13th December 2012 London, UK
Nor Ali is one of the two recipients from Brunei of the 2012/2013 Chevening Scholarship. He is studying for an MA in Inclusive Education and Technology at King’s College London. Looks like it’s my turn this year to share my personal experience as a Chevening scholar! As you read on, you’ll notice it’s going to […]
22nd November 2012 London, UK
I have just got back from a meeting of British High Commissioners and Ambassadors in ASEAN countries, timed to coincide with this week’s ASEAN Summit. We talked about the UK’s relationships with each member state, about our understanding of ASEAN as a whole, and about how our bilateral relationships with ASEAN countries – all strong, […]
19th November 2012 London, UK
Safety is a key component of the Brunei Brand: “Abode of Peace”. For Brunei Shell, it’s a yardstick against which the whole operation is measured; because, they tell me, managers with a strong safety record tend to get the rest of the job right too. The High Commission also prizes safety. For us, the challenge […]
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31st October 2012 London, UK
Does anyone own the English language? Of course not, thank Goodness! Though I sometimes wish there were an “Acronym Authority”. Those questions cropped up in workshops I attended last week with 240 teachers from vocational and technical schools all over Brunei. The event was funded by the Ministry of Education, who have prioritised VTET – […]
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15th October 2012 London, UK
“Whatever!” Somewhere between childhood and adulthood it becomes embarrassing to say “I want to save the world” – and pretty uncool to admit even to wanting to change it for the better. Good schools delay the onset of cynicism. A really good school might be able to inoculate children against cynicism for life. The International […]
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9th October 2012 London, UK
In her guest blog, Brunei’s first female Olympian, Maziah Mahusin (who is also the Sultanate’s 400m record holder, since the Games), describes what it felt like to carry the nation’s flag into the Stadium; to run for her country (despite a virus), and to meet Usain Bolt and Her Majesty The Queen. Back in Brunei […]
6th September 2012 London, UK
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 […]
16th August 2012 London, UK
On behalf of my family, and all my colleagues at the High Commission, I wish a joyous Hari Raya to His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam; members of the Royal Family and all the people of the “Negara Zikir”. My Foreign Secretary, William Hague, who was here in Brunei […]
2nd August 2012 London, UK
Ask any British diplomat what makes them tick, and the answer often has three parts: something to do with “Queen and Country”, something to do with “making a difference”, and something to do with the intrinsic interest of “getting under the skin of another culture”. My plate, during this Olympic year, has contained large helpings […]
27th July 2012 London, UK
In Brunei, foreign envoys face the unusual challenge of reading out on local radio an appropriate “greeting” for His Majesty The Sultan, whose birthday falls on 15 July – an occasion for banquets, parades and public celebration. Not Hallmark card territory – I began my recording by re-capping my own sovereign’s friendly greeting to HM […]
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