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This contains A description of my day in Brunei and some facts I learned from my tour guide.
Brunei is a small country sandwiched in between two sections of Malaysia having recently gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. Before that, it was a British protectorate for a century. It is a Malay, Islamist, monarchy governed by sharia law. Known for its vast wealth derived from the oil reserves, the country ranks as the fifth richest nation in the world. The sultan's net worth is $20 billion. In the royal family's 2015 wedding, The bride carried a Bouquet not of flowers but of gemstones. They live in the world's largest residential palace containing 1788 rooms.
Sharia law which was instituted in 2014, ensures that this closed and restricted society imposes harsh and barbaric punishments for such things as adultery, homosexuality, alcohol consumption, and any defamation of the profit, blasphemy, or denial of Islam. Death by stoning is common practice for those convicted of such crimes.
Despite its religiosity, The royal family is infamous for a hedonistic lifestyle that includes opulent orgies and an obsession with wealthy, American celebrities.
It's currency is interchangeable with the Singapore dollar. The people learn 3 languages in school and learn 2-4 other languages in order to communicate with multi-ethnic friends and neighbors. Every family has 2-3 vehicles including a mini-van. The crime rate is virtually zero here and residents rarely lock their doors. Censorship is high. If a photo of a scantily clad woman is discovered, her arms or cleave get manually blacked out by the authorities. I imagine there is a long line of men holding black out markers applying for that censor job!!
The largest prison population consists of those who overstayed their visa. Incomes are high and there is no income tax.
I took a ship shore excursion today that included three key activities:
1) We suited up in orange life jackets and took a relaxing ride along the river where where the "water village" is home to 20,000 people with 19 schools. Many of the homes are wooden and some are built on stilts. We visited the home of our boat driver where his family served tea and traditional cakes.
2) Next stop: Royal Regalia museum provides a history of the sultans Brunei. It is filled with opulent artifacts from the current royal family including 19k gold throne, ceremonial armor, jeweled crowns, and golden hand that held up the sultan's head as he wore his heavy coronation crown. The golden chariot used to carry the newly appointed sultan is on display in the lobby. I heard it is ONLY made of 19k gold.
Impressively, when the sultan was a prince, he was trained in all 3 branches of military. Because of his air force training, he serves as his own pilot when he travels.
Before entering the museum, we required to remove our footwear. Before leaving the first level, we had to surrender all backpacks, purses, cameras, another recording devices. They kept a large separate tub to hold all of our goods from our tour bus number 19. Admission is free to the public.
Here is a blog post from another tourist that gives a good description of the museum:
3) Next, we visited the Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque (from the outside)---both sides of the street are lined with gold and it is surrounded by fountains and beautifully landscaped gardens. Built in 1992, it holds 5000 people and is topped with 29 gold domes to signify His Majesty the Sultan as the 29th ruler of Brunei. Gold dripped from every gate.
Poor in Brunei is defined as "not having a car." Cars are cheap. Gas (petrol) costs less than water. Families take care of each other, so, less than than 10 people live in nursing homes--yes, ten. The government subsidizes housing. You can buy a house for $40,000 US. The house is yours for life. If you cannot afford it, Papa Sultan will assist. Importantly, there are no homeless people. A doctors or dentist visit cost $1. If you need specialized medical treatment overseas, the government will fund your care and provide accommodation (for you and a family member).
Our tour guide seemed really enamored with the Sulton and the royal family for taking care of his people. She said he even throws parties for the people and allows the public into his Royal Polo club. He is quite accessible and anyone who wants to meet him at regular events has access to him.
Our tour guide was evasive when I questioned why the Sultan enacted sharia law just last year, especially if the crime rate is so low. She said it's just to prevent people from committing religious crimes. She minimized the whole idea. She said "if a person is caught stealing you are supposed to cut off their hand. You have not heard of anyone's hand being cut off since the new laws were enacted last year." Well, there you have it the party line.
Please forgive the typos as I wrote this on my iphone and will make corrections when I return home.
Also, I will post more photos later.
