashim Hussein, the Chief of Army, who had previously visited the Commander of the RBAF, Halbi Mohd Yussof, at the same location.

On 30 January 2003, Pengiran Ibnu Basit attended a demonstration of the new Forges de Zeebrugge (FZ Rocket) system for the Bo105s at Binturan Firing Range. On 12 March, Pengiran Ibnu Basit received a courtesy call from Jean-Paul Panié, director general for international relations, who was in Brunei leading the French delegation for the 4th Brunei–France Joint Defence Working Committee Meeting. From 30 May to 1 June, he attended the 2nd Asia Security Conference: The Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, alongside defence ministers, deputy ministers, and military leaders from the Asia–Pacific.

On 16 March 2004, Pengiran Ibnu Basit hosted Chappy Hakim, chief of staff of the Indonesian Air Force, for a courtesy visit during his two-day trip aimed at enhancing military cooperation between the two nations. Later that year, on 21 September, he officiated the opening of the 33rd Pacific Area Senior Officer Logistics Seminar in Brunei, where senior military officials gathered to discuss regional security and logistics collaboration. His tenure as deputy minister ended with his retirement during the cabinet reshuffle on 24 May 2005, with Yasmin Umar appointed as his successor.

Later life After his ministerial career, Pengiran Ibnu Basit served as an advisor to the Brunei Darussalam Former Soldiers Association. Additionally, he became a member of the Adat Istiadat Council as early as 2018.

On 21 October 2022, Mohammad and Pengiran Ibnu Basit attended the FMC Intake 5 60th anniversary reunion in Kuala Lumpur, where they met with other veterans. Following this, on 21 November 2024, Pengiran Ibnu Basit was appointed as a member of the Council of Succession by the command of the sultan. On 8 January 2025, in a ceremony presided over by Pengiran Ibnu Basit and Shari Ahmad, the headquarters of the Veteran Association of RBAF was officially renamed WISMA PERWIRA.

Personal life Pengiran Ibnu Basit has a brother, Pengiran Umar, who served as the police commissioner from 1984 to 1991.

Titles, styles and honours Titles and styles

In 1973, Pengiran Ibnu Basit was honoured by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah with the cheteria title of . He was later elevated to the title of in 1974, and eventually to on 10 February 1977. His titles are styled as .

1973 – 1974: 1974 – 10 February 1977: 10 February 1977 – present:

Awards VECONAC Medal of Honour (7 October 2016) VECONAC Honorary President (7 October 2016)

National

Foreign Egypt :

Indonesia :

Malaysia :

Singapore :

Things named after him Surau Pengiran Ratna Indera, a place of worship in the 2nd Battalion's Tutong Camp Jalan Pengiran Ibnu, a road in Tutong Camp Jalan Ibnu, a road in Tutong Camp