The Secret History Behind Brunei's Flag
Brunei's flag has stayed the same since 1959, even though the country became fully independent a quarter of a century later.
A flag with the yellow field and the two diagonal stripes already existed in 1906, when Brunei was a British protectorate. The national crest was added to it in 1959, and the flag was kept when Brunei became fully independent on January 1, 1984.
Yellow is the traditional color of royalty in Southeast Asia and stands for the Sultan. The white and black stripes are linked to the two chief ministers of the sultanate. The crest shows a parasol and a swallowtail flag, symbols of the monarchy, between two wings of four feathers, which stand for justice, tranquility, prosperity and peace. Below them are a crescent, for Islam, and two upraised hands, a pledge to protect the welfare of the people. The motto on the crescent reads "Always in service with God's guidance."
The date printed on every Brunei design in our catalog, January 1, 1984, is the day of full independence.
Yellow, two stripes and a crest with two hands.
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