⇨ Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012
Brunei Darussalam has been ruled by the same family for more than 600 years. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah governed under longstanding emergency powers that placed few limits on his authority. The Legislative Council (LegCo), made up of appointed, indirectly elected, and ex officio members, met during the year and exercised a limited role in recommending and approving legislation. Security forces reported to Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.
Restrictions on religious freedom; exploitation of foreign workers; and limitations on freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association were the most prevalent human rights problems.
The following human rights problems were also reported: inability of citizens to change their government, trafficking in persons, and discrimination against women.
There were no known reports of human rights abuses by government officials during the year and impunity was not a problem.
... Under the emergency powers, the government significantly restricted the right to assemble. According to the Societies Order, public gatherings of 10 or more persons require a government permit, and police have the authority to stop an unofficial assembly of five or more persons deemed likely to cause a disturbance of the peace. Government permits require the approval of a minister, but the government routinely issued permits for annual events.
... The law does not provide for freedom of association. It requires formal groups, including religious, social and cultural organizations, to register with the Registrar of Societies and provide regular reports on membership and finances.
... The National Development Party maintained that government restrictions limited the party’s growth.
... Citizens do not have the right to change their government peacefully. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah rules through hereditary birthright. While the country is a constitutional sultanate, in 1962 the former ruler invoked an article of the constitution that allowed him to assume emergency powers. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah continued the practice, which places few limits on his power.
... Political authority and control rested entirely with Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah . A LegCo of primarily appointed members and little independent power provides a forum for public discussion of proposed government programs, as well as administrative deficiencies. It convenes once a year for approximately two weeks, after which it is dissolved.
... The Brunei National Development Party is the country’s only registered political party. The party pledged to support Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and the government. The party criticized administrative deficiencies, its few activities received limited publicity, and restrictions hindered its membership.
⇨ Freedom in the World 2013
Brunei, which has been ruled continuously by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah since 1967, experienced little political change in 2012.
... In 2004, Hassanal reconvened the Legislative Council, which had been suspended since 1984. The Council passed a constitutional amendment to expand its size to 45 seats, 15 of which would be elected. However, in 2005 Hassanal appointed a new, 29-member Legislative Council, including five indirectly elected members representing village councils; most of the members of this body were either relatives or loyalists.
... Brunei is not an electoral democracy. The sultan continues to wield broad powers under a long-standing state of emergency, and no direct legislative elections have been held since 1962.
... Genuine political activity remains extremely limited. In 2007, the Registrar of Societies disbanded the People’s Awareness Party and forced the president of the Brunei National Solidarity Party (PPKB) to resign. The PPKB was then deregistered without explanation in 2008, leaving the National Development Party as Brunei’s sole remaining political party.
... The constitution does not provide for an independent judiciary. Although the courts generally appear to act independently, they have yet to be tested in political cases. Final recourse for civil cases is managed by the Privy Council in the United Kingdom.
... Brunei’s many “stateless” people, mostly longtime ethnic Chinese residents, are denied the full rights and benefits of citizens, while migrant workers, who comprise approximately one quarter of the workforce, are largely unprotected by labor laws and vulnerable to exploitation.
⇨ Freedom of the Press 2013
The absolute monarchy of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, as well as emergency laws that have been in place for nearly half a century, continue to restrict journalists and limit the diversity of media content in Brunei. Journalists face up to three years of imprisonment if found guilty of reporting “false and malicious” news. Passage of the 2005 Sedition Act worsened the state of press freedom in Brunei by expanding the list of punishable offenses to include criticism of the sultan, the royal family, and the national Malay Islamic Monarchy ideology, which promotes Islam as the state religion and the idea that monarchical rule is the only acceptable form of governance.
... The government retains the authority to arbitrarily shut down any media outlet and bar distribution of foreign publications, with no possibility of appeal by the affected outlet. An Internet Code of Practice, included in a 2001 press law, makes individuals as well as content and service providers liable for publishing anything that is “against the public interest or national harmony or which offends against good taste or decency.” It also requires all sites that carry content or discuss issues of a religious or political nature to register with the Broadcasting Authority.
... The private press, including the country’s main English-language daily, the Borneo Bulletin, is mostly owned or controlled by the sultan’s family and practices self-censorship on political and religious issues to avoid confrontation with the government.
... In 2006, the government called on internet cafés to install firewalls to prevent users from viewing immoral content. According to the U.S. State Department, the government continues to monitor the private e-mail and internet chat-room exchanges of citizens who are suspected of subversive behavior. It is believed that fear of government retribution has reduced the number of chat-room visitors.
Posting lama yang berkaitan,
1. Brunei improves on press freedom?
2. Brunei di mata Dunia (2011)
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