Sultanate of Brunei - April 21st

Plato postulated that the best government would be benevolent dictatorship by a philosopher king, an ideal possibly embodied by the 29th and current Sultan of Brunei. Born in 1946, his father prepared him to be a 20th and 21st century leader, sending him to the best British prep school in Malaysia, Victoria Institute; then he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (the British West Point, not an easy curriculum). He became Sultan in 1967 and his country is fifth in the world in GDP per capita (at purchasing power parity) due to its extensive oil and gas fields. Brunei's 400,000 people pay no income taxes, pay no property taxes, get a free house if they’re OK with the standard model, own 1.5 million cars; and receive free medical care. Unemployment is 6% and it's only that high because people are choosey about what jobs they take. There is no poverty.

Above is the Royal Mosque, completed in 1994. Islam is the state religion and Brunei is a dry country. However, only 66% are Muslim. 15% are Christian and the rest a mix of Buddhism, Hinduism and non-believers. Women receive the same education as men – free and compulsory through high school; free university if one passes the entrance exams, free foreign university if one gets accepted and agrees to return and work in Brunei for six years. Which everyone does, since a foreign degree guarantees a well-paying government job. Women can drive and are free to not wear burkas. 

Entrance to the Royal Palace with its 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, and 2 million square feet. It’s open to the public 3 days a year. On those days the Sultan personally gives a coin to every visiting child under the age of 12. There is a long line. Each kid can only go through the line 3 times. They keep track.

The Sultan’s net worth is estimated at $20 Billion. The story goes that his friend Bill Gates said to him, “I have enough money to buy many small countries,” to which the Sultan replied, “Yes, but some countries are not for sale.”

The Royal Barge that the Sultan rode to his coronation. It took 100 men to pull and push it. It has only been used one other time: when Queen Elizabeth II came to visit. It is on display now at the Royal Regalia Museum. Our guide told us not to ask him any embarrasing or sensitive questions while we were in the museum; but save them for when we were outside. Brunei does not have freedom of speech.

This is the Ministry of Civil Justice. Brunei has a dual legal system, with a Court of Sharia Law and a Court of Civil Law.

This is the former Royal Mosque (1958 to 1994). It is a very nice mosque, but by the 1990s did not possess the majesty and opulence to match Brunei’s wealth and prestige. So the Sultan built the new one. This one is now heavily used by regular people and is known as the Mosque of the 28 Golden Domes. 

Our guide, Mr. Han Sellah. He, of course, goes by Han Solo (“very sorry, Chewbacca could not join us today”). He describes himself as typical of most people in Brunei: “fat and happy.” Food prices are also subsidized. He got his standard issue free house from the government after a two year wait. He is happy with his modern 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhouse.

We saw silverback monkeys on the way to the Empire Hotel, an over-the-top complex built by the Sultan’s brother Prince Jeffrey. It now belongs to the state, as Jeffrey built it with embezzled money. Jeffrey is no longer Minister of Finance or of anything else, for that matter. The Sultan is now Finance Minister, and Prime Minister, and of course Defense Minister & Commander-in-Chief, putting that Sandhurst education to good use. 

A model of the Sultan's private plane, a custom 747. If the President of the US is going to have a private 747, then so is the Sultan. He also has one landing slot per day permanently booked at Heathrow, in case he wants to go to London on the spur of the moment.

Brunei was originally a water town; all the houses were built on stilts along the mangrove banks of the Brunei River. About 30,000 people still live in this traditional housing, although today it is to preserve the heritage. The boat driver with whom we toured Brunei’s Water Town is also a national champion body builder. He goes the name “Superman.” He and Han Solo are friends.

The swimming pool at the Empire Hotel that Jeffrey built. It also has a beautiful golf course. Jeffrey had plans for a private theme park and a floating casino but these projects were not completed before he got caught. Although Jeffrey lost his job, he was allowed to keep his 2,000 cars. The Sultan has 5,000.

That's a wrap on Brunei, a very interesting place. Next up: Bako National Park in Kuching, Malaysia (still on the island of Borneo, the 3rd largest island in the world), and, hopefully, orangutans!