Brunei: Small Matters – Greater Kashmir

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Brunei on September 3 and 4. This was the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to this ASEAN country with an area of ​​just 5,765 square kilometers and a population of just over 4.6 lakhs. However, it is extremely rich in hydrocarbon resources. As a result, it has a GDP per capita of over US$35,000. At one time, its ruler, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, was the richest man in the world. The Sultan ascended the throne in 1967 at the age of 21; his father abdicated and made him Sultan. He has thus been the absolute ruler of Brunei for 57 years.

Brunei gained full independence from Britain in 1984. Before that, it was a British protectorate; while the sultans exercised power internally, the British looked after Brunei’s foreign relations and provided security. After taking full control of its destiny in 1984, India established diplomatic ties with the country. Therefore, Modi’s visit coincided with 40 years of establishing relations between the two countries. Initially, the Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia was concurrently accredited to Brunei, but in 1993 a permanent mission was established. Bhawani Singh, the former Maharaja of Jaipur, was appointed the first permanent Indian High Commissioner to Brunei in 1994 and he served in that post until 1997.

The appointment of Bhawani Singh was because of his personal ties with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Both were passionate polo players and this formed a bond between them. Sometimes countries send envoys to other states who have personal ties with their leaders. However, this helps in building ties, as this writer has pointed out on several occasions in these columns, coincidence of interests is the only sustainable basis for inter-state relations. At the time of Bhawani Singh’s appointment, India had hoped to get access to some of Brunei’s hydrocarbons. Until then, their destination was largely Japan. Brunei has not changed the direction of its hydrocarbon resources. This reaffirms this writer’s view on the limited role of personal ties in inter-state relations.

The passion of the Brunei ruling family for polo continues, as two of the Sultan’s children participate in polo matches. It would not be out of place to recount in detail Hassanal Bolkiah’s contacts with India on the polo circuit. The magazine La Polo notes in an article: “In his younger years, the Sultan was an active member of the polo circuit, at one point even playing alongside the 61st Cavalry Indian Army team. In recent years, he has been known to regularly attend polo events, especially after two of his children took up competitive polo. In addition, a few years ago, on the occasion of the Sultan’s 70th birthday, a friendly polo match was organized between the Brunei team and the 61^st Cavalry Indian Army team, as a tribute to his long association with the latter. The Sultan had specially made time for this particular match, despite his tight schedule. A testimony to his passion for polo”. It would be interesting to know if there was any discussion during his meeting with Modi about the Sultan’s polo connection with India. If so, it would have added some flavour to the discussions.

The joint statement issued by India and Brunei after the meeting between Modi and the Sultan indicates that there is a mutual desire to enhance the level of bilateral ties and to engage in cooperation in a wide range of areas. These areas are mentioned in paragraph 7, which lists them as: “defence, connectivity, trade and investment, energy including renewables, space, ICT, health and pharmaceuticals, education and capacity building, culture, tourism, youth and people-to-people exchanges, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest”. Both countries will have to do a lot of work, including in the energy sector, to realise the leaders’ vision.

At this time when China enters the ASEAN region, it has not neglected Brunei. According to media reports, Brunei is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It is significant that a joint venture of Brunei and China controls Brunei’s main port, which is located in Muara. In this context, it would be important to take stock of the contents of the joint statement on issues such as freedom of navigation and ensuring compliance with international laws and treaties. Paragraph 22 of the joint statement would be seen by China as an underlining of positions that the region claims it has not respected. It said: “Both Leaders reiterated their commitment to maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, as well as respecting freedom of navigation and overflight and unhindered lawful commerce, in accordance with international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982. The Leaders also urged all parties to resolve disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, in particular UNCLOS of 1982.”

India would also be pleased that Brunei endorsed its stance on terrorism. Paragraph 23 of the joint statement significantly states: “Both Leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and called upon States to reject it. They underlined that no country should allow territory under its control to be used for terrorism; no country should harbour terrorists and resolved to work together to bring perpetrators of terrorist acts to justice. Both Leaders recognised terrorism and transnational organised crime links and agreed to enhance cooperation in this regard. Both sides agreed to work together at the UN and other multilateral fora to combat terrorism.”

All in all, Modi would be very pleased with his successful visit to Brunei. It is now up to the diplomats and officials to bring the openings created to fruition.