Guide To Hetalia ASEAN Fanfic: Brunei Darussalam

Mánudagur: An Independent Nation

America: How did you attain your independence, Brunei?

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A. 1959 - Written Constitution
The 1959 Written Constitution was a step forward for Brunei towards independence. It provides the basic principles on how an independent Brunei would be governed. The basic principles are:

- the Sultan was the Supreme Head of State. He would be assisted by a Manteri Besar;
- Brunei would be an Islamic country with Malay as its official language; and
-Brunei would be responsible for its internal affairs while Britain would be responsible for Brunei's foreign and defence matters.

B. 1971 - Full Internal Self-Government
In 1971, Brunei was given full internal self-government. The British High Commissioner no longer gave advice to the Brunei government on Brunei's internal policies. However, the British government was still responsible for Brunei's defence and external relations.

C. 1978 - British-Brunei Agreement
On 29th June 1978, it was officially announced that Brunei would be given full international responsibility for its defence and foreign affairs at the end of 1983. From 1978 to 1983, Brunei prepared itself to be a fully independent state.

D. 1979 - Anglo-Brunei Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation
The 1979 Anglo-Brunei Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation set a date for Brunei's independence. It stated that Brunei would become fully independent in 1983. Brunei would be responsible for its own defence and international relations.

After signing the 1979 Anglo-Brunei Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, several Cooperation, several agreements and important government departments were set up:
- A diplomatic department was set up to build ties with other countries. It would be later known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

- The Brunei Investment Agency was set up to look after its overseas financial investment. This was previously managed by by the British Crown Agent based in London. It would later be part of the Ministry of Finance.

- It was decided that the declaration of independence would be made at 12:01am sharp on 1st January 1984. The annual National Day would be celebrated on 23rd February of each year.

E. 1984 - Full Independence
On 1st January 1984, Brunei achieved full independence.

Brunei was beautifully decorated with electric coloured lights. There were colourful lights in government buildings, homes and across the whole of Brunei.

Many Bruneians had to be outdoors in the rain just to hear the declaration of independence.

The Royal Family, government officials, international representatives and diplomats were seated before the start of the ceremony. There was great excitement amongst the people.

"Brunei Darussalam is and with the Blessing of Allah shall be forever a sovereign, democratic and independent Malay Islamic Monarchy based upon the teachings of Islam and based upon liberty, trust and justice.

"It will always seek the peace and security, welfare and happiness of our people and have friendly relations among nations."  - At exactly 12:01am on 1st January 1984, the 'Proclamation of Independence' was read.

The 21-gun salute was fired, signalling Brunei as an independent country. Cheers of joy were heard all over Brunei.

Brunei: As a nation, I have achieved many great things over the years. The road towards independence was a struggle but we have learnt how to understand and appreciate them and not to take things for granted.

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America: So, how did you overcome the challenges of independence?

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First challenge: Need to build relations with other countries in the world.

Solution 1: Brunei developed friendly relationships with other countries around the world. It has set up embassies (people who represent their country in a foreign land) in many countries such as Singapore, United Kingdom, United States of America, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia, Malaysia and others.

Solution 2: Brunei became a member of many international organisations. It actively participated in many international organisations to build peace and cooperate with other countries. Brunei became members of major international organisations such as ASEAN, the United Nations (UN), the Commonwealth of Nations and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Second challenge: Brunei needs to be responsible for its own safety and security.

Solution: Brunei built a strong defence force. The Royal Brunei Armed Forces was funded and equipped with modern and advanced weapons and training. This was to enable Brunei to deal with different kinds of emergencies and responsibilities such as:

1. To maintain peace and security for Brunei.
2. To work with other countries to maintain peace and stability.
3. To carry out border patrols to safeguard Brunei.
4. To carry out search and rescue missions when needed.
5. To organise 'Hearts and Minds' projects with the civilian population.

Third challenge: Brunei needs to strengthen its economy.

Solution: The National Development Plans were drawn up to strengthen the economy. They focused on developing the banking and finance sector, the agriculture sector and the trading sector.

Brunei also worked towards diversifying its economy from solely depending on exporting oil and gas. The government encouraged and supported the development of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) throughout the country.

Brunei is a small nation. Although our land area is limited, our national resources are plentiful and valuable.

Despite these limitations, we are a country with a long history. In fact, we have one of the oldest monarchies in the world.

After independence, we have devoted our resources to many things - education, medical and health care, economic development and others. We are working towards providing all Bruneians a better life.