Brunei Darussalam
Many cultural and linguistic differences make Brunei Malays distinct
from the larger Malay populations in nearby Malaysia and Indonesia,
even though they are ethnically related and share the Muslim
religion.
Brunei has hereditary nobility, carrying the title Pengiran. The
Sultan can award to commoners the title Pehin, the equivalent of a
life peerage awarded in the United Kingdom. The Sultan also can
award his subjects the Dato, the equivalent of a knighthood in the
United Kingdom, and Datin, the equivalent of damehood.
Bruneians adhere to the practice of using complete full names with
all titles, including the title Haji (for men) or Hajah (for women)
for those who have made the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca. Many Brunei
Malay women wear the tudong, a traditional head covering. Men wear
the songkok, a traditional Malay cap. Men who have completed the Haj
can wear a white songkok.
The requirements to attain Brunei citizenship include passing tests
in Malay culture, customs, and language. Stateless permanent
residents of Brunei are given International Certificates of
Identity, which allow them to new-world-travel overseas. The majority of
Brunei's Chinese are permanent residents, and many are stateless. An
amendment to the National Registration and Immigration Act of 2002
allowed female Bruneian citizens for the first time to transfer
their nationality to their children.
Oil wealth allows the Brunei Government to provide the population
with one of Asia's finest health care systems. Malaria has been
eradicated, and cholera is virtually nonexistent. There are five
general hospitals--in Bandar Seri Begawan, Tutong, Kuala Belait,
Bangar, and Seria--and there are numerous health clinics throughout
the country.
Education starts with preschool, followed by 6 years of primary
education and up to 7 years of secondary education. Nine years of
education are mandatory. Most of Brunei's college students attend
universities and other institutions abroad, but approximately 3,674
(2005) study at the University of Brunei Darussalam. Opened in 1985,
the university has a faculty of more than 300 instructors and is
located on a sprawling campus overlooking the South China Sea.
The official language is Malay, but English is widely understood and
used in business. Other languages spoken are several Chinese
dialects, Iban, and a number of native dialects. Islam is the
official religion, but religious freedom is guaranteed under the
constitution. |
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Historians believe there was a forerunner to the present Brunei
Sultanate, which the Chinese called Po-ni. Chinese and Arabic
records indicate that this ancient trading kingdom existed at the
mouth of the Brunei River as early as the seventh or eighth century
A.D. This early kingdom was apparently conquered by the Sumatran
Hindu Empire of Srivijaya in the early ninth century, which later
controlled northern Borneo and the Philippines. It was subjugated
briefly by the Java-based Majapahit Empire but soon regained its
independence and once again rose to prominence.
The Brunei Empire had its golden age from the 15th to the 17th
centuries, when its control extended over the entire island of
Borneo and north into the Philippines. Brunei was particularly
powerful under the fifth sultan, Bolkiah (1473-1521), who was famed
for his sea exploits and even briefly captured Manila; and under the
ninth sultan, Hassan (1605-19), who fully developed an elaborate
Royal Court structure, elements of which remain today.
After Sultan Hassan, Brunei entered a period of decline due to
internal battles over royal succession as well as the rising
influences of European colonial powers in the region that, among
other things, disrupted traditional trading patterns, destroying the
economic base of Brunei and many other Southeast Asian sultanates.
In 1839, the English adventurer James Brooke arrived in Borneo and
helped the Sultan put down a rebellion. As a reward, he became
governor and later "Rajah" of Sarawak in northwest Borneo and
gradually expanded the territory under his control.
Meanwhile, the British North Borneo Company was expanding its
control over territory in northeast Borneo. In 1888, Brunei became a
protectorate of the British Government, retaining internal
independence but with British control over external affairs. In
1906, Brunei accepted a further measure of British control when
executive power was transferred to a British resident, who advised
the ruler on all matters except those concerning local custom and
religion.
In 1959, a new constitution was written declaring Brunei a
self-governing state, while its foreign affairs, security, and
defense remained the responsibility of the United Kingdom. An
attempt in 1962 to introduce a partially elected legislative body
with limited powers was abandoned after the opposition political
party, Parti Rakyat Brunei, launched an armed uprising, which the
government put down with the help of British forces. In the late
1950s and early 1960s, the government also resisted pressures to
join neighboring Sabah and Sarawak in the newly formed Malaysia. The
Sultan eventually decided that Brunei would remain an independent
state.
In 1967, Sultan Omar abdicated in favor of his eldest son, Hassanal
Bolkiah, who became the 29th ruler. The former Sultan remained as
Defense Minister and assumed the royal title Seri Begawan. In 1970,
the national capital, Brunei Town, was renamed Bandar Seri Begawan
in his honor. The Seri Begawan died in 1986.
On January 4, 1979, Brunei and the United Kingdom signed a new
treaty of friendship and cooperation. On January 1, 1984, Brunei
Darussalam became a fully independent state. |
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