5 Ringgits / Dollars - Hassanal Bolkiah Independence

Struck to mark the tenth anniversary of Brunei's independence from Britain, declared on 1 January 1984 after nearly a century as a protectorate. The sultanate had resisted full independence far longer than most of its neighbors — Hassanal Bolkiah's father, Omar Ali Saifuddien III, had declined independence offers in the 1960s partly to preserve British military protection during the Indonesian Konfrontasi period.

Brunei and Singapore maintain a Currency Interchangeability Agreement dating to 1967, meaning this coin was technically accepted at par in Singapore at the time of issue.