Orders, decorations, and medals of Brunei

Orders, decorations, and medals on a military officer's ceremonial dress in 2024

The orders, decorations, and medals of Brunei consist of Bintang-Bintang Kebesaran (translatable as 'state decorations') and Pingat-Pingat Kehormatan (literally 'medals of honour'). Both are awarded by the Sultan of Brunei on the basis of merit, especially on the contributions to the country. The investiture of some of the state decorations also include the conferment of titles, whereby they become part of the awardees' personal names in official correspondence or when mentioned in formal media in the country. The decorations and medals are under the responsibility of Jabatan Adat Istiadat Negara, a government department under the Prime Minister's Office, which also oversees Bruneian royal traditions and protocol.

The insignia are displayed in the Royal Regalia Museum located in the capital.

Investiture

Lapau building in Bandar Seri Begawan's city centre

The actual investiture involves awardees being given badges in a ceremony by the Sultan or sometimes the Crown Prince upon the Sultan's discretion. The ceremony is traditionally held in Lapau which is a type of ceremonial hall for royal ceremonies in the Bruneian culture. At present, the state decorations to the third class are always conferred by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in a royal ceremony held annually on the day of the Sultan's birthday on 15 July at Balai Singgahsana Indera Buana, a ceremonial hall within Istana Nurul Iman, the Sultan's palace. Meanwhile, the state decorations of lower classes as well as medals of honour are conferred by the Sultan or the Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah in other ceremonies on other days, although commonly held in conjunction with the said birthday celebration. They had been traditionally held at the Lapau building in Bandar Seri Begawan's city centre but in recent years they have been held at the Lapau hall within the palace instead to accommodate the growing number of awardees.^[1]

Decorations and medals

The following are the lists of state decorations and medals of honour of Brunei.^[2] All of their names are styled in the Malay language, nevertheless many of the names have also been officially given the equivalents in English, that is by the Department of Adat Istiadat.

State decorations

List of state decorations (*Bintang-Bintang Kebesaran*)
Name in Malay	Official English translation	Class	Title	Post-nominal letters
Darjah Kerabat Mahkota Brunei	The Royal Family Order of the Crown of Brunei	-	-	DKMB
Darjah Kerabat Laila Utama Yang Amat Dihormati	The Most Esteemed Family Order of Laila Utama	-	Dato Laila Utama	DK / DK I
Darjah Kerabat Seri Utama Yang Amat Dihormati	The Most Esteemed Family Order of Seri Utama	-	Dato Seri Utama	DK / DK II
Darjah Seri Ugama Islam Negara Brunei Yang Amat Bersinar	The Most Eminent Order of Islam Brunei	First Class	Dato Paduka Seri Setia	PSSUB
		Second Class	Dato Seri Setia	DSSUB
		Third Class	-	SSUB
		Fourth Class	-	SUB
		Fifth Class	-	PUB
Darjah Paduka Laila Jasa Keberanian Gemilang Yang Amat Cemerlang	The Most Illustrious Order of Paduka Laila Jasa Keberanian Gemilang	First Class	Dato Paduka Seri	DPKG
		Second Class	Dato Laila	DLKG
		Third Class	-	DKG
Darjah Paduka Keberanian Laila Terbilang Yang Amat Gemilang	The Most Exalted Order of Paduka Keberanian Laila Terbilang	First Class	Dato Paduka Seri	DPKT
		Second Class	Dato Laila	DKLT
		Third Class	-	DKT
Darjah Pahlawan Negara Brunei Yang Amat Perkasa	The Most Gallant Order of Pahlawan Negara Brunei	First Class	Dato Seri Pahlawan	PSPNB
		Second Class	Dato Hamzah Pahlawan	DHPNB
		Third Class	-	PNB
		Fourth Class	-	PJB
Darjah Setia Negara Brunei Yang Amat Bahagia	The Most Blessed Order of Setia Negara Brunei	First Class	Dato Seri Setia	PSNB
		Second Class	Dato Setia	DSNB
		Third Class	-	SNB
		Fourth Class	-	PSB
Darjah Paduka Seri Laila Jasa Yang Amat Berjasa	The Most Distinguished Order of Paduka Seri Laila Jasa	First Class	Dato Paduka Seri Laila Jasa	PSLJ
		Second Class	Dato Seri Laila Jasa	DSLJ
		Third Class	-	SLJ
Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei Yang Amat Mulia	The Most Honourable Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei	First Class	Dato Seri Paduka	SPMB
		Second Class	Dato Paduka	DPMB
		Third Class	-	SMB
Darjah Perwira Agong Negara Brunei Yang Amat Setia	The Most Faithful Order of Perwira Agong Negara Brunei	First Class	-	PANB
Darjah Perwira Agong Negara Brunei Yang Amat Setia	The Most Faithful Order of Perwira Agong Negara Brunei	Second Class	-	PaNB

Medals of honour

Below is a list of the current medals of honour (Pingat-Pingat Kehormatan):

Name in Malay	Official English translation	Class	Post-nominal letters
Pingat Omar Ali Saifuddin	Omar Ali Saifuddin Medal	First Class	POAS
Pingat Omar Ali Saifuddin	Omar Ali Saifuddin Medal	Second Class	POAS
Pingat Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan	Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Medal	First Class	PHBS
Pingat Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan	Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Medal	Second Class	PHBS
Pingat Bakti Laila Ikhlas	-	-	PBLI
Pingat Jasa Kebaktian	Meritorious Service Medal^[3]^[4]	-	PJK
Pingat Tabah Kerja Laila Lutanan	Government Office Medal	-	PTKL
Pingat Indah Kerja Baik	Excellent Service Medal^[3]^[4]	-	PIKB
Pingat Pengisytiharan Kemerdekaan	Proclamation of Independence of Brunei Medal	-	-
Pingat Kerja Lama	Long Service Medal^[3]	-	PKL
Pingat Perjuangan	Campaign Medal	First Class	-
Pingat Perjuangan	Campaign Medal	Second Class	-
Pahlawan Periwara	Star of Supreme Gallantry^[4]	-	PP
Asgar Pahlawan	Distinguished Warrior Star^[4]	-	AP
Penglima Lasgar	Distinguished Soldier Star^[4]	-	PL

Medals related to national events

There are also several medals which are awarded in conjunction with certain national events:

Name in Malay	Official English translation	Class
Pingat Pertalaban Omar Ali Saifuddin	Omar Ali Saifuddin Coronation Medal	-
Pingat Puspa	Coronation Medal	Gold
Pingat Puspa	Coronation Medal	Silver
Pingat Jubli Menaiki Takhta - Pingat Jubli Emas - Pingat Jubli Perak	Jubilee Medal Ascension to the Throne - Golden Jubilee Medal - Silver Jubilee Medal	Gold
		Silver
		Bronze
Pingat Jubli Hari Kebangsaan - Pingat Jubli Perak	National Day Jubilee Medal - Silver Jubilee Medal	-

Medals for armed forces of Brunei

The following are the medals of honour specifically for the armed forces of Brunei:

Medals of the Royal Brunei Police Force
Name in Malay	Official English translation	Post-nominal letters
Pingat Kerja Lama Polis	Police Long Service Medal	PKLP
Pingat Polis Diraja Brunei 1965	Royal Police Medal 1965	-
Pingat Polis 50 Tahun	Police Golden Jubilee Medal	-
Pingat Perkhidmatan Polis	Police General Service Medal	-
Pingat Jubli Intan Polis 75 Tahun	Police Diamond Jubilee Medal	-
Pingat Laila Tugas	General Service Medal (Police)	-

Medals of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces
Name in Malay	Official English translation	Post-nominal letters
Pingat Mulia Gelaran Resemi	Inauguration Medal^[5]	-
Pingat Laila Tugas (GSM)	General Service Medal (Armed Forces)	-
Pingat Kerja Lama dan Perangai Baik (Tentera)	Long Service Medal and Good Conduct^[6]	PKLPB
Pingat Jubli Perak 25 Tahun Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei	Royal Brunei Armed Forces Silver Jubilee Medal	-
Pingat Jubli Emas 50 Tahun Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei	Royal Brunei Armed Forces Golden Jubilee Medal^[7]	-
Pingat Jubli Intan 60 Tahun Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei	Royal Brunei Armed Forces Diamond Jubilee Medal	-

Medals of the Gurkha Reserve Unit
Name in Malay	Official English translation	Ribbon
Pingat Pasukan Simpanan Gurkha	Gurkha Reserve Unit Medal
Pingat Kerja Lama dan Perangai Baik	Long Service Medal (Gurkha Reserves)

References

^ "Jabatan Adat Istiadat Negara - Bangunan Lapau". www.adat-istiadat.gov.bn (in Malay). Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
^ "Senarai Bintang-Bintang Kebesaran dan Pingat-Pingat Kehormatan Negara Brunei Darussalam" (PDF). www.adat-istiadat.gov.bn (in Malay). Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c Aziz Idris (13 April 2011). "513 receive honorary medals from the Deputy Sultan". www.sultanate.com. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "DISTINGUISHED & DEDICATED SERVICE RECOGNISED" (PDF). navy.mindef.gov.bn. p. 10. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
^ "Inauguration Medal". wawards.org. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
^ "Commanding Officer No 4 Wing". www.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
^ "Golden Jubilee of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces | Royal Insignia". royalinsignia.com. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2024.

External links

[1] "Jabatan Adat Istiadat Negara - Bangunan Lapau". www.adat-istiadat.gov.bn (in Malay). Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2019.

[2] "Senarai Bintang-Bintang Kebesaran dan Pingat-Pingat Kehormatan Negara Brunei Darussalam" (PDF). www.adat-istiadat.gov.bn (in Malay). Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2019.

[:0-3] Aziz Idris (13 April 2011). "513 receive honorary medals from the Deputy Sultan". www.sultanate.com. Retrieved 21 June 2023.

[:1-4] "DISTINGUISHED & DEDICATED SERVICE RECOGNISED" (PDF). navy.mindef.gov.bn. p. 10. Retrieved 6 June 2024.

[5] "Inauguration Medal". wawards.org. Retrieved 9 February 2024.

[6] "Commanding Officer No 4 Wing". www.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 6 June 2024.

[7] "Golden Jubilee of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces | Royal Insignia". royalinsignia.com. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2024.

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