State Council (Brunei)

State Council
Majlis Mesyuarat Negeri
John Peel and Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin chairing the 1948 State Council
Type	Unicameral Advisory body
Status	Dissolved
Abbreviation	State Council (SC)
Appointer	Sultan of Brunei
Constituting instrument	Supplementary treaty of 1905/1906
Formation	1906; 118 years ago (1906)
Abolished	18 October 1959; 65 years ago (1959-10-18)
Succession	Legislative Council Executive Council Privy Council

This article is part of a series on the
History of Brunei
Bruneian Empire Lupah Sug Sultanate of Sulu Rajahnate of Maynila Tondo Bruneian–Igan War Bruneian–Tundun War Castilian War Civil War Manila conflict of 1769 Sabah conflict of 1771
Colonial era Barisan Pemuda Borneo campaign BMO Borneo Brunei People's Party Brunei revolt North Borneo Federation Bruneian Independence Japanese occupation National Development Plan State Council White Rajahs Sarawak Labuan North Borneo
Post-independence Brunei National Solidarity Party Amedeo Crisis National Development Party Golden Jubilee of Hassanal Bolkiah
Topics Capital punishment Constitution Diplomacy Education Islam LGBT Military Navy Monarchy Slavery Sultan Transport
See also List of years in Brunei
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The State Council (SC; Malay: Majlis Mesyuarat Negeri) was established in 1906 as a result of the British Residency system and offered a legislative structure for the administration of a protected state managed by the British government without direct jurisdiction of the Crown. First held in June of 1907, it served as a predecessor to the Constitution of Brunei under Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III for over fifty years, until September 1959. The State Council was distinct from the executive and legislative councils characteristic of Crown Colony government, while being a British colonial body.^[1]

The Sultan of Brunei maintained his sovereign power and the country was never a colony. Nonetheless, the State Council was important in maintaining the British government's semi-colonial control over the British residents of Brunei. The State Council, according to Sir Frank Swettenham, was a "great safety valve" that gave the angry Malay aristocrats and nobilities an opportunity for debate outside of the traditional meeting with the Sultan and his personal advisors. It has been noted that the State Councils set up on the Malay Peninsula sought to include Kapitan Cina as well as Malay district chiefs in the consultation process.^[1]