Brunei 2001

So I was randomly typing in “Brunei” in NYTimes’ search box and came across this 2001 article about Brunei, How to Say No To a Sultan; Brunei and Its Leader Try Economic Discipline.

Something many of us are aware of:

Despite having such a vast policy machine, Brunei's progress is hampered by one major bottleneck, critics say. ''At the end of the day, the sultan appears to be the one who makes the decision on every economic matter,'' said one economist, who, like almost everyone working in Brunei, insisted on anonymity. Government planners, he said, ''have this way of thinking very big and doing very little.''

More, if you’re interested:

''We have to be more competitive,'' said Wahab Juned, director general of the Economic Council Secretariat, whose 12 members were appointed by the sultan to draft an economic blueprint. ''We need to create jobs.''

''What Brunei needs now is transparency and accountability in the government,'' said Hatta Zainal Abidin, president of the Solidarity National Party, the country's only legal political opposition group.

Government officials say they hope the embarrassing financial fiasco [Amedeo, Prince Jefri] will jolt the country from complacency. ''It's a blessing in disguise,'' Mr. Wahab, of the Economic Council Secretariat, said. ''These things have opened up our eyes.''

It [the government] recently opened the country's first toll road. There is even talk of charging for health care and education and instituting an income tax.

Also in the works is a local stock market, where the government plans to sell to private investors a bevy of state-owned agencies, from the national telephone operator to the airport. The secretariat is also considering the creation of a national oil company to explore for oil and refine it independently of Shell. Last month, the government inaugurated a program with several banks to provide low-interest loans to local entrepreneurs.

''This is what we've been waiting for,'' said Abas Mohamed, deputy president of the National Chamber of Commerce and founder of a Web design company. ''It will take another couple of years, but the entrepreneurs in Brunei will be stronger.'

While Brunei's ban on liquor is no deterrent, Marcel Boeni, a visiting Swiss agent, said its high prices and small size make it a poor alternative to neighboring Malaysia.

Slightly random:

I want a better Brunei. Who doesn’t? I’d like to be part of the generation to really do things, a lot of them, and create this “better Brunei” that we sought after. And someday, I’d like to see Bruneians actually becoming proud of their own country, not just for show.

Hahaha. For now, I’ll have to deal with myself first.