Royal Family of Brunei Current Events 2: August 2006-

[Observer08]

Thank you Cantik.

DPPW is indeed low profile and a dedicated and religious man. That aside, all you've wrote is true or almost all true. It was not about embarrassing DPPW but the simple fact that DPD is smarter than DPPW in every way you may see it. DPD is business minded person while DPPW is the sort of person that gets the receipts of the coffee he drinks while traveling abroad in service, so to bill HM's government. So you have little minded versus business minded.
Also, DPPW is not that low profile as he has two huge compounds in in front of Istana Nurul Iman and sure if you visit there you will notice the ADC touches all over!!! At the end of the day: no one was going bankrupted but one was spending more than the others....thus the fight for power and money that lead to Brunei being frozen until today and maybe forever!!!!

[Cantik]

Thank you Observer08.

Don't be upset. The "sun still shinning every morning, isn't it". You must be patiented to see Brunei to be "modern country" or "to be your dream". Who knows the next generation of the Royal will change Their mind but if Their focus only for "Power" and "Money": I feel sorry to you. Their live extravaganza but the peoples should be waited 20 years to get the increasing of their salary.
By the way who is ADC.

[Observer08]

I am not at all upset. I've moved from Brunei long ago. I'm in the USA now and I am just sad to see my country going backwards! Very unfortunate when you don't have the right people on the top + no right to choose...

ADC stands for Amedeo Development Corporation which was HRH Prince Jefri's flagship company that was destroyed by DPPW.

[Dang Ayah]

I think it's weak of us to lament about losses without suggesting how we can improve the country. And as Muslims, we should believe that what has happened was willed to us by God.

As a citizen of Brunei, I am frankly disappointed to see any bad remark about our government, its head of state and the Royal Family. The good question to ask is what each of us has done to our country's development. It seems some of us also like to pick on the Sultan, his ministers, his officials, his family and make them the 'fall guy' when something goes wrong to the country.

I believe it takes the whole nation to get the country to its best shape.

I am sure some bad things that are said are true and this is a forum where you can possibly learn the truth but why do dwell on that and spicing it up with non-constructive criticism about them.

Your country is as backwards or forwards as you believe it to be so I refuse to entertain the statement that it is going backwards. How do you measure it anyway? By the closing down of a playground? How big the Sultan's palace is?

What matters the most is the state of the rakyat or the general population. We are still being well taken care of. We still have many privileges A LOT of people in other countries don't get. And we should be more thankful for that.

[Observer08]

Dang Ayah,

Thanks for joining and sharing your opinion. No one wants to use HM as "fall guy" for anything here. I am just pointing out something that has happened and cannot be ignored at all. I am as a muslim also NOT happy with the way things are right now at our beloved nation. If you look at the rakyat, you'll see a lot of sub-employment, high debt, shrinking private economy, etc.
You say the people in Brunei enjoy a lot of things that other countries don't enjoy and that is correct but at what cost that comes to them/us? Brunei could be much more than what it is! Brunei was in a pace to become what Dubai is now but 10 years ago. HM government is full of people that talk a lot and enjoys a great deal of benefits and money but do nothing to improve the nations diversification and an example of that is the BEDB plans and so on. How come you expect to diversify an economy coming up with all sorts of plans always linked to Oil and Gas? This is ridiculous to say the least. Look at our economy and what do you see? There is Shell and its imposed Shellfare state and nothing else. Now that oil is below $40 let's see how viable we are as a nation and also how viable are all this nonsense projects proposed by BEDB and its people.
A country success is measured by a number of things, surely not by the closing of a playground but definitely by its private sector, its state of economy, its people and the wealth moving around and by all means, Brunei has lost compared to 10 years ago. The crisis is again looming and this time around things may end up pretty bad for everybody (Royal Family included) and simply because there is some sort of bubble around our Royals that delink them from REALITY!
But again, that is only my humble opinion and I am still a huge admirer of HM. Not of HM's government but of HM as a person!

[Warren]

A reminder that this thread is for discussion of the Royal Family.
The state of Brunei's economy can be debated in Members' Corner.

Warren
Brunei moderator

[bossany]

I like princess Majeedah. she is beautiful. I would like to know is she belove for
brunei people and is she lovely and gennerous??

[RhapsodyBrat]

Prince Bahar Jefri of Brunei (right) poses with him team, who recently won a polo tournament at the Manila Polo Club in the Philippines.

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (scroll down the page towards the gallery, pic is #7).

[jakesmith]

Hi Everyone,
Myself Jake Smith & I am new member to this forum...
Nice forum I like it...
Thanks!

[Nur]

Welcome to the forum Jake! Are you interested in the Brunei Royal Family in particular?

[BTH]

I heard some rumors of reconciliation between Prince Jefri and the Sultan. Are they true?

[Observer08]

It doesn't look like...I mean HM's government through BIA is trying to evict everyone related to DPD from its mansion in Singapore, BIA took control of all the properties that used to belong to DPD in the USA, there is a pending arrest warrant against DPD in Europe.
Unless this is all "smoke screen" I would say it will take a while until DPD and HM get back. But I would like to believe you're right and they will reconcile as Brunei was much better to live or "endure" when DPD was an active member of the Government.
I see Brunei now as a "dead" place going backwards only. Poverty has hit the streets, drugs are becoming a serious problem among unemployed youths, no diversification of the economy, abandoned buildings...a total disaster! The worst is that HM is NOT (at least not totally) the one to fault but the people below him that to please, keep on saying "all fine, everyone happy".

[BTH]

Thanks for the update, Observer08. I haven't been there since 1996, so it's really sad to hear that the situation is now so bad. I hope there's some truth in the rumors that I heard so that the country can revert to its former splendor.

[Dang Ayah]

Originally Posted by Observer08

I see Brunei now as a "dead" place going backwards only. Poverty has hit the streets, drugs are becoming a serious problem among unemployed youths, no diversification of the economy, abandoned buildings...a total disaster! The worst is that HM is NOT (at least not totally) the one to fault but the people below him that to please, keep on saying "all fine, everyone happy".

Are you in Brunei when you say this? What an exaggeration.

[el-khanz]

As far as I know Brunei is a stable country, no conflicts, no demonstrations, unlike its South East Asia counterparts such as Thailand, Myanmar, or Indonesia. But, since I never been there, I have no idea about what exactly happen there.

[White Princess]

I like Brunei, however I think it could be more "occidental", if you know what I mean.

[Dang Ayah]

White Princess: occidental as in it has the POTENTIAL to or it IS quite occidental?

el-khanz: Brunei is indeed stable. Praise to God.

Observer08: You should be embarrassed to have to criticise a country when you are not even there to see what has actually been happening. Even if you've been there lately, shame for your lack of acknowledgement of what progress there already is and some more that are still being worked on.

Admin: I apologise for being slightly off-topic.

[Observer08]

I believe you are not living in Brunei right?

Because if you were, you'd see with your own eyes. Indeed Brunei is still safe, stable, etc. but economically speaking, its a dead country. Its a country with people living beyond their means, through credit! Much like the USA. Pretending all is fine and wanting to upkeep things but if you check with the local banks, you see the ugly truth!!!

No development since 1997. No diversification at all!

Those are facts and I am sorry for that because I love Brunei!

Originally Posted by Dang Ayah

White Princess: occidental as in it has the POTENTIAL to or it IS quite occidental?

el-khanz: Brunei is indeed stable. Praise to God.

Observer08: You should be embarrassed to have to criticise a country when you are not even there to see what has actually been happening. Even if you've been there lately, shame for your lack of acknowledgement of what progress there already is and some more that are still being worked on.

Admin: I apologise for being slightly off-topic.

[Dang Ayah]

I do live in Brunei for a significant part of the year and are abroad for the rest. Your words are unbecoming of someone who loves Brunei. Please give the lack of respectful words for Brunei a rest.

[Observer08]

Dang Ayah,

I am sorry. I will not engage in a "battle" of words here.