Yura Halim

Pengiran Muhammad Yusuf (2 May 1923 – 11 April 2016), pen name Yura Halim, was a Bruneian nobleman, politician, civil servant, diplomat, and writer.

Pengiran Yusuf was born in Tutong, Brunei, 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, 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 in 1941, Halim was transferred to Kita Bornei Kanri Yosei Jo in Kuching, Sarawak, to study the Japanese language.

In 1944, Pengiran Yusuf enrolled in advanced Japanese studies at the International School Kokusai Gakuyukai in Tokyo.

He then studied at the Hiroshima University of Arts and Sciences, now known as present-day Hiroshima University, in April 1945, towards the end of World War II.

On August 6, 1945, Pengiran Yusuf, who was a student in at the university, survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Pengiran Yusuf was one of only three Southeast Asian students who survived the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The other two survivors were Abdul Razak, who later became a professor of Japanese in Malaysia, and Hasan Rahaya, an Indonesian politician.

Pengiran Yusuf returned to Brunei following the end of World War II, where he worked as a teacher at Kuala Belait Malay School.

He wrote the lyrics for Brunei's national anthem, "Allah Peliharakan Sultan," in 1947.

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

He also studied public administration at South Devon Technical College in Devon, England, United Kingdom, 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.

Pengiran Yusuf 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 served as the Chief Minister (Menteri Besar) of Brunei from 1967 to 1972.

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, Pengiran Yusuf was appointed High Commissioner of Brunei to Malaysia by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

He was next appointed Ambassador to Japan in 2001.

From 1 June 2011 to 11 February 2015, he was among the appointed members of the Legislative Council.

Pengiran Yusuf was awarded an honorary doctorate from Hiroshima University 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 Abdul Razak of Malaysia, had previously been awarded honorary doctorates from Hiroshima University as well.

He has also received the following awards;

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

Pengiran Yusuf, a resident of Sengkarai in Tutong District, died on April 11, 2016, at the age of 92.

He was survived by eight children, 38 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren.

He passed away peacefully in his sleep, according to his businessman son Yura Kesteria.

Pengiran Yusuf has a son named Pengiran Yura Halim, to whom after his father's death, the letter of condolences from the Embassy of Japan in Brunei was given.

He is also the father-in-law of Adnan Buntar, former ambassador to Japan.