Brunei: Brunei – A Tenuous Happiness?

Published on 03:03pm 09/21/2007 by explorerlfk

Brunei:

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My name is explorerlfk. I'm 41 years old, male and currently in Sydney, Australia.

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The nation of Brunei, between the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, has long conjured up images of wealth and opulence, courtesy of its oil reserves. There are certainly many signs of this immense wealth, especially in the vicinity of the capital Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB). Brunei’s citizens also enjoy tax free status, with free health care and education. From a material perspective, the ingredients for happiness therefore certainly seem to exist. It thus comes as a surprise to find the country surprisingly sombre, with any feelings of happiness and contentment coming across as extremely forced and unnatural.

Physically Brunei is only a small nation covering an area of 5800 square kilometres. Having a population of only around 370000 however means that the country comes across as remarkably desolate. Shopping areas such as Gadung and the Yayasan Complex are virtually deserted. Sunday afternoons see youths lazing listlessly about with nothing to do, and even Monday mornings in the city centre are completely devoid of any buzz or sense of purpose.

Most of Brunei’s wealth and opulence is directly linked to the nation’s sultan, who is an absolute monarch, practically ruling the nation by decree. The Royal Regalia Building has interesting exhibits about the life of the sultans, and is certainly worth a visit. However one can’t help but sense a definite degree of narcissism about the whole place. The Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque, named after the current sultan, is huge and ostentatious in the extreme but is strangely soulless. In terms of character, it pales in comparison to the beautiful Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque named after the current sultan’s father. The sultan’s massive palace is apparently the world’s largest private residence. Perhaps the best way to view it is to take a speedboat taxi ride along the Brunei River behind it. This is certainly the best way to see how a fair proportion of “the other half” lives by visiting the Kampung Ayer, which is literally a village on stilts in the middle of the river. Although such an idea might sound novel at first, the reality presents a somewhat different picture, with none of the opulence that the sultan enjoys. And with an alarming amount of rubbish accumulating under the houses, the sanitation conditions are also slightly questionable.

Brunei is, however, rich in ways other than oil and money. It is also renowned for the beauty of its jungle regions, particularly in the enclave of Temburong. Reaching the town of Bangar is easy enough, with cheap and regular speedboats departing from Jalan Residency, just outside of the city centre. If you’re crazy enough, you can even sit on the boat’s roof, although signs at the wharf explicitly state that operators will not be held liable should you fall off. Getting from Bangar to Temburong’s jungle attractions, however, is somewhat less easy, with limited transport options. In fact, in a nation that boasts a high ratio of cars to population, public transport outside of BSB is very limited. Bus services certainly do exist from BSB to towns like Tutong and Seria, and even to the border crossing into Malaysia at Kuala Lurah. However if you want to travel beyond these places, you might need to rely on the limited number of private taxis that operate in Brunei. The thought of using an unofficial, non-sanctioned taxi might sound threatening. However, they certainly made my travel experience in Brunei considerably easier. If anything, this is perhaps an indication of how relatively safe the country is.

However, for all its wealth, Brunei comes across as cold, unfeeling and insincere, with any happiness presenting as no more than a veneer. The nation itself is actually no stranger to public dissent, with a rebellion quashed by troops in 1962. The nation has been in virtual martial law ever since. With Brunei’s oil reserves running out, the sultan has been devoting considerable time and effort to diversifying Brunei’s economy. If he is to successfully maintain that veneer of happiness of his citizens, then he is going to have to work pretty fast.

Tags for this Travel Tip: brunei brunei-darussalam bandar-seri-begawan tutong seria temburong