| Honorific Prefix: | Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Pekerma Setia Diraja Sahibul Bandar |
| Pengiran Muhammad Ali | |
| Honorific Suffix: | PSLJ SPMB DSNB POAS PHBS PJK PKL |
| Office: | 1st Deputy Menteri Besar of Brunei |
| Termstart: | 23 September 1962 |
| Termend: | 1965 |
| 1Blankname: | Menteri Besar |
| 1Namedata: | Marsal Maun |
| Predecessor: | Office established |
| Successor: | Isa Ibrahim |
| Office1: | 2nd Speaker of the Legislative Council of Brunei |
| Termstart1: | March 1962 |
| Termend1: | September 1962 |
| 1Blankname1: | Menteri Besar |
| 1Namedata1: | Marsal Maun |
| Predecessor1: | Pengiran Abu Bakar |
| Successor1: | Ibrahim Mohammad Jahfar |
| Office2: | 1st State Religious Affairs Officer |
| Termstart2: | 1 May 1960 |
| Termend2: | August 1962 |
| Predecessor2: | Office established |
| Successor2: | Pengiran Anak Kemaluddin |
| Birth Date: | 4 October 1916 |
| Birth Place: | Kampong Pengiran Pemancha Lama, Kampong Ayer, Brunei |
| Death Date: | 16 June 2005 (aged 89) |
| Death Place: | Kampong Madewa, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei |
| Children: | 5; including Pengiran Haji Kamarulzaman |
| Party: | PAKAR (1965–1966) BAKER (1966–1969) |
| Alma Mater: | Sultan Idris Teachers' College |
Pengiran Muhammad Ali bin Pengiran Haji Muhammad Daud (4 October 1916 – 16 June 2005), commonly known as Pengiran Ali, was a Bruneian nobleman, teacher, and politician. He served as the first Deputy Menteri Besar from 1962 to 1965 and was a member of the Legislative, Executive, and Privy Councils. Pengiran Ali played a pivotal role in Brunei's history, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s. He was the first of the "three M's" feared by the British government, alongside Pengiran Muhammad Yusuf and Marsal Maun. He was also the father-in-law of Princess Amal Nasibah, daughter of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III.[1]
Pengiran Ali was born on 6 July 1916 in Brunei Town's Kampong Pengiran Pemancha Lama. The Jalan Pemancha Malay School was where he received his early schooling, completing his five years of education from 1925 to 1930, and as of 8 February 1933, he was employed as a student teacher. He departed in 1937 to pursue his studies at SITC and finished his teacher preparation in 1939. He is also the founder of Persatuan Guru-Guru Melayu Brunei (PGGMB) which was established in 1939. He was also a driving force behind the founding of the PGGMB Cooperative Society (Syarikat Kerjasama dan Bantu-Membantu PGGMB), which is still in operation as of 2005. Pengiran Ali, like many notable individuals in Brunei after the Second World War, was a teacher who attended the Sultan Idris Teachers' College (SITC) in Malaya. He was hired as a group instructor when he got back to Brunei, and he retained that post during the Japanese occupation in 1943.
Pengiran Ali was a prominent member of the Persatuan Guru-Guru Melayu Brunei (PGGMB) and was not active in Barisan Pemuda (BARIP) activities. In 1953, he was nominated to the Constitutional Advisory Committee (also known as the Tujuh Serangkai), and was a close friend of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III. The committee offered suggestions for constitutional advancement in the sultanate, crucial in securing Brunei's nationalist objectives. In 1954, he visited Malaya to observe the progress of the constitution of the Malay state and in 1955 he went to London to observe how to develop education in the United Kingdom.[2] Pengiran Ali held the positions of chairman of the Brunei Town District Advisory Council (DAC) and observer on the State Council between 1954 and 1957. From November 1954 to January 1957, he attended the Legislative Council as an observer on behalf of that DAC. At the same time being a member of the Legislative Council in 1957, he was the inspector of Malay schools who has worked together with his colleague Marsal Maun to develop Malay education on Brunei. Pengiran Ali was one of the key players in the redrafting of the 1905–1906 Supplementary Treaty and the Brunei Constitution during the 1959 Brunei Negotiations. The Department of Religious Affairs was created on 29 September 1959, with Pengiran Ali as its new leader,[3] in addition to serving as the Brunei Islamic Religious Council's (MUIB) acting head following the adoption of the 1959 Constitution. Between March 1962 until September 1962, he served as Speaker of the Legislative Council. He became an unofficial member to Legislative and Executive Councils from March 1962 to September 1962.
On 29 July 1961, the Standing Advisory Council on Defence convened. This body was established under the 1959 Brunei Agreement to address issues related to internal security. The British high commissioner, the chief police officer, the officer-in-charge of the Special Branch, and the Menteri Besar of Brunei made up its membership. The Sultan served as its chairman. However, Menteri Besar Ibrahim Mohammad Jahfar was absent due to illness. In his stead, the Sultan appointed two of his closest advisors: Pengiran Ali, the head of the department in charge of religious affairs, and Marsal Maun as acting Menteri Besar.
Pengiran Ali was named Deputy Menteri Besar of Brunei on 23 September 1962, and resigned in 1965 to run in a by-election. At this time he was granted 436 days of leave, before retiring. The Brunei revolt of December 1962, the ambiguity surrounding the creation of Malaysia, and the issues brought on by Konfrontasi all occurred during this tumultuous period. He returned to politics after leaving the administration, though not totally successfully. Despite this, he started off well, earning a seat on the Brunei–Muara District Council in a by-election on 23 October 1965.
After the elections in December 1965, he founded the Partai Kemajuan Rakyat (PAKAR) political party, to push for the establishment of parliamentary governance and independence. On 31 July 1966, he was elected chairman of Barisan Kemerdekaan Rakyat (BAKER), a merger of four political parties which included PAKAR and Barisan Rakyat Brunei (BARA); in 1968, he lost a by-election. He ran in a Legislative Council by-election in Temburong District on 8 January 1968, but lost narrowly, and again in April 1969. Considering politics to be a horrible lot, Pengiran Ali went into business later on.
In his later life, Pengiran Ali married Hajah Nahriah around 1971, and they had several children, including Pengiran Kerma Raja Pengiran Haji Kamarulzaman,[4] who married Princess Amal Nasibah on 19 July 1979. By the mid-1990s, Pengiran Ali served as the chairman of Swee Sendirian Berhad. He passed away on 16 June 2005 at the age of 89. His burial took place the same day at his home in Kampong Madewa, attended by Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, who was serving as the Deputy Sultan. In honour of his passing, the national flag was flown at half-mast by the Sultan's order.
Pengiran Ali was bestowed by the Sultan the Cheteria title of Pengiran Pekerma Setia Diraja Shahibul Bandar on 19 April 1975,[5] using the Yang Amat Mulia honorific.
Pengiran Ali has earned the following honours;
Pengiran Ali has earned the following awards;