Yes, Virginia, There IS a Sultan of Brunei

Yesterday we were in Kuta Kumbala, (called “KK” by the locals) Malaysia on the island of Borneo and today we are in Brunei, the ridiculously rich country just to the south (still on Borneo). It’s all about the oil, Baby. The country of Brunei, which has been ruled by the same sultanate family since the 15th century, decided not to join the federated states of Malaysia but remain a separate country. I guess it was a good move, because soon after Malaysia was formed huge oil and gas deposits were found in Brunei and now the country boasts one of the highest per capita earnings in the world. It is a strictly Islamic country, and everything is written in the squiggly letters you see in the Middle East, but the official language is Malay (same as Malaysia) and the people all resemble their Malaysian and SE Asian neighbors. The sultan has complete power here—no mamby-pamby constitutional monarchy for Brunei—oh no. It’s from the sultan’s mouth to God’s ear. But since the sultan’s family has been in power for centuries and centuries there seems to be no major corruption or greed. I mean, if you’ve been raised in the largest palace in the world (true—largest residential palace for one of Earth’s smallest countries) and you’ve had everything at your beck and call for your entire life, why steal? You may become the proverbial “dirty old man” (and the sultan’s escapades with airline flight attendants, models and actresses are well-documented—no Tiger Woods blow-back for the sultan!) but you will probably be generous and considerate with your people. Why not? So, here in the sultanate of Brunei, you will see nice houses, nice cars, beautiful schools and hospitals, wonderful roads and well-manicured parks. And the mosques? Don’t even get me started about the mosques. The “Big Mosque” as they call it in Bandar City (the capital—which simply means “where the sultan lives”) is jaw dropping. The stained glass dome in the central prayer area (which is in the men’s mosque—the women’s mosque is a drab little affair by comparison) is staggeringly beautiful. It’s huge, covering nearly the entire roof area of the mosque and the prayer area can hold a thousand men so you get the picture. The exterior of the mosque is covered in gold—the real stuff. The grounds are immaculate (as are all the highway medians and parks) and everywhere you look there are people working on the gardens or cleaning something. They even have a “river cleaner” which is a large vacuum cleaner on a boat which cruises the “sultan’s river” picking up any stray debris.
We went to two museums, both devoted to the sultan and his life and times. One was the “Regalia Museum” which I’m sure had more gold than Fort Knox. It was almost laughable how much gold “paraphernalia” is necessary to crown a sultan. The second museum was mostly displays of the sultan’s Islamic art, and then a zillion priceless artifacts from ancient Islamic civilizations. It’s weird how Islamic practice, life and beliefs permeate every aspect of life here. The women do not wear the complete burqua outfit (the black tent with the eye slits) but they are completely covered from head to foot, with only their faces showing. When we went into the mosque, I was wearing a very dowdy beige skirt that extended a foot beyond my knees and I had a white shawl that covered me from neck to waist (no arms, shoulders or skin showing) but still that wasn’t enough for the brothers of Islam. Nope, I was handed a very heavy black gown that covered pretty much what was already covered (from neck to mid-calf) to put on. You have to take off your shoes and wash your arms (they want you to wash your feet too, but I said “enough is enough”) before entering. Meanwhile, Tom is wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants and that’s fine and dandy with the boys guarding the mosque. To say that Islam has “attitude” about women would be an understatement. Even tourist women are held to a stricter standard! Oh well.
As long as the oil holds out, I’m pretty sure this place will remain one of the most peaceful and comfortable countries in this neck of the world. Goes to show you that money may not be the root of all evil. It may be just what it takes to carve a paradise out of the jungles of Borneo.