Brunei Darussalam Annual Report 2004

Since the early 1900s, the Brunei Government produced the Brunei Darussalam Annual Report. The report highlights the achievements of the country as well as the various happenings in Brunei during that one year. It functions as a diary of sorts as well as to provide statistics of that year. I did an entry once for the 1961-62 report when it outlined the developments before and after the rebellion.

In some years, the report did not get published. In some years, a few years worth of reports were crammed into one annual report. However since the mid 1990s, the report disappeared completely. I was told that the Information Department, the department which is now responsible for producing it, could not get updates from every government agencies that are supposed to provide them or something along that line. I thought the disappearance was very unfortunate as I lost track of what happened as well as it's very embarrasing as when we visit other countries we will be given those countries' reports and we have none to respond with.

Earlier this year, I was very surprised that the report resurfaced with a vengance. The 2004 Annual Report came out in full blazing colours and gone were the traditional amateurish looking report and in was the more professional look. By all appearance its a report that you would not have thought was a government publication and I have to take my hats off to my colleague who is now the Acting Director. We used to share an office when we were at the Istana and I am sure glad that he has put his energies towards reviving the report. I do hope the 2005 Edition which is supposed to be more up to date would be as beautiful as the 2004 Edition.

The contents of the 2004 Annual Report outlined many happenings. First of all, the changes in the Constitution which happened towards the latter part of 2004. It also contained the pictures of the last Cabinet before the reshuffle in May 2005. Photos of the Royal Wedding of HRH The Crown Prince and HRH Pengiran Anak Sarah. I found the interviews with a writer who won an ASEAN Award Winners and an Artist - Haji Jawawi (South East Asia Writers Award) and Haji Padzil - an interesting addition to the report.

But best of all it contained many statistics - did you know that in 2000 there were 277 chartered flights and by 2004 there was none? What do you make of that? Land Transport reported that there are 262,827 vehicles registered in Brunei but only 161,578 are licensed (I sure hope the 100,000+ unlicensed vehicles are not on Brunei roads as I wouldn't like to have an accident with an unlicensed (hence uninsured) vehicle). The Anti Corruption Bureau recorded the top 10 agencies with the most complaints received - Royal Brunei Police topped the list with Land Transport and Immigration Department coming second and third. The Ministry of Education was 4th - I can't figure this one out (Is it bribes for getting into good schools?). Brunei only has 102 females in its jails out of the 1,095 total inmates. We are 97.33% self sufficient in eggs and 94.39% in chicken but only 60.58% in vegetables, 22.47% in fruits and 2.02% in rice. For broadband subscribers there are 4,786 espeed1 and espeed2 users in Brunei in 2004.

So, go ask the Information Department for the 2004 Annual Report and if they ran out, ask them to speed up with the publication of the 2005 Annual Report. It's a worthwhile read.