Borneo, my roots

I came from an island called Borneo which lies 400 km east of Singapore. 20% of this island were British colonies: Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak. I was born in Sarawak. 80% of Borneo belongs to Indonesia. When the British lowered the Union Jack in the Far East, the queen advised the three colonies to join Singapore and Malaya to form a federation and call ourselves Malaysia.

Guests from home

It is usually very quiet in Hamilton but suddenly in 2003 many of my relatives decided to come for a visit. They came almost all at once, from Brunei, Kuantan, New Plymouth, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Kuching and Miri.

free houses

In Brunei all destitute citizens are given free houses by the Sultan. Every citizen or permanent resident is paid a pension of $200/month from age 60. Medical, education and a host of other expenses are non existent. Petrol prices have been pegged at a dollar a gallon for 25 years. Today it is 53 cents/litre for Super Shell. Gas is supplied free of charge to many houses for cooking. In the Jerudong jungle a mini Disney Land was built. All the rides were free of charge for the first 10 years. The best news is kept until last : No body has been asked to pay any income tax during the last 60 years!