| James Kon |
THE outgoing US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Craig Allen has expressed his great admiration for Brunei’s monarchy, saying that the 700-year-old institution is very strong and vibrant today.
In an interview with the Bulletin at the US Embassy in Brunei Darussalam last Friday, Craig Allen, who will be leaving the country on July 20, highlighted, “I was able to witness first-hand how magnificent Brunei’s monarchy is and it has been a great privilege for me.”
He added, “It’s something that really opened my eyes to different ways of doing things that are very effective and pragmatic. To be in a monarchy that is so much loved by the people is quite an amazing thing for somebody like me who has never experienced it before. It’s indeed a great honour to have the opportunity to personally meet His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and represent the US Government in Brunei Darussalam. It is one of the highlights of my life and it’s something I will be proud of until the day I die.”
The outgoing ambassador who stayed in Brunei for three-and-a-half years said he was so impressed with the amazing strength of Brunei’s family system.
“I remember, last year I went to a humble home for Hari Raya and learnt that there were 40 uncles and aunties as well as around 100 cousins in the family. It’s a rich and diverse experience for me to see the strength of that family. They live in the same village, their social structure is incredible compared to that in the US. It’s not something that we would generally see in most countries.”
He shared another interesting experience of diving at the wreck site of American warship USS Salute (a World War II era minesweeper sunk by a Japanese mine during preparations for amphibious landings in the Battle of Borneo on June 7, 1945). “Today it is a beautiful underwater garden with coral flowers all over the entire ship. Because of the coral, there are fishes swimming around the ship. It’s a symbol of US-Brunei relationship. It’s a beautiful graveyard for the nine brave men who gave their life to Brunei on that day. I salute those men who sacrificed their life for our country,” the envoy said.
Describing the relationship between US and Brunei, he said, “The relationship is very old. In my understanding, Brunei’s oldest treaty is with the US and it dates back to 1850. The treaty is on friendship cooperation, navigation, commerce and it binds both countries to work together. It was signed by the US president and the Sultan in Jawi. There has been a great deal of continuity from 1850 until today and both sides know each other very well and have mutual respect.”
Because of our long-established and stable relationship, he said, “there is a lot of continuity over time. The administrations focus on expanding trade. Brunei has a lot of investment in the US and vice versa. Our trade relationship is strong but I would like to see it flourishing more.”
On military and security cooperation, he said, “We have been practising and training a lot together and we also supply major useful equipment to the Brunei military. Brunei is a great partner of the US and we want to deepen and expand this partnership.”
He revealed that in the area of travel and education, “These are more than 100 Bruneian students in the US. Also, many Americans and Bruneians are now using the visa-free travel benefits both countries enjoy”.
In eco-tourism, “Brunei has done so well. The Ulu Ulu Lodge in Temburong and the Kunyit 7 in Kampong Ayer are great places for travellers. We want to see eco-tourism continue to develop in Brunei and we are prepared do anything to support this sector.”
“Brunei”, he highlighted, “has produced a few good movies and I love to see more of them. Some of the Brunei artistes are doing reasonably well in the region and we hope to have them in the US. The more we can develop the cultural side, the better”.
Touching on the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) programme, he commented, “The purpose of YSEALI is to connect the youth of Brunei with ASEAN youth. We found a great hunger and thirst for those types of activities among the young people of Brunei. Some Bruneians see ASEAN as a club for government officials as well as the elite. ASEAN as a region of 700 million will make sense only if it becomes a single economic area while each country maintains its sovereignty. One area where we would really happy to help is taking a YESALI theme and bringing together people who are interested in it, be it eco-tourism, entrepreneurship, sustainable development, media, creativity or any other fields.
“The region is made up of 10 important countries and together they are stronger than as individual countries. We strongly support an ASEAN centrality and appreciate ASEAN’s role as a convener of events. At the same time, we support every ASEAN country’s sovereignty and independence.”
The outgoing envoy, however, admitted that he is leaving with a heavy heart as he wanted to do more. “If we had a more buoyant economy, I think, lot more things could have been done. I do regret this. During my time, budget was very poor. We had a lot of great projects, but not enough budget to carry them out.”
Craig Allen is proud of the current US-Brunei relationship. “I give all credits for this to His Majesty’s Government which has given the US the time, space and energy as a valued partner of the Sultanate. Brunei is a wonderful place to live in and it has a magnificent culture as well as a clean environment and I am so pleased that Brunei is on the economic upswing with its diversification process gaining momentum.
“Sabah and Sarawak are doing well and the Singapore economy is going strong. Indonesia and the Philippines too are also faring well. It’s a great environment now to achieve Brunei’s economic objective. I look forward to Brunei’s continued progress.”
He also talked about some of the things he will be missing in Brunei. “I have been running in the jungles almost every day – in Tasek Lama, Bukit Shahbandar and on beaches. I love the sports culture here and I enjoy it. I will really miss all of these. I will also miss the warmth and gentleness of Bruneians very much.
“I enjoyed learning about Islam and was really amazed to see how deep and strong the Islamic tradition here is. I am blessed to sit in for many religious events and I enjoyed enormously those opportunities to have a better understanding of Islam.”
After leaving Brunei, Craig Allen will continue to serve the US at the US-China Business Council. He said, “I have been a diplomat for 33 years and I am already 60 years old now. I wanted to be busy and active in a second career. I know US and China very well. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to serve my country in the private sector. US-China relations face some challenges right now, but I hope to contribute to resolving the existing issues.”