Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BANDARSERIBEGAWAN332
2007-11-06 06:45:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Cable title:
AND THEN THERE WAS ONE: BRUNEI SUSPENDS POLITICAL
how-toVZCZCXRO8757 RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM DE RUEHBD #0332/01 3100645 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 060645Z NOV 07 FM AMEMBASSY BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4009 INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000332
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS AND DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BX
SUBJECT: AND THEN THERE WAS ONE: BRUNEI SUSPENDS POLITICAL
PARTY
REF: BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 109
Classified By: CDA Justin Friedman, reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)
-------
SUMMARY
-------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000332
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS AND DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BX
SUBJECT: AND THEN THERE WAS ONE: BRUNEI SUSPENDS POLITICAL
PARTY
REF: BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 109
Classified By: CDA Justin Friedman, reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)
--------------
SUMMARY
--------------
1. (C) In mid September, the GoB suspended one of Brunei's
two remaining political parties, the PPKB for failing to file
annual reports with the Registrar of Societies (ROS). PPKB
President Abdul Latiff Chuchu readily admits his predecessor
failed to file the mandatory reports, but asserts that the
way the GoB acted indicates that the GoB still harbors
suspicions about him personally. The ROS told us that the
move was not directed at any one, or at a planned IFES
seminar on party development Post was supporting in
partnership with both the PPKB and the sole remaining
political party, the NDP. While the ROS and the GoB have a
clear interest in ensuring that financial reporting
regulations are rigorously applied as Brunei begins to
develop the instruments of democracy, we will be watching
closely to see if this "yellow card" was about the rules of
the game or the plays the PPKB was making. END SUMMARY.
--------------
PPKB SUSPENDED
--------------
2. (SBU) On September 20, the Registrar of Societies (ROS)
issued a provisional order temporarily dissolving one of
Brunei's two remaining political parties, the 22 year old
PPKB. The PPKB is headed by Dr. Abdul Latiff Chuchu, a
former ISD detainee. Dr. Latiff was elected president of the
PPKB in April after the previous president, Dr. Hatta Zainal
Abidin, was forced to step down under Brunei law after he
declared personal bankruptcy (see also ref for the demise of
the PAKAR party). As a former detainee, Latiff had to seek
permission to join any political party. He told us that he
was only given permission to join the PPKB in January 2006.
According to letters from the ROS shared with us by the PPKB,
Dr. Hatta had failed to file mandatory annual financial
reports for the PPKB from 2004-2006. Latiff told us he had
responded to the ROS that Hatta had not turned over the
documentation necessary for him to file. Latiff has
initiated a civil lawsuit against Hatta for negligence and
sent an appeal letter to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah to try to
overturn the suspension order.
--------------
GOB MOTIVES?
--------------
3. (C) Dr. Latiff told DCM and Pol/Mil Assistant that he saw
two motivations behind the suspension of the PPKB. The first
is that some people in the Ministry of Home Affairs (he
alluded the Minister himself, Pehin Adanan Mohamad Yusof) are
attacking Latiff personally as they did not want to see him
become politically active again. The other motivation, in
Latiff's thinking, is that the PPKB had been too vocal about
seeking the Legislative Council (LegCo) to become a fully
elected body as soon as possible, with the Sultan giving up
the post of Prime Minister and the cabinet selected from the
majority party ranks. Members of the friendly rival National
Democratic Party (NDP) have told us that they believe Latiff
was too aggressive in pursuing his democracy agenda. While
neither party challenges the Sultan directly or personally,
and both parties call for an elected LegCo, the NDP seeks an
interim step of a partially elected LegCo, as Sultan Hassanal
Bolkiah has promised when he restored the LegCo in 2004.
--------------
ROS REPLIES
--------------
4. (C) Pehin Zainuddin Jalani, the Registrar of Societies and
Chief of Police, told the Ambassador on October 27 that he
was forced to sign the temporary dissolution order as the
PPKB had not complied with Brunei's disclosure regulations
despite receiving written warnings and several months to
comply. He said that the GoB wants the PPKB (and the NDP) to
become more professional organizations and has rigorous rules
to allow and guide their development. He said that the ROS
will re-register the PPKB if it complies with the
regulations.
5. (C) Post had been working with the PPKB to host, together
with the NDP, a forum on political party development with a
speaker from IFES. The PPKB suspension came just one week
prior to our scheduled forum. Zainuddin told the Ambassador
***********************
* Missing Section 002 *
***********************
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS AND DRL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BX
SUBJECT: AND THEN THERE WAS ONE: BRUNEI SUSPENDS POLITICAL
PARTY
REF: BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 109
Classified By: CDA Justin Friedman, reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)
--------------
SUMMARY
--------------
1. (C) In mid September, the GoB suspended one of Brunei's
two remaining political parties, the PPKB for failing to file
annual reports with the Registrar of Societies (ROS). PPKB
President Abdul Latiff Chuchu readily admits his predecessor
failed to file the mandatory reports, but asserts that the
way the GoB acted indicates that the GoB still harbors
suspicions about him personally. The ROS told us that the
move was not directed at any one, or at a planned IFES
seminar on party development Post was supporting in
partnership with both the PPKB and the sole remaining
political party, the NDP. While the ROS and the GoB have a
clear interest in ensuring that financial reporting
regulations are rigorously applied as Brunei begins to
develop the instruments of democracy, we will be watching
closely to see if this "yellow card" was about the rules of
the game or the plays the PPKB was making. END SUMMARY.
--------------
PPKB SUSPENDED
--------------
2. (SBU) On September 20, the Registrar of Societies (ROS)
issued a provisional order temporarily dissolving one of
Brunei's two remaining political parties, the 22 year old
PPKB. The PPKB is headed by Dr. Abdul Latiff Chuchu, a
former ISD detainee. Dr. Latiff was elected president of the
PPKB in April after the previous president, Dr. Hatta Zainal
Abidin, was forced to step down under Brunei law after he
declared personal bankruptcy (see also ref for the demise of
the PAKAR party). As a former detainee, Latiff had to seek
permission to join any political party. He told us that he
was only given permission to join the PPKB in January 2006.
According to letters from the ROS shared with us by the PPKB,
Dr. Hatta had failed to file mandatory annual financial
reports for the PPKB from 2004-2006. Latiff told us he had
responded to the ROS that Hatta had not turned over the
documentation necessary for him to file. Latiff has
initiated a civil lawsuit against Hatta for negligence and
sent an appeal letter to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah to try to
overturn the suspension order.
--------------
GOB MOTIVES?
--------------
3. (C) Dr. Latiff told DCM and Pol/Mil Assistant that he saw
two motivations behind the suspension of the PPKB. The first
is that some people in the Ministry of Home Affairs (he
alluded the Minister himself, Pehin Adanan Mohamad Yusof) are
attacking Latiff personally as they did not want to see him
become politically active again. The other motivation, in
Latiff's thinking, is that the PPKB had been too vocal about
seeking the Legislative Council (LegCo) to become a fully
elected body as soon as possible, with the Sultan giving up
the post of Prime Minister and the cabinet selected from the
majority party ranks. Members of the friendly rival National
Democratic Party (NDP) have told us that they believe Latiff
was too aggressive in pursuing his democracy agenda. While
neither party challenges the Sultan directly or personally,
and both parties call for an elected LegCo, the NDP seeks an
interim step of a partially elected LegCo, as Sultan Hassanal
Bolkiah has promised when he restored the LegCo in 2004.
--------------
ROS REPLIES
--------------
4. (C) Pehin Zainuddin Jalani, the Registrar of Societies and
Chief of Police, told the Ambassador on October 27 that he
was forced to sign the temporary dissolution order as the
PPKB had not complied with Brunei's disclosure regulations
despite receiving written warnings and several months to
comply. He said that the GoB wants the PPKB (and the NDP) to
become more professional organizations and has rigorous rules
to allow and guide their development. He said that the ROS
will re-register the PPKB if it complies with the
regulations.
5. (C) Post had been working with the PPKB to host, together
with the NDP, a forum on political party development with a
speaker from IFES. The PPKB suspension came just one week
prior to our scheduled forum. Zainuddin told the Ambassador
***********************
* Missing Section 002 *
***********************