| Hasbollah Daud | |
| Birth Date: | 1902 |
| Birth Place: | Kampong Sumbiling, Brunei Town, Brunei |
| Known For: | Founder of Brunei United Party |
| Party: | BUP (1961–1962) |
Hasbollah bin Haji Mohammed Daud (born 1902) was a prominent Bruneian businessman and politician who founded the Brunei United Party (BUP) in 1961 to promote Brunei's integration into the Malaysian Federation. Supported by the monarchy, he established the party as a counter to the growing influence of the Parti Rakyat Brunei (PRB), but his political efforts were unsuccessful, including losing the 1962 election for the Sumbiling seat.
Hasbollah bin Haji Mohammed Daud was born in 1902 in the village of Kampong Sumbiling, Brunei Town. He received his education at Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, and also attended Victoria School in Singapore before returning to Brunei to begin his career. Around 1911, his father, a rubber planter from Johore, was brought to Brunei by a European rubber estate manager, marking the family's relocation to the country. Datin Paduka Hajah Norsiah, his sister, served as the Ministry of Education's acting permanent secretary in 2002.[1]
He worked as a clerk in the British Resident's Office from 1913 to 1923. The British Military Administration detained him together with Salleh Masri and a number of other Malays for their involvement in the Malay-Chinese clash in March 1946.[2] For this reason, he departed from the civil service was a disciplinary charge. He visited several locations in Sarawak, Singapore, and Malaysia. He was also a well-known member of the Persatuan Sahabat Pena Brunei (PSPB) in the 1930s and 1940s.
Hasbollah founded the BUP in September 1961 at Kampong Sumbiling,[3] registered in December, with a pro-Malaysian stance aimed at promoting the Malaysia Plan to Bruneians[4] and in favour of Brunei's integration with the Malaysian Federation.[5] The party was established with royal support as a counterforce to the rising influence of the PRB. Despite his efforts, Hasbollah and the BUP struggled in the elections of 1962 and 1965.[6] In 1962, the party fielded just one candidate—Hasbollah himself—and lost against PRB's Zaini Ahmad for the Sumbiling seat in Brunei–Muara.[7] He only managed to receive 25 votes, while Zaini received 266. PRB's dominance was solidified as they took control of most district councils, leaving BUP without significant influence.
On a research mission to Malaysia in 1962, BUP President Hasbollah caused a stir when he said that most Bruneians were more concerned with making money than with learning about Malaysia's prospective advantages. Only a small percentage of Bruneians followed regional political developments. In response, the PRB stated that numerous Bruneians had publicly opposed Malaysia in front of the Brunei–Malaysia Commission, proving that a lack of faith in Hasbollah did not translate to political apathy.