Among the Asean nations, Thai students and citizens know the least about
Brunei. Few Thais, except for some diplomats and guestworkers, have ever been
there.
Though its majority people are
similar to the Malays of both Indonesia and Malaysia, in other respects Brunei
is an outlier, unlike other Southeast Asian countries in so many ways. First,
it is very small in terms of both population (a little over 400,000) and land
area, of only about 25 per cent of the province of Chiang Mai. It is about 75
per cent forest. The country is completely surrounded by the East Malaysian
state of Sarawak.
Second, it is the only country in
the region that was a protectorate and it has maintained its Islamic monarchy
throughout. It achieved that status in 1888 and that lasted until the nation
gained its complete independence from Great Britain in 1984 and joined Asean as
its sixth member that year.
Like Thailand, Brunei has a long
and glorious history. Its current Islamic monarchy dates back to the early
1400s and in the 16th century there was a great Brunei Empire that controlled
much of what is now northwest coastal Borneo and the southern part of the
Philippines.
Its political system is also an
anomaly. It is an absolute monarchy similar to Siam before 1932. It has no
political parties, elections, nor legislature.
Brunei is one of the world's
richest nations, primarily because of its having much oil and natural gas. In
terms of per/capita income (about $50,000) it is the world's ninth richest
country.
It is the world's fourth largest
producer of liquefied natural gas. It has been called "the Shellfare
state" since most of its Malay population either work for Shell Oil or the
government.
The 3D (dirty, dangerous, and
difficult) jobs are done by foreign guest workers from countries such as
Bangladesh. In fact, 40 per cent of the labour force in Brunei are foreigners.
Thus, it is quite a cosmopolitan place.
Because of its large oil
reserves, petrol for cars is extremely cheap in Brunei (about Bt13 per litre)
and the country has one of the highest car ownership rates in the world with
the average family having 2-3 cars.
Brunei is a multiethnic society
with 66.3 per cent of its population Malay, 11.2 per cent Chinese, 3.4 per cent
indigenous, and 19.1 per cent other. Though the Chinese have no political
voice, they are allowed to prosper economically.
Another unusual aspect of Brunei
is its not having personal or sales taxes at all and its provision of free
health and education to all its citizens.
Also Brunei is an Islamic country
in which its women have excellent opportunities. Its Islamic women generally
wear head scarfs but not vales. Its women were able to compete in the 2012
Olympics.
The average salary of Brunei's
women rank number three in the world, $38,000. With 58 per cent of women
participating in the work force, they rank 20th in the world in that regard.
More than 50 per cent of small and medium sized enterprises are run by women.
In terms of education, Brunei's
women also fare well, ranking 11th in the world in terms of participation in
higher education.
Given the nation's wealth, many
of its students can afford to study abroad. In my many decades of teaching at
the college level in the United States, I have never had a student from Brunei.
Their students tend to think Oxbridge and usually study in Great Britain or
Australia.
Brunei's major institution of
higher education is the University Brunei Darussalam, with approximately 3,000
students. Though Malay is the official language, Brunei has an active bilingual
program and English is commonly spoken. Except for a few locally-oriented
fields. English is the language of education at the university level. Thais
could study there for a tuition of approximately Bt75,000 per year.
Another unique aspect of Brunei,
is that it makes no attempt to promote tourism. With its oil and natural gas
being non-renewable resources that will eventually be depleted, Brunei must
think long-term and develop a more knowledge-based economy. Eco-tourism could
also be a possible future area for emphasis.
Though it is a small market in
terms of population, its people have great purchasing power and, thus, it will
be an excellent market for a variety of Thai goods in the AEC era.
As Asean moves into the AEC era,
Brunei with its great wealth could provide much more technical assistance to
its poorer Southeast Asian neighbours. Brunei potentially could help fund an
Asean Volunteer Corps and the nation, with its strong English capability, could
provide more English teachers for countries such as Indonesia, Laos, Thailand,
Cambodia, and Vietnam.
In the new AEC era, Brunei will
become much better known and Thai engagement with Brunei will certainly
increase, particularly in the educational and economic areas.
GERALD W FRY
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