INTERVIEW His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah
‘Our future rests on the quality of our people’

Ruler of Brunei since 1967, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah is one of the world’s longest-serving heads of state and one of its richest men. Endowed with full executive authority, he presides over the cabinet as prime minister and also holds the positions of minister of finance and minister of defence.
Here he talks about Brunei’s place in the region, the monarchy and his hopes for his country’s economic development with the help of foreign investment.

Q: How would you characterise the role of Brunei in the international community and specifically in relation to Asean?
A: We try to play an active role in regional and international affairs as best we can, according to our ability and resources. We try to be a responsible and constructive member of the United Nations and all the other bodies we belong to.
Asean is obviously a very important association for us. Over the past 30 years Asean has made great strides in regional cooperation covering a number of areas, although recently it has been under strain because of the financial crisis and other challenges.
Our priority is to make sure that these do not affect our unity or undermine the success that we have achieved so far. Brunei is fully committed to the Asean and the various projects it has undertaken, such as the Asean Free Trade Area. We will host the Asean summit in November this year. It will be an occasion to reflect on our achievements collectively and to look at how Asean can maintain its leading role in regional and international cooperation.

Q: This year marks the 600th anniversary of the Brunei monarchy, one of the oldest in the world. How would you describe the importance of this tradition to Brunei and what it represents to the international perception of your country?
A: The monarchy is all-enduring in Brunei. It has a proud heritage and I see it as something very positive for the country. It brings stability and continuity, which contributes to the stability of the region.
I feel that the international community can accept the unique situation in Brunei, which is a haven for peace and tranquillity with many things to offer. It is a progressing and rapidly developing nation, and I hope that the monarchy and the government it leads is seen as contributing to that progress.

Q: Brunei has moved towards more Islamic and traditional values. How does this affect the country’s ability to be more open to international business and commerce?
A: There is no conflict between favouring Islamic and traditional values and being more open and international. Islam encourages its followers to strive to fulfil good work and to live as social beings. Its outlook on humanity is one of compassion and benevolence, and is devoid of hatred and discrimination. It encourages life-long learning and prescribes balanced development for both material and spiritual needs.

Q: Diversification is vital for economic development in Brunei. How will you achieve this and which sectors do you want to develop?
A: Our strength in finance has led us to set up an international financial centre with medium and long-term objectives, especially to develop Islamic financial and insurance services. Tourism is also a promising sector, as Brunei has its own unique attractions.
We are considering various ways of making use of our oil and gas downstream industries. This is to be complemented with the import of oil and gas from other sources as raw materials.
As for the primary resources sector, the potential for future development is there. The potential is essentially for technology-based and high value-added products in agriculture and fisheries, initially for local consumption and later for export. This will form a strong basis for national food security.
As a small country, both in size and population, our future hinges on the quality of our people. The development of our human resources is an area in which we need to do well as it is decisive in determining the success of our diversification programme. The level of our educational development is high and serves as a strong basis for our future progress.

Q: How important is foreign direct investment for Brunei’s economic development and how are you seeking to attract it?
A: To succeed in our diversification programme we need investments, especially high-grade foreign direct investment. This will bring in technology, capital, knowledge and management skills and, in particular, a wide international market network that a small country like ours needs to promote our development.
We need foreign skills to stay competitive.
The nation will benefit in the long term if it continues to be open to foreign expertise. This will help the country to establish its business culture and environment faster, based on international best practice.
We are increasing our efforts to attract the right kind of foreign investors through our various agencies. We are also looking at our existing incentive schemes to see if they attract the right kind of investments into the country. Confidence building is a big factor and we are stepping up our efforts to enhance security of investment in this country.

Q: The UK has played a key part in Brunei’s development and is one of its most important partners. Does the relationship still hold such a special place in Brunei’s new global agenda?
A: Brunei’s relations with the UK date back before full independence in January 1984. Until then the UK was responsible for the country’s foreign and defence policies and played a key role in our affairs. When Brunei resumed full independence, relations with the UK continued to flourish. By then, they were conducted on the basis of sovereign equality either bilaterally or in the context of international relations.
Today, bilateral relations with Britain are excellent, with cooperation in many areas and both countries continuing to work on strengthening these ties. We attach great value to this traditional and important friendship.
At the same time, Brunei is also a member of several regional and international organisations, such as Asean and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping. and has diplomatic relations with 130 countries.