Brunei’s governance, in recent news, has been unsettling at the very least. It is clear that the imposition of the Syariah law has unearthed decades’ worth of buried resentment amongst the Bruneian people that are only now coming to light. Like a poison in the water, its effects do not show until symptoms occur; however, its silver lining is that it brings discourse to the matter, which in any case, is the first step towards progress. For a long time, I have been personally trying to collect my own thoughts on the subject - what my own views on racism and discrimination were, which stance do I take, how objective I was, and if challenged, how consistent would I be of my convictions? Before anything else, I would like to introduce myself because it provides two things: firstly, it provides the grounding from where my opinions come from, and secondly, it allows you to judge if they are too far removed from Bruneian society. I am a twenty-something year old Bruneian, born and bred. I studied in public school until my PMB examinations, after which, I moved to an international school for my GCSEs and A-Levels. I have since spent the past 5 years in England for my undergraduate and graduate degrees. Like any Bruneian growing up at this age, I spent my teenage years in cinemas and The Mall, I made friends with kids from other public schools, I spent my weekends at Tungku Beach or food-hunting at the Gadong Pasar Malam - Brunei has always been home.

In light of these new laws, the debate must continue - not only because of the extremity of its punishments, but because it is divisive. As Bruneians, we must detangle race, religion and nationality. This is often difficult because our national ideology (Melayu, Islam, Beraja) plainly disallows any form of diversity. It is absolute: Brunei is Malay, Brunei is Muslim and Brunei is under the Sultan; therefore, it cannot be anything else. Further, it has become a criteria to place other Bruneians in. If one is not Malay or Muslim, can one be a ‘true’ Bruneian? These are the sentiments that sow discord amongst Bruneians that do not fit in it. It is no secret that understanding and valuing cultural diversity are key to social cohesion. Indeed, to deny other cultures is to limit one’s world and perspective on life. Therefore, it does appear narrow for the government to institutionalise Syariah law. Whilst it is easy to understand the rationale between preserving a national identity through these laws, its implications are stunting in that it makes no room for newer cultural identities to form. Is it then wrong for our Abode to truly move towards a culture of ‘peace’ and acceptance, rather than a culture of segregated races. Further, because these laws are Islamic by nature, it labels Malay governance as oppressive as their identities cannot be differentiated (by law) in Brunei. Malays are Muslim by birth, and are forbidden to leave the religion, whether they like it or not. In Brunei, to be Malay is to be Muslim. Therefore, to critique on the the imposition of Islamic laws is to critique the imposition of Malay culture, which is not the case at all. At risk of being called an ‘infidel’ or a ‘traitor’, this is something only a Malay person can address.

Describing Bruneian society, it is evident that we are all in a bubble. This is not to say that it is entirely the people’s fault. The way our country is structured, from our lack of public spaces to our reliance of private transportation, means that we are isolated from in many interactions that we would be subjected to in any other city, which include the sharing of ideologies and opinions that can be intellectually debated. Instead, we rely on the internet to communicate, protected by a firewall. Whilst being in England has given me refuge from Brunei’s dysfunctions, reading news (ironically, online) about the country has lately been hurtful. In the discussion boards of news articles, comments are casually racist because cyber racism is anonymous. Nevertheless, it is instrumental in determining our societal values not because it is uncensored and unadulterated, but most importantly, because it is honest and its dynamic provocative. As easy as it is for the majority to adopt a ‘don’t like it, then leave’ attitude, it is just as easy for the minority to catcall impingements of human rights, quoting ‘intolerance’, ‘bigotry’, ‘xenophobia’ or more extremely, ‘eugenics’. In my opinion, neither progresses anything for the greater community.

In any case, it is one thing to force a belief and its many facets and rules upon someone, and to ostracise them if they do no blindly abide; it is another thing to show someone, to invite them to delve deeper and embrace it because they want to. The former is toxic. Therefore, we need to stop viewing each other’s race as absolutely static and definitive - not singularly as “just” a Malay person or a Chinese person, but as people (as we are) with interests, passions, who also just happen to be Malay or Chinese. This is not to say that culture is not important. In fact, the opposite is true. It has implications on the wider society and economy. However, it is the acceptance of cultural diversity that strengthens our ties and our competitiveness in trade, not just internationally but within our own society. Yes, one’s culture defines a person, but it cannot be the only definition. Lastly, Brunei itself is neither inherently Malay or Chinese, nor is it Muslim or Christian. Brunei is 5,765 km2 of land on the Island of Borneo. ’Brunei’ was, and will still be, here after everyone of us has passed. We can, and must, be proud of our country; however, not because of the supposed ‘blessedness’ of its lands, but because of the achievements of its all its people.