Why is brunei so rich

The old sultan very much admired Winston Churchill and had a huge statue of Churchill built right in downtown Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital. He created the Churchill Museum, which is quite an interesting place actually, one of the few places in town where you could actually go and see something.

Into all of this came a firebrand named Sheikh Azahari, an ethnic Malay. He had Indonesian connections. I had the good fortune, professionally speaking, to predict it. After home leave I had come back to Brunei where I always spoke to Chinese shopkeepers.

I found that a lot of green camouflage cloth and sharp instruments were being sold. So we wrote it up as an Airgram, sent it in, and the revolt did break out. I still have somewhere a green, camouflage shirt, with an Azahari logo or patch on the shoulder, with a couple of bullet holes in it. I have one of the relics of this. So the situation was red hot. TAYLOR: Brunei seemed likely to become independent at some point and so part of my job was simply to build a good relationship with the Old Boy, his royal highness.

Besides, his financial holdings alone warranted good relations…. As far as the Sultan was concerned, the internal affairs of Brunei were as the same as they had been for years, i. The British viewed it as a protectorate, but as far as the Sultan was concerned, he was in charge of all domestic affairs. He wanted and expected to remain absolute ruler forever. He had once authorized a go at an elected assembly with limited powers, but while I was there it was in suspension. Some token opposition political types did carry on with whom I could talk.

But it was all very low key. A Ghurka battalion existed to protect the Sultan. Their presence enhanced the feeling that one was in an outpost of the Raj. The British Governor was a jolly good chap, who could have served anywhere in the old colonies. Along with the Falklands and Hong Kong, this was the very last.

Shell was the only oil company allowed to operate in Brunei. Tons of sterling flowed into this little settlement and that was even before the first tremendous rise in oil prices. One quarter claimed to be related to the Sultan, and this was displayed by a special flag that fluttered over many of the simple wooden huts that sat on stilts in the Bay. The government provided free medical care for the population and education was also free all the way through college — Oxford even — for those who could pass the entrance examination.

The Sultan was an absolute ruler and absolutely rich although he also created a little welfare state for the people. Brunei was a story out of Somerset Maugham. Oil of course was its major export then as it is now. The second largest export was empty soda bottles. The Bruneis imported quinine water and Coca-Cola from Singapore and sent back the empty bottles.

In other words, except for oil Brunei had no other exports. They had a tremendous turnout of people and representatives. They had built a stadium there that was large enough to take the entire population of the country. Princess Diana and Prince Charles came…. They had a state dinner for 4, They were just finishing up construction of the royal palace.

It was supposed to be the largest personal residence in the world. And he also serves as Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. I have often said, in jest, that Brunei is the only absolute monarchy that has a semi-socialist system of government. It provides free education for all Brunei children, and free medical and subsidized housing for all citizens.

To top it off, there is no personal income tax. They are therefore ineligible for the benefits accorded Brunei Malays. Nevertheless, it is the Chinese who constitute the commercial class of the country, and those few who have been granted citizenship play an influential role in the life of the country. As for the Sultan, it took me some time to get through his rather formal and reserved personality. I think the breakthrough for me occurred when I presented him with a framed photograph of the earth, taken from one of our spacecraft and autographed by a crew member, who happened to be a close friend of my son-in-law.

The Sultan, an experienced pilot and much interested in space exploration, was clearly pleased, particularly when I pointed out that Borneo was at the center of the photograph. The sultan instituted the penal code in but implementation had been delayed amid opposition by rights groups. Homosexuality had already been illegal in Brunei and punishable by imprisonment, but with the law changes enforced this week, it joins a small group of countries where homosexuality is punishable by death.

The weakening economy in Brunei as well as concerns about possible erosion of support underscore this increasing reliance on religion. Police have released footage of alleged drug smuggler Mostafa Baluch from inside the flight that returned him to Sydney. The West Australian Premier has been slammed for enforcing two very different sets of quarantine rules for athletes and everyday Australians.

Best of shopping Premium Membership. Greg Rodgers is a freelance writer and photographer from Kentucky. He's been covering all things Asia for TripSavvy since TripSavvy's editorial guidelines. Fact checked by Jillian Dara. Emerson College. Jillian Dara is a freelance journalist and fact-checker.

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