Audio: S1E09 Brunei

In this week’s episode of 80 Days, we are talking about Brunei,  a tiny independent state of just 2,200 square miles, located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Borneo is a tropical, equatorial island, one of the largest in the world, divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Brunei borders exclusively on the Malaysian section of Borneo. Its small section of coastline is inhabited by just over 400,000 people, and is among the richest nations in the world in terms of natural resources. Traditionally ruled by a Sultan, it became a British protectorate in 1888 and gained independence from the United Kingdom on January 1st 1984. Modern Brunei is ruled by a ‘Malay Islamic Monarchy’, where a Sultan acts as Supreme Head of State, ruling effectively as prime minister, finance minister, and commander of the armed forces. Brunei is the first and only country in East Asia to be ruled by Sharia law, introduced by the current Sultan in 2013. Your hosts are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 and Joe Byrne @anbeirneach, in Hong Kong, the UK and Ireland, respectively. (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle)

There are some things we talked about you might want to know more about:

• It is difficult to say much for certain about the important Chinese diplomat, trader or prince Ong Sum Ping (the local Hokkien pronunciation of 黃森屏, Huang Senping in Mandarin), but he was clearly an important figure in Brunei’s earliest history, arriving in the area around 1375, marrying into the family of 1st Sultan Muhammad Shah, and subsequently helping to repel an invasion from the Sulu islands. His exact role is often occluded in modern history perhaps because he was either not Muslim or not Malay. Some of the conflicting information and opinions can be found on Wikipedia, the Brunei Times, from blogs I’m Just Saying, and Nomadic Republic, and from Malaysian politician Lim Kit Siang
• In 1521, Brunei was visited by the first voyage to circumnavigate the globe, the Magellan-Elcano Expedition and an account was kept by Antonio Pigafetta (an Italian and the historian on the ship) of their meeting with the Sultan: “The king to whom we presented ourselves is a Moor, and is named Raja Siripada: he is about forty years of age, and is rather corpulent. No one serves him except ladies who are the daughters of the chiefs. No one speaks to him except by means of the blow-pipe“
• The Castillian War between the Spanish in Manilla and Brunei was a defining moment in 1578 when conflict over trade, religion and land led to military enagement between the Europeans and the Sultanate. In the end, disease played a large role in weakening the Spanish forces, hastening the Bruneian victory. Read about it on Brunei Resources (more from the same author in the Brunei Times), including the following quote:

Why did the Spaniards leave? According to Brunei legends, the Spaniards kept facing attacks organised by Pengiran Bendahara Sakam. The latter is seen as one of Brunei’s past folk heroes. He attacked the Spaniards with 1,000 men and defeated them. However, Western historians do not accept this version and deny that Bendahara Sakam even existed, preferring the version that the Spaniards left because of dysentery. According to the Spanish records, only 17 died of dysentery in Brunei and another six on the return to Manila, although a number of Filipinos also died. – Brunei Resources

• The Bruneian Civil War had a terrible impact on Brunei’s stability and influence in the region; there’s a detailed account available at this link
• A surprising character in the history of Brunei was Sir James Brooke (1803-1868), who after his exploits with the British East India Company’s Bengal Army and subsequent exploring ended up helping the Sultan crush a rebellion. He, and his heirs were given the province of Sarawak (later also taking Labuan) and became know as the “White Rajahs“; the podcast Stuff You Missed in History Class have an episode on the White Rajahs, which is worth a listen
• The discovery of oil in the 1920s was an important moment in the development of Brunei’s wealth which would determine its later 20th Century economic activities. You might want to read the Brunei Times account of the discovery, or the Brunei Shell Petroleum company’s account of their own history
• In World War II, the Japanese occupied Brunei and the rest of British Borneo with similar devastating impact as elsewhere. A book exists about the Kinabalu Guerrillas, who we mentioned, by Maxwell Hall. Here is a montage of images from this time from YouTube

• For some details and opinions on why Brunei did not become part of the “super-team” of Malaysia when it formed in the 1960s, have a look at this thread on Reddit’s /r/AskHistorians community
• The Brunei Revolt (1962) was an uprising by factions opposed the monarchy and to the prospect of union with Malaysia (including Brunei People’s Party) which was put down by British troops led by Lt Col Digby Willoughby (also a renowned bobsleigher); below is an image of the Queen’s Own Highlanders patrolling for rebels in jungle waterways near Brunei’s oil fields

• A recent Borneo Bulletin article describes the first National Day after Brunei’s independence from the UK in 1984
• The recent introduction of Sharia law to Brunei by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has been controversial, with The Guardian giving the critical viewpoint from human rights organisations, and The Diplomat discussing some of the potential implications on the country’s future; a recent Brunei Times article described the Sultan’s frustration at delays in implementing a legal code for Sharia
• The royal family has come under criticism for apparent lack of adherence to strict moral and transparency rules. In particular, Prince Jefri has been implicated in financial irregularities from his time as Finance Minister of Brunei and is known for an extravagant lifestyle; he is even alleged to have kept a harem in addition to his five wives, and was sued by former Miss USA Shannon Marketic for flying her to Brunei under false pretenses and forcing her to join this harem.
• Finally, watch some traditional dancing to the song Adai Adai which we played in the first break: