You can tell a lot about a country from the way it treats it citizens with disabilities. You can tell a lot, that way, about the planet as a whole. That’s the message of the London 2012 Paralympic Games: a call for “Enlightenment” and a celebration of the fact that athletes with disabilities are taking centre stage.
Brunei Darussalam has had a successful Olympics already, with personal bests and national records on the track and in the pool. Like the rest of the nation, I am cheering on Brunei’s wheelchair javelin medal prospect, Shari Haji Juma’at, whose throw of 29.83 metres this April made him ASEAN record holder and Number One in the IPC Official World Rankings for the Men’s Javelin F55 event. Go Shari!
The most impressive performance of all, however, has come from civil society in Brunei, which got behind all its athletes, regardless of disability, ethnicity or gender.
By happy coincidence or brilliant planning, Brunei’s disability NGO, Pusat Ehsan, held its annual fund-raising bazaar during the Paralympic Games. For the programme, I contributed a “testimonial” to the work of this fantastic organisation, with which I have a personal connection. Pusat Ehsan were generous hosts when my mother’s favourite charity, the Journey of a Lifetime Trust (JoLT), brought disadvantaged kids from Britain to Borneo for a life-affirming adventure.
Which partly explains, I suppose, why the British High Commission found itself in the position of “defending champion” for the coveted title of “Best Decorated Booth”. Inspired by the Paralympic Games, we devised a “Wheelchair Challenge”. Contestants tried to match Shari’s personal best in the Shot Put (7.83 metres) from a seated position. (We toyed only briefly with the idea of mounting a “Javelin Challenge” in the middle of a crowded festival.) To lend glamour to our event, we invited Brunei’s other Olympic heroes to have a go: the 400 metre duo Hafiy and Maziah – the latter Brunei’s first female Olympian. It all came to a head when Pusat Ehsan’s Guest of Honour, Her Royal Highness Princess Masna, visited our stall.
My 3 minute film [see here] captures that moment, and – I hope – the good-humoured, open-hearted, inclusive atmosphere which prevailed all weekend in Bandar Seri Begawan. A society which nurtures institutions like Pusat Ehsan has much to teach the Paralympic Movement about Enlightenment.
Oh, and yes, in case you were wondering, we did win “Best Decorated Booth” for the second year running – thanks to the diverse talents of “Team GB” at BHC Bandar.
More pics can be found on our Facebook page CLICK HERE.