Jubli Emas Sultan Brunei - 50 tahun bertakhta

oni313 · Post time 5-10-2017 09:02 AM

Brunei sultan to mark golden jubilee with lavish celebrations

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Brunei's all-powerful sultan will mark 50 years on the throne on Thursday (Oct 5) with lavish celebrations including a glittering procession, a 21-gun salute and a ceremony at his vast, golden-domed palace.

The festivities for Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah - which will include the monarch being carried past huge crowds of well-wishers in a chariot - are the centrepiece of events to mark his golden jubilee.

The 71-year-old, the world's second-longest reigning monarch, ascended to the throne of the tiny sultanate on tropical Borneo island in October, 1967.

His decades ruling one of the world's few absolute monarchies have seen the country gain full independence from Britain and living standards soar to among the highest in the world due to abundant oil and gas reserves.

But the reign of Hassanal, one of the world's richest men, has also been marked by controversies.

These include the introduction of tough Islamic laws in 2014, and a sensational family feud which revealed details of his brother Prince Jefri Bolkiah's jet-set lifestyle.

The jubilee will be a chance for citizens of the sleepy, Muslim country to focus on celebrating the life and times of Hassanal, a father-figure monarch who remains widely revered.

Thursday's festivities will begin with the sultan and his wife inspecting a royal guard of honour, followed by a gun salute.

They will hold an audience at the sultan's palace, a vast complex of resplendent white buildings with golden domes and almost 1,800 rooms, which will be attended by guests including members of the royal family and ministers.

The climax of Thursday's events, which are part of over two weeks of jubilee celebrations, will be a procession through the capital Bandar Seri Begawan.

The sultan and his wife will be pulled on an ornately decorated, gold chariot by 50 of their subjects, with about 80,000 well-wishers expected to line the route.

Marching bands and members of the armed forces and military will also take part in the procession.

Southeast Asian leaders and Middle Eastern royalty will attend a banquet in Brunei on Friday to mark the jubilee.

They include Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, according to organisers.

Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert from John Cabot University, said the sultan was using the jubilee celebrations to "re-affirm the nature of the Brunei state, and the personalistic nature of that state around him".

"He's always had a cult of personality around his monarchy," she said.

The sultan only comes behind one sovereign in terms of having the longest reign - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended to the throne in 1952.

Brunei, with a population of about 400,000, has been ruled by the same royal family for 600 years.

oni313 · Post time 5-10-2017 09:03 AM

oni313 · Post time 5-10-2017 09:08 AM

Brunei celebrates Golden Jubilee: What to know about Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - One of the world’s longest-reigning monarchs, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, is well loved and highly respected by his people in the state known as the “Abode of Peace”.

The 71-year-old monarch takes a direct hand in state affairs. He is the country’s prime minister, minister of defence, finance and foreign affairs and trade, and the supreme commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

Bruneian student Ali Molhakim Awang Piut, 19, said everyone he knows, from urban dwellers to villagers, are grateful to have a strong and committed leader like him.

“His heart is with the people and he has a strong sense of duty. Whenever there’s a natural disaster, His Majesty will see to it that all the aid that’s needed is provided,” he told The Straits Times.

“He is also hands on. I’ve never seen a Sultan who will make time to take part in public recreational activities like cycling,” he added.

During his 50-year reign, Sultan Bolkiah has led Brunei to independence and transformed it into one of South-east Asia’s most developed nation with enviable standards of living, thanks to abundant oil and gas reserves. Bruneians enjoy free healthcare and education, and pay no taxes.

Mr Ahmad Anwar Rosly, 32, a marketing and event manager for a shopping mall, said the Sultan has advanced Islamic teachings such as the implementing of the sharia law and building more mosques without sacrificing the country’s progress

“Most, if not all, of the graduates' aim is to work for the government, but His Majesty encourages people to diversify which is why I felt encouraged to pursue other jobs in the private sector such as oil and gas and retail industry where I am now,” he said.

“His late father was known as the modern architect of Brunei, His Majesty is definitely continuing his late father’s legacy.”

The Sultan is an avid polo player, just like other members of the royal family. Two of his children, Prince Abdul Mateen, 26, and Princess Azemah Ni’matul, 33, had represented the country in equestrian polo events at the South-east Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur in August.

The ruler of the 654-year monarchy also enjoys playing squash and badminton and is a qualified pilot.

Sultan Bolkiah was listed by Forbes in 1997 as the world’s richest man with US$38 billion (S$52 billion) wealth, and he reportedly owns a collection of cars and polo ponies.

The Sultan has 12 children, and his eldest son is Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah while still studying at Victoria Institution, a secondary school and one of the oldest schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1961.