{"id":6176,"date":"2017-12-15T08:00:45","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T13:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thediplomaticenvoy.com\/?p=6176"},"modified":"2021-01-22T18:10:39","modified_gmt":"2021-01-22T23:10:39","slug":"focus-absolute-monarchs-in-brunei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/thediplomaticenvoy\/2017\/12\/15\/focus-absolute-monarchs-in-brunei\/","title":{"rendered":"Focus on Absolute Monarchs: Brunei"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>By Dan O\u2019Shea<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><b><i>Staff Writer<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a world where the concept of absolute monarchs with unrestricted rule and lavish lifestyles sounds like a thing of the past, Brunei and its monarchs stand out as the epitome of luxurious rule. The southeast Asian country, despite a strict implementation of sharia law, has a royal family that is fond of conspicuous spending on cars, clothing, and orgies. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-pacific-12990058\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">BBC<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> reports, Brunei, officially named the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace, is a miniscule country nestled away in the East Asian island of Borneo. Brunei was of little importance to the outside world, writes <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/news\/2011\/07\/prince-jefri-201107\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vanity Fair<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, until the discovery of immense oil reserves while under British rule in 1926. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The small nation, with a landmass equal to that of Delaware, has been governed by absolute monarch Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah since the nation gained its independence in 1968. Following its attainment of political sovereignty, Brunei industrialized and gained immense wealth. The sultan himself amassed a vast fortune of nearly $20 billion, reports <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/global\/2008\/0901\/038.html#70ae4de873bc\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Forbes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In 2016, Brunei was listed by <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/the-richest-countries-in-the-world-2016-3\/#5-kuwait--gdp-per-capita-71600-49726-21\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Business Insider<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to be the fourth wealthiest nation of the world, boasting a $80,335 GDP per capita, and according to the U.S. State Department, citizens enjoy free schooling, medical care, and subsidized housing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brunei\u2019s monarchy, while playing a large role in the nation\u2019s development, garnered international attention by becoming embroiled in numerous legal battles involving extravagant spending on jewelry, property, women, cars, and alleged white slavery, writes <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/people.com\/archive\/suing-the-sultan-vol-47-no-24\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">People<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/royal-family-of-brunei-wealth-2014-5\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Business Insider<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the Bolkiah family lives in the second-largest palace in the world, which has, among other things, 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, a 110 car garage, and five swimming pools. Sultan Bolkiah and his brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah, are said to collectively own 2,300 cars. Prince Jefri, often referred to as the \u201cplayboy prince,\u201d writes <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/finance\/2791626\/Is-the-party-over-for-runaway-billionaire-Prince-Jefri-of-Brunei.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the Independent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, is the owner of a luxury Yacht named \u201cthe tits\u201d which includes two tenders named \u201cnipple 1\u201d and \u201cnipple 2.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2014\/05\/10\/inside-the-wacky-sex-obsessed-world-of-brunei\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">New York Post<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> alleged that the brothers were known for their sex parties and immodest interactions with countless women, some of whom were underage. The brother\u2019s lavish lifestyle began to capture the media\u2019s attention when the details of their spending began to cross ethical lines. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/people.com\/archive\/suing-the-sultan-vol-47-no-24\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">People<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, former Miss U.S.A. Susan Marketic accused the Kingdom of Brunei of emotional damages for what she called \u201cwhite slavery,\u201d after being hired to make an appearance in the King\u2019s palace.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite her employment\u2019s vague details, Ms. Marketic traveled to Brunei for $3000 a day in 1992 for modelling and promotional work, reports People. Upon her arrival she was allegedly forced to dance for hours on end, while allegedly being subjected to groping, vulgar insults, and being drugged by the kingdom\u2019s elites. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite a history of similarly promiscuous allegations, with the Philippine senate investigating allegations that girls were being lured to Brunei for sex in 1993 according to People, the most prolific Bruneian legal battle remains an internal conflict. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In recent years, Sultan Bolkiah and Prince Jefri became enthralled in a legal battle over the alleged misallocation, or theft, of $40 billion over the span of almost twenty years, reports <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/sultan-bruneis-legal-feud-his-brother-79419\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Newsweek<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Prince Jefri, once the Sultan\u2019s financial minister and right-hand man, came under an independent investigation for the disappearance of $40 billion of \u201cspecial transfers\u201d between 1983 and 1998, according to Newsweek. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prince Jefri created an intricate network of Shell companies and offshore holdings in order to disguise these special transfers, and transform what were originally state investments into personal holdings, reports Newsweek. In 2008, after moving abroad to escape indictment, Prince Jefri was pursued around the world \u2013 from London to Paris \u2013 by a Bruneian legal team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After failing to comply with British authorities, a warrant was issued for Prince Jefri\u2019s arrest. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite the two brother\u2019s personal lifestyles, in May 2014, the Sultan, who was reportedly becoming more religious, implemented sharia law, writes <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/shariah-law-in-brunei-2014-5#!JHWH6\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Business Insider<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This drastic change established Brunei as the first East Asian country to implement such legal restrictions. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The code contains, according to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2014\/05\/10\/inside-the-wacky-sex-obsessed-world-of-brunei\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">New York Post<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, penalties such as amputation and stoning for various offenses including theft, adultery, and homosexual intercourse. The New York Post theorizes that these penalties will gradually grow more severe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-brunei-sharia\/brunei-adopts-sharia-law-others-in-region-consider-it-idUSBREA3S15820140429\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to Reuters<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, most of the laws apply to non-Muslims which, for Brunei, include thousands of Christians and Buddhists. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has since condemned the code of law for its tortuous penalties and reckless use of the death penalty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The story of two adulterous brothers with the personal wealth of a small nation highlight the issue with an over-centralization of wealth and power. Additionally, the subjugation of a nation to hypocritical laws as a result of an eclectic change of heart highlight the potential instability of a non-democratic form of government. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The small nation of Burnei, with a landmass equal to that of Delaware, has been governed by absolute monarch Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah since the nation gained its independence in 1968.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4044,"featured_media":6179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1229,1402,5,1097],"tags":[1227,1228],"class_list":["post-6176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-december-2017","category-absolute-monarchs","category-focus","category-1097","tag-burnei","tag-united-nations-commission-on-human-rights"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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