Bandar Seri Begawan

The Sultanate of Brunei is like a modern fairytale. As recently as WW2 this northwest corner of the island of Borneo was like a thousand other little tropical islands doing little besides fishing. Then in the 1960’s oil was discovered. Immediately the Sultan of Brunei was the wealthiest man in the world. He has remained so. His personal net worth is well over $20 billion. There are beautiful palaces, mosques, and homes all over the place, and all of them have been built since the 1960’s. All are modern, though incorporating traditional themes. Despite this modernity, however, the analogy of the fairy tale continues. Not only is there no income tax here, but quite the contrary, every subject receives a monthly allowance from the government. Elderly (over 60) and disabled persons receive additional allowances. Education and medical care are free. Well, almost free. They do charge you one dollar to go to a doctor, or to the hospital, or to the dentist. However, if the excellent hospital here cannot treat your condition, the government will fly you to another hospital anywhere in the world that can treat your illness—totally free of charge. The best college students here are chosen to go to the best universities in England, their tuition, housing and fees are all paid by the government. A paid housekeeper is provided, and, oh yes, the government provides each student $5000 per year “pocket money.” In addition to this, every other year the sultan pays to fly each Brunei student home to see the family. The average family in Brunei owns 3 cars. Automobiles and homes can be financed by an interest free government loan. There is Sharia law in this Muslim country and alcohol consumption is non-existent. Perhaps it is because of this very forceful approach to violations of law, crime here is extremely low. Drunk driving offenses do not exist, and though traffic is heavy at rush hour, it moves quickly, smoothly and with no traffic accidents that I could see. We saw no evidence of drugs, gangs, or homelessness. There are no graffiti on the streets. Our guide says that no one locks cars or houses because no one ever steals anything. We did not hear a single siren over the course of the day. We visited a water village whose homes were quite different from the modern homes being purchased by most growing families. The families living on the water have inherited their homes. Many of these families have lived in these dwellings built on mangrove pilings for over a thousand years. Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, the site of a modern fantasy come to life.Read more