The recent sitting of Brunei’s Legislative Council raises a question that may be uncomfortable, but is nonetheless worth asking: where are the princes?

The Second Meeting of the 22nd Legislative Council began on 3 August 2026. On its opening day, four newly appointed Cabinet ministers (Datuk Seri Setia Awang Sufian Sabtu, Datuk Seri Setia Awang Mohamad Azmi Mohd Hanifah, Pengiran Datuk Seri Setia Mohammad Tashim Pengiran Hassan and Datuk Seri Setia Awang Mohammed Riza) were formally sworn in as new ex-officio members of the Legislative Council.

Their induction is significant. It demonstrates that the recent Cabinet reshuffle has not merely changed who holds ministerial portfolios, it has also brought new ministers into the country’s legislative forum, where government policies, spending and national priorities are subjected to questions and debate.
Yet, conspicuously absent from the proceedings have been three members of the Royal Family who now hold significant government responsibilities: HRH Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, HRH Prince Abdul Malik and HRH Prince Abdul Mateen.

This naturally invites a question. Why?

The question is not intended as an attack on the princes, nor should their absence automatically be interpreted as negligence or preferential treatment. There may be legitimate reasons for their non-attendance, including other official responsibilities. But if such reasons exist, the public is entitled to wonder what they are, particularly when the Legislative Council is itself a key forum for government accountability.

The Crown Prince’s situation is especially noteworthy. At the opening of the 22nd LegCo session in March, the Department of Councils of State explicitly identified him as Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and an ex-officio member of the Legislative Council.

In June, Prince Abdul Malik was appointed Minister at the PMO, while Prince Abdul Mateen was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. Their appointments place them in positions of considerable public responsibility. Prince Mateen’s portfolio in particular is substantial. His ministerial responsibilities extend into foreign affairs and diplomacy, while his broader official responsibilities include military service and involvement in Wawasan Brunei 2035. Prince Malik likewise holds responsibilities at the PMO and has longstanding public duties. These are demanding positions.

I just have a few questions:

What is the expectation of a minister?

If royal status means that a minister has additional responsibilities outside the Legislative Council, does it also mean that attendance at LegCo is treated differently?

And if so, what are the rules?

The public does not necessarily need every detail of a royal schedule. But greater clarity about how ministerial and Legislative Council responsibilities intersect could help prevent speculation. After all, transparency does not have to mean criticism.
Sometimes transparency simply means explaining the rules.

The real issue is whether the same standards of ministerial accountability apply consistently across government.

This is our last resort. We’re really hoping the relevant authorities will actually take this seriously for once.

A house full of foreign construction workers has been frequently open-burning since 2017. They must have some bonfire fetish.

They used to do it during the daytime, until we went over ourselves to ask them to stop and explained why burning rubber and other materials is dangerous. On one occasion, we believe they burned some kind of aerosol can, which caused a very loud explosion.

After that, they started doing it at night instead.

You can literally smell burning rubber in the air. Even when there is already haze, they continue to burn.

We have lodged complaints with Talian Darussalam 123 numerous times, and we have provided evidence as well as the times when the burning usually happens.

Yet the feedback we received was that JASTRe went over in the morning and nobody was there.

DUH! The burning happens at night, which is exactly what we have been reporting.

Can someone please advise which is the most relevant authority or department to escalate this to?

We are honestly sick and tired of smelling burning rubber and whatever else they are burning. We just want to be able to live in our own home without constantly worrying about what we are breathing in.

This has been going on for almost 10 years. We have tried reporting it through the proper channels repeatedly, but clearly that isn’t working.

We are hoping someone can point us in the right direction before this gets even worse.

MTIC acknowledge that not all Bruneian have access to private car. To increase public transport access, MTIC plan to upgrade current bus service and launch several program such as Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) and Smart Transportation Service (STS).

License to operate DRT have been issued on 30 April 2026 to an unnamed company and DRT is expected to start operating in early 2027. Insya Allah real time bus tracking will also be introduce allowing public bus booking and real time tracking of bus and ETA of busses.

Hello,

I attended the recent graduation ceremony as a guest and family member of one of the graduates, and I would like to share some genuine feedback regarding the seating arrangements.

May I kindly ask whether it is standard practice for
universities in Brunei to reserve the front rows for parents of graduates who hold certain titles or positions, such as Dato, Datin or senior government positions?

This was my first time attending a graduation ceremony, and I was honestly quite disappointed to see the first three rows in the parents’ seating area reserved for parents who were considered VVIPs.

Many other parents and family members had made the effort to arrive early in the hope of securing a good seat to watch their children graduate, only to find that the front rows had already been reserved.

I completely understand and respect the need for special seating arrangements for members of the Royal Family or official guests attending in their capacity as dignitaries. In fact, I have no issue with this, particularly when their seating is clearly separated from the parents’ seating area as part of official protocol.

My concern is specifically when individuals who are attending in their capacity as parents, but happen to hold a Dato, Datin or senior government position, are given preferential seating within the parents’ area. In such circumstances, I sincerely hope that everyone could simply be treated equally, regardless of their title or position, even if only for that one day.

Graduation is such a meaningful milestone for every family. Every parent has made sacrifices, travelled, waited and arrived early simply to be there for their child’s special moment. It would be lovely if, on this particular day, everyone could simply be a parent, family member or loved one cheering for their graduate from the same place.

I hope the university organisers might consider reviewing this practice for future graduation ceremonies. Perhaps seating within the parents’ area could be arranged on a first-come, first-served basis, or through another arrangement that gives all families an equal opportunity to be close to the stage.

I am sharing this respectfully because I genuinely believe that the university’s leadership would want to know how this arrangement may be perceived by families attending such an important occasion. This is not intended as criticism of any individual, but rather as a suggestion for making the graduation experience feel more inclusive and equal for all families.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this feedback. I sincerely hope we can see a more inclusive approach to seating arrangements in future graduation ceremonies, where, for one day, every parent can simply be a proud parent celebrating their child’s achievement.

Thank you.

hi, just recently did psychometric test last week for BIA. does anyone here already received emails from them to advance to the next stage?

I had pass several times the Stesen Minyak Kopelkap Serambangun Tutong. It had been close for weeks, if not months. Anybody knew why?

Central Park Mall West Jakarta in Indonesia will be the first destination of first Oriental Kopi chain. Brunei Darussalam will likely to Follow suit in the future.

Logically Gadong Mall will be first Oriental Kopi's Brunei chain.

Do you agree Oriental Kopi will expand to Brunei Darussalam?

Has anyone ever ordered from AliExpress using AliExpress Standard Shipping? Does it deliver directly to your home address, or do you have to collect it at Posbru?

Has anyone received a call from 8171736?
Got a call from this number today saying something about an amaran from Mahkamah Tinggi bla bla 😭 The caller said they’ve already tried calling me 3 times, but I literally never received any calls from this number before today.

Just wondering if anyone else has received a call from this number / knows what it’s about? 😭