Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Talks about Brunei Darussalam emerged after the country was suddenly blacklisted by the United States (blacklist) related to human trafficking, Tuesday. Referring to the US Department of State Annual Report published AFP It is known that the Islamic State is included in the level 3 category, which contains countries that are not doing enough to fight human trafficking.
This could lead to sanctions or reductions in aid from the US. In fact, the US findings on the neglect of human trafficking are in stark contrast to the abundant wealth of Brunei Darussalam, known as the world's oil-rich region.
The Beginning of Wealth
Oil exploration in the Brunei Darussalam region began in 1928 by the British company, Shell. The exploration then transformed the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam from a trading country to a rich and prosperous oil country.
One of the key figures who emerged alongside the transformation process was Hassanal Bolkiah who became sultan replacing his father, Sultan Omar, in 1967. In Bolkiah's hands, Brunei utilized the production of tens of millions of barrels of oil per year as the foundation for its transformation into one of the richest countries in Southeast Asia.
One of Brunei's highest oil production records occurred in 1980. In that year, referring to Brunei Darussalam YearbookBrunei's oil production has successfully reached 82 million barrels of oil.
With this large oil and gas production, not only the sultanate family became prosperous. Palaces can stand majestically and they can also cultivate wealth.
Prosperity also applies to all people. Report Economist said that thanks to profits from oil and gas, Brunei can exempt citizens from income tax, even provide free education, food subsidies, and so on.
Even so, over time the oil and gas sector is no longer Brunei's mainstay for cultivating wealth. Of course, this is because oil and gas prices are increasingly unstable and Brunei's annual oil and gas production is decreasing.
As a result, Sultan Bolkiah then diversified his business. One of the massive ones is through investment abroad carried out by the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) since the 1990s.
It is known that BIA invests in the US, Australia and many European countries. One of BIA's assets is hotel ownership spread across Los Angeles, London and Paris.
Business Fellowship with RI People
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is also recorded as having done business with Indonesians. This person was named Siti Hardijanti Rukmana alias Tutut, daughter of President Soeharto.
As noted by George Junus Aditjondro in Presidential Corruption (2006), Tutut was recorded as having participated in a development project in Brunei Darussalam in the early 1990s. Apart from that, through Tutut, the Sultan of Brunei through BIA has a five-star hotel at Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, Bali.
The Sultanate of Brunei has also participated in the toll road construction project in Jakarta. This was noted by Jamie S. Davidson in Indonesia's Changing Political Economy (2015:94).
“Tutut boasted that the Sultan of Brunei financially supported CMNP's construction of an inner-city toll road system,” wrote Jamie. CMNP itself is Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada, a toll road company owned by Tutut. In total, Brunei invested US$ 70 million in 1997.
Humans IDR 435 Trillion
Thanks to all of this, the personal income of members of the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam has increased drastically. Family members such as Jefri Bolkiah, the Sultan's younger brother, for example.
Insider once noted he owned more than 2,300 cars, most of them brands such as Ferrari, Rolls Royce and Bentley. Plus he also has 8 private planes and 1 helicopter. This is without diamond ownership, luxury hotels and oil and gas companies.
Jefri's son, Faiq Bolkiah, was also named the richest footballer more than Christiano Ronaldo. This wealth also happened to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah as an absolute ruler.
South China Morning Post noted that he has assets of US$28 billion or the equivalent of Rp. 435 trillion. Apart from that, he also has 6,000 cars, including a gold-plated Rolls-Royce.
All of this places him as one of the richest kings in the world. He is the 2nd richest king in Southeast Asia.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
(mfa/sef)