It's always good to keep oneself informed about the things said and written about the place they come from. Whether they are positive, critical or just down right not true, I myself enjoy any piece of opinion I come across about Brunei. In 'Democracy and Development in Southeast Asia: The Winds of Change', it dedicates a whole 4 pages on Brunei to assess its system of government (p. 143-146) and even decides to place the chapter as a subheading under Singapore. It concludes that '[B]runeians live as if in a medieval sultanate - but with modern conveniences' and further points out that 'there is no opportunity for Bruneians to change their absolute Muslim monarchy'. A harsh assessment I suppose, as it indeed portrays our country as being backwards and, excuse my French, undemocratic, but what else can we expect from western writers.

In 'A Short History of South East Asia' (2006) on the other hand, it deals with the ASEAN countries in alphabetical order and so Brunei is discussed in the first chapter and has a slightly better 10 pages dedicated to it. It concludes in the subtopic 'Brunei in the New Millennium' that:

'A question for the future is the extent to which the hitherto quiescent middle class will continue to accept the status quo or whether they will demand greater political involvement and representation commensurate with their own rising educational and finanacial attainments.' (p. 9)

We get a sense that even outsiders care for the well-being of our humble abode and so should always look towards what is being said. Many a time I have read interesting accounts and views about Brunei, that I almost start to think that there is a 'problem' with the way things are. As a political scientist, one is taught to remove all bias and study situations closely and more importantly within context. In this case, Brunei, in its regional and international context, towards a more politically committed and globalized world.

It should no longer be the case that we simply take in all that is written about Brunei from a foreign perspective and certainly the opinions of our own people, but perhaps they become too important to ignore.

Times Online: Is Brunei worth visiting?
Wall Street Journal: In Tiny Sultanate, Days of Easy Living May Be Numbered
US Department of State: Country report on Brunei
Real Travel: Oh bother, its Brunei!
University of Mary Washington regional geography blog: The Sultanate of Brunei

etc. etc. etc.