Brunei People's Party
Brunei People's Party Parti Rakyat Brunei ڤرتي رعيت بروني | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | BRP, PRB |
| Leader | A. M. Azahari |
| Founder | A. M. Azahari Salleh Masri |
| Founded | 21 January 1956 |
| Registered | 15 August 1956 |
| Banned | 9 December 1962 |
| Preceded by | Angkatan Pemuda Brunei Barisan Pemuda |
| Succeeded by | Brunei United Party Brunei National Party |
| Headquarters | Brunei Town, Brunei |
| Military | North Kalimantan National Army |
| Membership (1957) | 16,000 |
| Ideology | Left-wing nationalism Malay nationalism Anti-colonial nationalism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Regional affiliation | Malayan People's Party |
| Party flag | |
The Brunei People's Party (BPR), also known as the Parti Rakyat Brunei (PRB), was a political party in Brunei that was later banned. It won the district council elections in 1962, but disputes with the Sultan and the British authorities led to the failed Brunei revolt. The party continued in exile for several decades but is now believed to be defunct.
The PRB was established as a left-wing party in 1956 and aimed to bring Brunei into full independence from the United Kingdom. The party called for a constitution that would unite Brunei, North Borneo, and Sarawak under a fully democratic government, the Unitary State of North Kalimantan or Negara Kesatuan Kalimantan Utara (NKKU). However, in 1958, the British publicised their own ideas and rejected the Borneo union ambitions of the PRB, seeking instead for a gradual democratic transformation. The PRB's reactions to both the plan for a Federation of Malaysia and the Constitution of Brunei led to a mutiny in the first part of December 1962.
The PRB seeks to establish a fully democratic government for Brunei while preserving the country's monarchy; it frequently displays a lack of agreement with the government, particularly when it comes to the creation of a new constitution. Party leader A. M. Azahari had suggested that 75% of the Legislative Council of Brunei (LegCo) members should be elected independently rather than chosen by the Sultan in order to demand that the people of Brunei have complete democracy in their governance.