Early Bruneian history is cloaked in mystery, although it is believed trade links existed with China in the 6th century AD. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Brunei was a considerable regional power, controlling not only most of Borneo but parts of the Philippines as well, mainly due to its success as a port. Brunei’s power waned following the arrival of the European powers to the region. The Spanish and the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive, but it was the British, who arrived in the region in the 17th and 18th centuries, who began to erode Brunei’s influence. In 1888, the sultanate itself became a British protectorate. Brunei’s territory was gradually whittled away until, with one last flourish of absurdity, Limbang was ceded to Sarawak in 1890, thus dividing the country in half. In 1929, just as Brunei was about to be swallowed up entirely, oil was discovered. British plans to make Brunei a part of the Malaysian Federation were quashed by a revolt in 1962. The Sultan then suspended the constitution and opted for independence. The two countries signed a treaty in 1971 confirming that Britain would retain control of Brunei’s external affairs; in 1984, Brunei became completely independent. In 1991, the sale of alcohol was banned and stricter dress codes have been introduced. At the least sign of internal dissent, the Sultan moved quietly but decisively to silence his critics, and thus far his power has gone more or less unchallenged.
The Sultan of Brunei
Hassanal Bolkiah is the eldest son of Sultan Sir Haji Omar Ali Saifuddin. He was educated privately and later attended the Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, England. In 1961 Sir Omar named him crown prince, and when Sir Omar abdicated six years later, Hassanal Bolkiah became Sultan on October 5, 1967 (his coronation taking place on August 1, 1968). For the next decade, however, his father remained the power behind the throne. After the death of his mother in 1979, his father withdrew from public affairs, and the Sultan quickly took the dominant role in the administration of Brunei. He made frequent trips throughout the country to listen to his subjects as well as to promote himself as ruler. In anticipation of independence from Britain, he began to create a native bureaucracy, replacing British expatriates in the civil service with Bruneians, and he cracked down on corruption. After having held Brunei as a protectorate for 95 years, the British formally withdrew on January 1, 1984. Although there were minor disagreements over matters such as the management of Brunei’s huge investment portfolio, relations between the two countries continued to be friendly. Sir Omar died in 1986, and on October 5, 1992 the Sultan celebrated the 25th year of his reign. In the 1980s and 1990s the Sultan regularly appeared at, or near the top of, lists of the world’s richest individuals, his fortune deriving from Brunei’s oil and gas.
posted by Hills @ 12:50 AM
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