SULTAN OF BRUNEI STRIKES TWO MORE RAPID BLOWS AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 1399

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PGOV XX
SUBJECT: SULTAN OF BRUNEI STRIKES TWO MORE RAPID BLOWS AT
ISLAMIZATION

REF: BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 1379


1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT


2. AS REPORTED REFTEL THE SULTAN OF BRUNEI BOYCOTTED
ACTIVITIES MARKING THE PROPHET'S BIRTHDAY ON NOV 25 IN
ANGER AT THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE HAVING INTRODUCED
SEPARATION OF THE SEXES AT THE CELEBRATION. EVEN THOUGH THE
DECISION TO SEPARATE THE SEXES WAS REVERSED, NO MEMBER OF THE
ROYAL FAMILY PARTICIPATED. WHILE THE SHOCK WAVES FROM THIS
CONTRETEMPS WERE STILL REVERBERATING AROUND BRUNEI THE SULTAN
TOOK TWO MORE STEPS TO UNDO INNOVATIONS INTRODUCED BY
ISLAMIC CONSERVATIVES.


3. ON NOV 27, WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING, NEWSCASTERS ON
RADIO TELEVISION BRUNEI (RTB) APPEARED WITHOUT HEAD
COVERING. THE PRACTICE OF HAVING NEWSCASTERS WEAR HEAD
COVERING, THE WOMEN TIGHT-FITTING SCARVES THAT FASTEN
UNDER THE CHIN AND MEN THE TRADITIONAL MALAY SONGKOK, WAS
GRADUALLY INTRODUCED OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS; AND IT HAD
BEEN ABOUT A YEAR SINCE ANY FEMALE APPEARED ON THE
TELEVISION NEWS WITH UNCOVERED HEAD. SINCE NOV 27 HEAD
COVERINGS HAVE COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED, AND IT IS NOW WIDELY
KNOWN THAT A WRITTEN ORDER BANNING HEAD COVERING WAS ISSUED
BY PRINCE JEFRI, WHO AS MINISTER OF CULTURE, YOUTH AND SPORTS
IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TELEVISION, AND THAT THE ORDER HAD BEEN
CLEARED WITH THE SULTAN. (THE ORDER ALMOST CERTAINLY
ORIGINATED WITH THE SULTAN).


4. NEXT, ON NOV 30, IT WAS ANNOUNCED ONT HE EVENING TELEVISION
NEWS THAT, BY COMMAND OF THE SULTAN AND EFFECTIVE THE FOLLOWING
DAY, THE BRUNEI GOVERNMENT OFFICE OF INFORMATION WAS ABOLISHED
AS A SEPARATE ENTITY AND ITS FUNCTIONS TRANSFERRED TO A
JOINT BROADCASTING/INFORMATION DEPARTMENT TO BE HEADED BY RTB
DIRECTOR PENGIRAN BADARRUDIN AND THAT THE LIKE-NAMED PEHIN
BADARRUDIN, HEAD OF THE INFORMATION DEPARTMENT, WAS TRANS-
FERRED BACK TO THE RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT. THUS
BROADCASTING AND INFORMATION WERE RESTORED TO THE SITUATION
THAT EXISTED PRIOR TO THE FORMATION OF A SEPARATE INFORMATION
DEPARTMENT, WHICH UNDER PEHIN BADARRUDIN WAS WELL KNOWN FOR
ITS VIGOROUS DISSEMINATION OF RELIGIOUSLY CONSERVATIVE
VIEWPOINTS, WITH THE DEPARTMENT EDITED GOVERNMENT INFORMATION
BULLETIN HAVING BECOME A MOUTHPIECE FOR THE MUFTI OF BRUNEI.
THE INFORMATION FUNCTION NOW COMES UNDER THE CONTROL OF
A MAN WHO IS ANATHEMA TO RELIGIOUS CONSERVATIVES.


5. COMMENT: IF THERE WAS DOUBT IN ANYONE'S MIND THAT
THE SULTAN'S INTENT WAS TO STRIKE A BLOW AT CREEPING
ISLAMIZATION, THAT DOUBT HAS NOW BEEN DISPELLED. BY
MOVING QUICKLY TO UNDO TWO OF THE MOST VISIBLE SIGNS OF
ISLAMIZATION IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE HUMILIATION OF THE
ORGANIZERS OF THE PROPHET'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS, INCLUDING
MOST NOTABLY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND EDUCATION ABDUL AZIZ,
THE SULTAN CAUGHT THE PROPONENTS OF ISLAMIZATION AT A
WEEK MOMENT. THE EMBASSY REGARDS THIS AS A WELL EXECUTED
MANEUVER ON THE SULTAN'S PART, IF SUCCESSFUL, A HEALTHY
DEVELOPMENT FOR BRUNEI. THERE MAY STILL, OF COURSE, BE
SOME REACTION, WHICH COUL CENTER AROUND THE SULTAN'S
FATHER WHEN HE RETURNS FROM MEDICAL TREATMENT IN ENGLAND;
BUT THE STATE OF THE SERI BEGAWAN'S PHYSICAL AND MENTAL
HEALTH MAKE IT QUESTIONABLE THAT HE COULD LEAD A SUSTAINED
CAMPAIGN IN FAVOR OF GREATER ISLAMIZATION.


6. THE ADVOCATES OF ISLAMIC FUNDEMENTALISM IN BRUNEI,
INSPIRED BY EXAMPLES FROM ELSEWHERE IN THE ISLAMIC
WORLD, APPARENTLY FORGOT IN THEIR ZEAL TO SERVE GOD THAT
THEY HAD NEGLECTED TO CONSULT CAESAR.

KING