A slice of India in Brunei

Dinesh Kumar

This tiny oil-rich sultanate does not boast of high-rise buildings, huge monuments, fancy entertainment, big shopping malls and the usual glitz attached to big capital cities. Instead, what it offers is a lot of greenery in the form of tropical forest cover in a country where the climate is tropical equatorial. The cities are small in size and sparsely populated but spread out, spacious, clean and quiet with low-rise office and apartment buildings.

Brunei’s capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan, presents a complete contrast to the capital cities of most other member states of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean). This one mall city (even the solitary mall is located in the satellite town of Gadong), home to the country’s only international airport, has one unique feature – the world’s largest water village, known as Kampong Ayer, located bang in the middle of Brunei river.

This cluster of river villages comprises about 4,200 structures, which include stilt houses, shops, restaurants, schools, a police station, and even a marine fire station, 36 km of wooden walkways and 29 km of foot bridges to facilitate a population of well over 30,000. It is complete with all modern amenities that include concrete jetties, piped water and both electric and telephone lines. Access to this water village from the banks of Brunei river is by water taxis, which are but simple-looking wooden motor boats. Such is the historic value of Kampong Ayer, also known as the ‘Venice of the East’, that it once served as the country’s administrative centre and seat of the government with even the Sultan once residing here.

Brunei, officially called Negara Brunei Darussalem (Nation of Brunei, Abode of Peace), spread across 5,765 sq km, is also uniquely divided into two unconnected portions segregated by a strip of Malaysia on the island of Borneo. This island comprises the entire country of Brunei with the rest of the island divided between Indonesia and Malaysia. Apart from a 161-km coastline with the South China Sea, Brunei is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak. Visitors thus either need a Malaysian visa to travel between the two portions of Brunei or can simply take a 45-minute boat ride along the coast from one part to the other without needing a Malaysian visa. About 97 per cent of the 4,20,000-strong population, however, resides in the western part where Bandar Seri Begawan is located. About 1 lakh of Brunei’s total population comprises expatriates with the 11,000 Indian residents in the country accounting for the fifth largest expat community. Bangladeshis, interestingly, account for the fourth largest expats in Brunei.

Like any major city of an Islamic country, Bandar Seri Begawan has its share of grand mosques. A heritage museum provides an interesting insight into the country’s history. While the country’s official language is Malay, Arabic influence is evident in this sultanate with directions and names of streets and buildings posted in Arabic as well. Brunei, where alcohol consumption is strictly forbidden, is the only country in East Asia where Sharia law has been adopted. Crime is seldom and of a petty nature. It is rare to spot a policeman. Petrol and diesel prices are low in this country where crude oil and natural gas account for 90 per cent of the GDP. With the price of petrol around 53 Brunei cents (about Rs 24) and diesel at about 30 Brunei cents (approximately Rs 15), cars are in abundance with not many pedestrians visible except in public places.

The relatively small community of Indians accounts for a mix of professionals, businessmen and semi-skilled workers with most having retained their Indian citizenship. The 155 Indian doctors play an important role in the country’s health service. Other professionals comprise engineers and teachers. Indians are beginning to slowly break the glass ceiling. For example, Lakshmi Bai, who hails from Maharashtra and has earlier worked with Indian Bank, now works in the Ministry of Finance as a senior manager. Then there is 90-year-old Mohinder Singh, the oldest person of Indian origin and now a Brunei citizen residing in Bandar Seri Begawan since 1946. His grandson is a Brunei foreign service officer currently posted in Washington DC.

There are 124 Indians employed in various institutions and schools in Brunei; these include seven academics in the University of Brunei. At the same time, there are 842 Indians studying in the country although only six are enrolled at the university, according to Dr Anita B.Z. Abdul Aziz, the vice-chancellor of the University of Brunei. Indeed Indians are a small but vibrant community in an otherwise relatively sleepy, quiet but a very wealthy Brunei.