The Sultan of Brunei, a life between luxury palaces and a strong hand – 21/04/2019

Hbadbad Bolkiah once declared that "the responsibility of the king is to the people, and the people have a responsibility to their sovereign, together we keep the confidence of the nation." It is not clear whether these were formalities of a speech, but much earlier, he stated his true credo in the Constitution of his state, Brunei: "The sultan can never be wrong"(Neither in the personal function nor in the executive function.) Almost as infallible as the pope.

This question would not go beyond the declarations, but it happens that, in the religion of his State, the Sultan has resolved recently to apply the most extreme norms, Sharia law. As they do it only in Somalia, Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia. This means, for example, that homobadual relations or adultery, for example, are punishable by death and stoning.

Clarin Bulletins

What happened today? We tell you the most important news of the day and what will happen tomorrow when you get up

Monday to Friday afternoon.

Thus, the Sultan of Brunei, until then famous for his opulence, his waste and his extravagance, was again placed in the center of the news. And the same atmosphere as the Hollywood personalities, who accompanied him before (tempted by fortunes in every presentation), now repudiates him with the same enthusiasm. Artists like George Clooney or singers like Elton John called to boycott 9 luxury hotels related to the Sultan of Brunei, including Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, Plaza Athenee in Paris or Eden in Rome.

The island of Borneo was only known for the novels of Emilio Salgari, but its oil and gas fields transformed the Sultanate of Brunei, in the northern sector of this island, into a source of wealth that seemed inexhaustible. Hbadbad Bolkiah, aged 72, born in the capital Bander Seri Gegawan in 1946, was the son of the Sultan, who had abdicated while he was only 21 years old.

Brunei recently concluded the independence agreement of the British Crown in 1984 and the new Sultan joined his monarch and religious leader status to executive functions: Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and, later , Minister of Finances. He had studied at a British institute in neighboring Malaysia and at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, United Kingdom. He has also accumulated doctorates – some honorific – in prestigious universities such as Oxford, Aberdeen and Moscow.

Brunei took off in the early 1970s after the oil crisis. Two decades later, and according to Forbes, the Sultan of Brunei accumulated such a fortune that he became the second richest man in the world, just behind Bill Gates. Various crises (such as the 1997 Asian crisis or an internal government) and waste have led to the decline of wealth, which is currently estimated at about $ 16 billion.

Many accused Jefri, the Sultan's brother, that they placed at the head of the finance and investment agency. Known as "Prince Playboy", he was prosecuted and exiled. It is estimated that he lost about $ 10 billion to his country's benefit. The trial of the prince and the spendthrift lost before the Brunei court was decided by British courts and it was learned that the wages paid by the Sultan were as ostentatious as the rest of his business: US $ 7.5 million per month. year for each of its five leaders. RRPP, 1.5 million US dollars to the badminton teacher, the same figure to his acupuncturist and the mbadeur. And $ 9 million to the palace supervisor. It is an absolutist monarchy, even though it provides free healthcare to its 450,000 inhabitants and grants for the price of rice, the staple food of the island.

Palace, jewels and stars

The splendid palace of the sultan has about 1,800 rooms and nearly 300 bathrooms, completely decorated in gold and diamonds. It also has five mosques and a banquet hall that can accommodate five thousand guests. Through past stars as Michael Jackson -Who gave a show when the Sultan was 50-or Whitney Houston, hired specifically for the wedding of one of the girls, Princess Rashidan. Its garages are home to the largest collection of Rolls Royce in the world (1,800), as well as other luxury car brands: Aston Martin, Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche and Lamborghini.

Bolkiah has been married three times and has 12 children. He has always enjoyed great holidays. The owner of the Dochester luxury hotel chain, at the London office, celebrated his 30th birthday with Prince Azim, one of his sons. Mariah Carey sang and there was Faye Duneway, Pamela Anderson or Raquel Welch, among other celebrities.

But nothing was comparable to the half-century reign of last year's reigning Hbadbad Bolkiah. the second longest monarch in the world: only Queen Elizabeth II of England has been on the throne any longer.

It all began when the Sultan traveled the streets of his capital, in a car transported by 50 courtiers, all dressed in black and gold. It is estimated that about 80,000 people (nearly a fifth of the country's population) took to the streets to support it. At the banquet, he was accompanied by kings, princes and leaders from neighboring countries, including another with similar dictatorial ambitions and attitudes, the Filipino Rodrigo Duterte.

Some links of the Sultanate of Brunei with our country are also indicated. They played mainly polo because they sponsored Indios Chapaleufú and, moreover, they had summoned players like the Heguy brothers for their own teams, at the end of the 90's. The sultan bought a land in Pilar, a town from Buenos Aires. Baroness ") for about $ 50 million, and his love for polo had already been worn by the protagonists of the time, such as Hector Barrantes and Eduardo Moore.

In Argentina, we remember for example the visit of the sister-in-law and nephew of the Sultan, who left half a million dollars in hotel fees, limo rental and other luxury items in just two weeks. A "La Baronesa", of his property, only visited.

Until now, these luxuries were only remote information, typical of the fantastic tales of "Thousand and One Nights". With religious orthodoxy, now everything is more disturbing. In spite of their immense fortune and their weak attachment to the savings, the artists let them know now.