BRUNEI - Politics and Governance of SEA Flashcards
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
This state is situated in the northwestern part of the island of Borneo.
Sultanate Brunei Darussalam (Negara Brunei Darussalam, “Nation of Brunei, Abode of Peace”)
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Capital of Brunei
Bandar Seri Begawan
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
This valley is part of the Malaysian state of Sarawak that separates the eastern and western territories of the sultanate.
Limbang Valley
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
With a population of 414,000, Brunei is a (?). Only about (percentage?) of the total population has citizenship.
- microstate
- 65%
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Most citizens are of (?), an estimated (?) belongs to indigenous groups
- Malayan descent
- one fifth
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The remainder of the population consists of (? and ?)
“permanent” (8%) and “temporary” residents (27%).
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Most permanent residents are (?) who were not granted citizenship when Brunei declared its independence but received (?). The majority of temporary residents are (?) from (?) employed in the (?)
- ethnic Chinese
- Bruneian travel documents
- foreign workers from various South Asian and Southeast Asian countries
- construction and service sectors
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Brunei has a relatively (?) population, predominantly consisting of Malay Muslims
homogeneous
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
It is the official state religion in Brunei that make up 75% of the population, whereas the other two religion (?) represent 9.4 and 8.5%
- Islam
- Christians and Buddhists
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The head of state and government is the (?) who represents the country’s highest religious and political authority, making it the only (?) in Southeast Asia.
- Sultan (Yang Di-Pertuan, He, who is Lord)
- absolute monarchy
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Brunei began its first step toward its self-government with their constitution. It was first drafted in (?) provides no (?). The Sultan’s principal authority is (?) by parliament and he remains (?).
- 1959, provides no separation of powers
- not diminished
- head of judiciary.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
According to the national founding myth, the Sultanate’s political history began when Sultan (?) converted to Islam in 1363 and established today’s ruling dynasty
Awang Alak Betatar
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The current sultan in Brunei ascended the throne in (?) as the (no?) member of the house Bolkiah, serving for (?) years as of 2024
- Sultan Hassan al Bolkiah
- 1967
- 29th member
- 57 yrs
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Brunei reached its height of influence, exerting control over large portions of (?), (?) and (?)
Borneo, the Sulu Archipelago, and parts of the Philippines.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Following the arrival of European colonial powers in the sixteenth century, the Sultanate slowly lost much of its influence over (?). By the 19th century, Brunei’s influence began to wane as European powers, particularly the (?), gained control over Southeast Asia.
In the nineteenth century, the Sultan had to forgo control over much of Borneo, finally ceding external sovereignty to the British in the (treaty?)
- maritime trade
- British and Dutch
- Anglo-Bruneian Treaty of 1847.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Threatened by complete collapse after internal strife, Brunei was only saved when the British offered the Sultan a (treaty?) and installed a (?) in 1905. Under the terms of the (?) agreement, recommendations of the British Resident were binding on every matter except for religious affairs
- “Treaty of Protection” in 1888
- Resident
- 1906 Supplementary Protectorate agreement
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The British established this system which allowed British officials to have substantial influence over Brunei’s internal administration, with the Sultan maintaining symbolic authority.
Resident System (1905)
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
When the (?) discovered large (?) in Brunei in 1929, the country quickly became the (?) largest source of petroleum in the British Commonwealth. This gave the Sultanate a steady stream of revenue.
- Royal Dutch Shell
- petroleum reserves
- third largest
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Fueled by oil revenues, Brunei transformed from a mainly agrarian-based to a (?) economy
“rentier state” economy
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
These are states that regularly receive most or all of their revenues from rents, such as oil revenues or income derived from the exploitation of other natural resources
Rentier states
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The (years?) marked a turning point in Brunei’s political development. The birth of the sovereign Federation of Malaya (1957) and the approaching end of British control over Sarawak and Sabah triggered the emergence of a (?) movement led by the (?)
- 1950s and 1960s
- pan-Bornean movement
- Brunei People’s Party (Partai Rakyat Brunei, PRB)
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Founded in 1956, PRB demanded the formation of the sovereign (?) under the nominal leadership of the Sultan of Brunei.
Federated States of Borneo
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Sultan (name?) and (?), however, favored a closer association with Malaysia and opposed the expansion of popular participation and democratic rights especially after (treaty) which granted Brunei almost complete political and administrative autonomy, leaving the British High Commissioner only control over (three ?)
- Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin III and the aristocratic elite
- a new Treaty of Protection (1959)
- foreign policy, internal security, and defense.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The first Bruneian constitution, proclaimed that
same year at the instruction of the British government, instituted a consultative assembly with a handful of indirectly elected members, called the (?)
Legislative Council (1959)
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The PRB managed to win all (?) elected seats of the council’s 33 total seats in the first popular vote in (?)
- 16
- August 1962
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
When the Sultan proved unwilling to include the PRB in the (?), the national movement radicalized. Hence, in December 1962, (?) and (?) started an uprising that was easily crushed by British troops but provided the Sultan with the opportunity to establish (?), dissolve the (?) and ban all (?)
- decision-making process
- PRB cadres and the pro-Indonesian National Army of North Kalimantan (Tentara Nasional Kalimantan Utara, TNKU)
- establish emergency rule, dissolve the legislative council, and ban all political parties
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
TRUE OR FALSE
Negotiations for Brunei to join the Malayan Federation failed over the allocation of oil and gas revenue and the constitutional status of the Sultan relative to the other traditional Malay rulers.
TRUE THE FIRE
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
In 1967, Omar Ali Saifuddin III abdicated in favor of his son (?), dodging British pressure for the return to a (?) regime. A renewed (treaty?) opened the way to full national sovereignty, which was realized on (?)
- Hassan al Bolkiah
- constitutional regime
- Brunei-British Treaty in 1979
- January 1, 1984.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Since independence, the stability of the political regime rests on four pillars.
- The first is the legitimation of the absolute monarchy through the concept of Melayu Islam Beraja or the Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB), even though it remains unclear how strongly the MIB actually resonates with the beliefs and attitudes of its citizens.
- The second pillar is “soft repression” to prevent public criticism and opposition.
- Third, the Sultanate secures its national sovereignty and independence through membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations (UN), and the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as well as its bilateral defense and security cooperation with the United Kingdom and Singapore.
- Fourth, resource abundance and oil revenues provide the means to co-opt Malay elites and middle classes in a rentier-based “authoritarian bargain”, in which citizens relinquish political rights for economic security and exchange political loyalty for economic benefits and social welfare.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
TRUE OR FALSE
Brunei is the third largest producer of liquid gas worldwide
Brunei is the FOURTH largest producer of liquid gas worldwide
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The revenue is administered by the (?), Brunei’s sovereign petroleum fund under the auspice of the ministry of finance
Brunei Investment Agency (BIA)
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The government uses oil and gas revenues to finance a generous welfare system, also known as (?) that includes subsidies for fuel, housing, and staple foods as well as free education, university stipends for citizens to study abroad, and access to affordable quality health care
“shellfare system”
CONSTITUTION
Brunei’s constitutional order rests on two documents:
- the Constitution of 1959 (with major revisions enacted in 2004 and 2006) and
- the Succession and Regency Proclamation of the same year
CONSTITUTION
Even though Brunei has had a written constitution since 1959, its (?) merely formalizes the Sultan’s absolute sovereignty. The document was drawn up under (?) but without the participation of social groups
- pseudo-constitutionalism
- pressure from the British and the PRB
CONSTITUTION
The absolute sovereignty of the Sultanate itself is (?): all positive laws derive their validity from his person
Brunei’s
“Grundnorm” (basic norm)
CONSTITUTION
The constitutional text consists of a (?), (sections?), and (articles?)
preamble and 11 sections with a total of 87 articles.
CONSTITUTION
The text considers the Sultan’s power absolute and not limited or bound by (?) A series of constitutional reforms between 2004 and 2006 introduced the (?) as the only basic right
- basic or human rights
- free exercise of religious beliefs
CONSTITUTION
TRUE OR FALSE
constitutional reforms in the mid-2000s confirmed the Sultan’s prerogative to wield all executive and judiciary powers and amended the section concerning the Legislative Council
FALSE
Constitutional reforms in the mid-2000s confirmed the Sultan’s prerogative to wield all EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE powers and amended the section concerning the Legislative Council
CONSTITUTION
Under the revised 2004 Constitution, the Sultan is now free to adopt or reject (?), and the Legislative Council is further prohibit from discussing any matters that might (?) or matters relating to the national doctrine of the (?)
- any amendment to the constitution\
- reduce the rights and powers of the Sultan and his family
- Malay Islamic Monarchy
CONSTITUTION
TRUE OR FALSE
The constitutional review of laws and royal decrees is now explicitly banned
TRUE
CONSTITUTION
Finally, the constitution now extends complete (?) to the Sultan and any government official acting on behalf or under the authority of the Sultan
legal immunity
CONSTITUTION
The amendments also clarified that Brunei’s official religion is Islam according to the interpretation of the (?) one of the four schools of legal thought in (?) Islam.
- Shafi’i school
- Sunni
CONSTITUTION
Changes to the appendix constitutions now also clarify that a number of influential government offices can only be held by (?) including (3 authorities?)
- Malay Muslims
- Auditor General, the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, and cabinet ministers
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: MONARCH
Brunei is a (?) monarchy. In practice, however, the country has to be considered an absolute monarchy: The position of the monarch is not functionally separate from the (?), and an elected parliament does (?) with the Sultan
- hereditary constitutional monarchy
- legislature and the government
- does not share power
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: MONARCH
These are regulated in the Succession and Regency Proclamation of 1959
Succession to the throne, legal age requirements, and regency periods
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: MONARCH
The Sultan appoints a (?) as his heir during his life time. In case the Sultan has not provided for an heir, an heir is designated by a (?)
- crown prince
- Council of Succession
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: MONARCH
a (?) appointed by the Sultan conducts all government affairs until the designated heir comes of age. Both the (two councils?) are formed from Brunei’s hereditary nobility
- Council of Regency
- Council of Succession and the Council of Regency
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: MONARCH
In addition to his duties as head of state, the constitution assigns three key roles to the Sultan:
head of religion, prime minister, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
The Sultan is assisted by (?) constitutionally mandated government bodies. The Sultan presides over the Council of Ministers in his role as (?) and acts as his own (2 minister?)
- 5
- prime minister
- minister of defence and minister of finance
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
Brunei currently has (?) ministers, including the state appointed (?) and (?)
- 16
- state-appointed Mufti and the attorney general.
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
A (?) is a qualified Islamic scholar who is authorized to issue fatwas, which are legal opinions or rulings based on Islamic law (Sharia)
mufti
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
To be eligible for a ministerial post, a candidate has to be a (?), but the (?). Traditionally, several important cabinet posts are held by (?)
- Bruneian citizen, but the Sultan is free to make exceptions.
- members of the royal family.
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
Sultan’s brother serves as (2 minister?) and the crown prince serves as (?) in the office of the prime minister
- minister of foreign affairs and minister of trade
- senior minister
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
The (?) advises the Sultan on constitutional amendments, on matters of honorary titles and ceremonial offices, as well as on questions regarding succession and regency.
Privy Council
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
TRUE OR FALSE
Privy Council has substantial formal political authority, it is an important instrument for the Sultan to integrate the traditional nobility into the political system and foster individual loyalty among nobles
Privy Council has NO formal
political authority
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
The (?) advises the Sultan in matters relating to Islam and assists in drafting religious laws whereas the (?) assists the Sultan in matters of Malay traditional rights and customs.
- Religious Council
- Adat Istiadat Council
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
TRUE OR FALSE
The Sultan alone has right of initiative.
TRUE THE FIRE
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
While the Legislative Council is to be consulted before bills are enacted into law and can debate (?) in (?) session, its decisions and recommendations are (?).
- annual budget proposals in closed session
- not binding
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
The Sultan can enact laws and the national budget without the (?). In addition, the Sultan also has unlimited power to issue (?), which are immediately legally binding
- Legislative Council’s consent
- emergency decrees
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
Even in its internal affairs, Legislative Council is not an (?) since the Sultan determines its size, term of office, and mode of creation by proclamation. The Sultan can (?) any councilor at any time
- independent body
- suspend or dismiss
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
Before, the Legislative Council consisted of (?) members, (?) of which were determined through indirect elections. The remaining members were either (?) or became members (?)
- 33 members, 16 indirectly elected
- ppointed directly by the Sultan or became members ex officio as heads of other government bodies.
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
After the recent constitutional reforms, the Legislative Council can have no more than (?) members. The (?), (?), and (?) are among the (no?) ex officio members
- 51 members
- prime minister, the minister for foreign affairs, and the Crown Prince
- 6
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
Up to (?) members can be appointed by the Sultan and no more than 15 members can be determined/ elected in elections by people. The first such election since 1965 was held in (?).
- 30 members
- 15 members
- 2011.
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
Village elders and the heads of the country’s four districts formed an (?) that elected (?) members for the current Council. Altogether, the Council currently has (?) members, all of whom have to be (2 qualifications to be a councilor)
- electoral college
- 9
- 35
- Bruneian citizens and at least 20 years of age
JUDICIARY
Brunei’s legal system mixes (?) and (?), the latter of which is the major source of law in the country
British common law and the Shafi’i Islamic school
JUDICIARY
The court system is bifurcated into (?) that deal with matters like (?) and Sharia-regulated criminal cases and secular courts modeled after the (?) system.
- Islamic court
- matrimonial or inheritance law
- British system.
JUDICIARY
Brunei has a (?) legal system, with (?) governing personal and religious matters for Muslims, while (?) manage general legal issues. Sharia law plays a major role in the legal framework, especially since the introduction of the (?)
- dual legal system
- Sharia law
- civil courts
- Syariah Penal Code in 2014
JUDICIARY
The state courts are organized in three tiers:
lower magistrate courts, intermediate courts, and the Supreme Court
JUDICIARY
The court of last resort and appellate court of the country.
Supreme Court
JUDICIARY
The judicial reforms in 1998 and 2000 abolished the traditional (?) system and introduced a (?)
- kadi court system
- three-tiered system of Sharia courts
JUDICIARY
The courts have exclusive jurisdiction over all matters
under Islamic law including criminal proceedings, if (?) applies.
Sharia law
JUDICIARY
TRUE OR FALSE
The national citizens and permanent residents are not subject to these courts, irrespective of their individual religious faith.
FALSE
ALL national citizens and permanent residents are SUBJECT to these courts, irrespective of their individual religious faith.
JUDICIARY
Brunei has (?) as judicial review is irreconcilable with the Sultan’s position as the sole source and center of executive, legislative, and juridical power
no constitutional court
JUDICIARY
Government officials are only subject to judicial procedure in their (?) and never in their (?)
- private
- official capacity
JUDICIARY
The (?) appoints all judges. Their tenure ends when they turn (?), although the Sultan can (?)
- Sultan
- 65
- grant extensions
JUDICIARY
This body subordinate to the (?), now audits and monitors the administrative conduct of both secular and religious courts
- Prime Minister’s office
- State Judicial Department
JUDICIARY
As head of religion, the Sultan formally presides over the Islamic courts, but in practice the (?) and (?) monitor the court’s adjudication.
Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Office of the State Mufti
JUDICIARY
The state has a (?) on Islamic legal opinions (fatwa). These can only be issued by the Religious Council appointed by the Sultan
monopoly
JUDICIARY
TRUE OR FALSE
Bruneian courts are known for their professionalism, especially compared to other countries in the region, dating back to its times as a British protectorate. While most court positions today are held by Bruneian citizens, British influence persists because most judges study law in Great Britain or Malaysia.
TRUE THE FIRE
JUDICIARY
The World Bank’s Rule of Law Index ranks Brunei (?) in the region, surpassed only by Singapore. In addition, the perceived level of corruption in the country is relatively low compared to other Southeast Asian countries
Second
POLITICAL PARTIES
Brunei is one of only five states in the world that does not hold any kind of (?) for the legislature
representative national elections
POLITICAL PARTIES
Brunei’s first political party, the (?), was founded in 1956, making Brunei a (?) in terms of political party development in the region. The PRB so far is the only political party to develop a (?) and preside over an organized membership base
- Pan-Bornean PRB
- latecomer
- party ideology
POLITICAL PARTIES
The (?) is also the only party ever to have participated in elections with its own chosen candidates, but it was quickly banned after the election following its participation in the 1962 antiroyal uprising
Partai Rakyat Brunei (PRB)
POLITICAL PARTIES
Political parties were legalized again in (?) but need (?) from the (?) and are obliged to submit (?) to renew their registration
- 1985
- authorization from Minstry of Interior
- yearly reports on their activities
POLITICAL PARTIES
There is no formal party law, but political parties are
regulated under the (?), which applies to most kinds of social associations
Societies Order of 2005
POLITICAL PARTIES
TRUE OR FALSE
The Societies Order of 2005 restricts freedom of association and organized political activities by requiring organizations of more than ten people to register with the government, and the government enjoys full discretion to register or dissolve such groups.
TRUE THE FIRE
POLITICAL PARTIES
Only (?) are allowed to be members of a political party, and members of the (?) or (?) are prohibited from joining parties altogether.
- full citizens
- public service or the armed forces
POLITICAL PARTIES
TRUE OR FALSE
Furthermore, since 1962, political parties are allowed to nominate their own candidates in national or local
elections.
Furthermore, since 1962, political parties are NOT ALLOWED to nominate their own candidates in national or local elections.
POLITICAL PARTIES
This is the only party that has partially overcome these difficulties and avoided complete collapse
National Development Party (PP)
POLITICAL PARTIES
This party (?) is founded in 1985, quickly lost its permit after several members publicly criticized the government.
National Democratic Party of Brunei (BNDP)
POLITICAL PARTIES
With the major exception of the PRB, all Bruneian parties to date contain only several dozen to a few hundred individuals, and none serve (?)
any governmental or electoral function.
STATE ADMINISTRATION
The territory of Brunei is administratively divided into (?), (?), and (?) or (?) which is the traditional form of settlement of several of Brunei’s indigenous groups
- districts and municipalities (daerah)
- subdistricts (mukim), and
- villages (kampong) or long house communities
STATE ADMINISTRATION
Brunei’s main district of (?) and its 18 subdistricts, which includes the (?)
- Brunei-Muara
- national capital Banda Seri Begawan
STATE ADMINISTRATION
The remaining population is divided between the (?), (?), (?) which are physically separate from the rest of Brunei by the Limbang corridor that is part of the Malaysian state Sarawak
- southwestern Belait district (eight subdistricts),
- the southern Tutong district (eight subdistricts),
- and Temburong district (five subdistricts)
STATE ADMINISTRATION
This subdistrict (?) is also the center of Brunei’s oil and natural gas sector, and a permanent British military contingent and the (?) are garrisoned there to protect the (?) the largest oil field in northwest Borneo
- Belait
- Gurkha Reserve Unit
- Seria oil fields
STATE ADMINISTRATION
The district governments and municipalities are subordinate to the (?)
Ministry of Home Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office.
STATE ADMINISTRATION
Village elders and district heads are elected by the local population after the candidates—often (?) or (?)—are cleared by the government
former bureaucrats or military officers
STATE ADMINISTRATION
The local leaders such as village or district head official role is mostly limited to (?) and acting as an (?) between the local population and the state administration
- mediating local conflict
- intermediary
CIVIL SOCIETY
Brunei’s security sector consists of three main services:
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), the Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU), and the Royal Brunei Police (RBP)
CIVIL SOCIETY
The Malay Islamic Monarchy doctrine was developed by the former Director for Information, (?) (an Islamic scholar);
Ustaz Badaruddin
CIVIL SOCIETY
The adoption of the title (?) in 2004 and the religious emphasis it signifies is another expression of this attempted traditionalization of personal rule and has been flanked by an ongoing Islamization of public life
“Head of Religion”
CIVIL SOCIETY
TRUE OR FALSE
Civil society is defined as a space between the private sector, economy, and state where social interests and demands are organized. In Brunei, this space is significantly developed.
In Brunei, this space is significantly UNDERDEVELOPED
OUTLOOK
As the only ruling monarchy in Southeast Asia, the Sultanate of Brunei is often seen as a (?) in the region. Yet it is also a beacon of political stability in Southeast Asia.
- political anachronism
OUTLOOK
As in all authoritarian regimes, (?) plays a role in Brunei. This is reflected not least by the reports of international organizations. However, if and when repression takes place, it occurs mainly in its (?), while hard repression such as torture, political murder, or even terror has little to do with the political reality in Brunei
- repression
- softer forms of social control and surveillance
OUTLOOK
Brunei uses its oil and gas revenues to maintain (?). However, dependence on these industries is a potential vulnerability, as economic diversification remains limited
social and political order
OUTLOOK
TRUE OR FALSE
While the national doctrine of Malay Islamic Monarchy has become the most important legitimation of the Sultan’s claim to absolute power, it is a double-edged sword, as
the public could expect a higher standard of ethical conduct from the Sultan himself and members of the ruling dynasty
TRUE THE FIRE
