Brunei–Malaysia relations

Brunei–Malaysia relations

Brunei	Malaysia
Diplomatic mission
Bruneian High Commission, Putrajaya	Malaysian High Commission, Bandar Seri Begawan
Envoy
High Commissioner Mahmud Saidin	High Commissioner Raja Reza Zaib Shah

Brunei and Malaysia established diplomatic relations in 1984. Brunei has a high commission in Putrajaya, as well as consulate-generals in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.^[1][2] Malaysia maintains a high commission in Bandar Seri Begawan.^[3] Both countries are full members of ASEAN and the Commonwealth of Nations. The two countries share a land border on the island of Borneo. Both countries are majority ethnic Malays and maintain excellent and close economic, cultural, political and defence ties.^[4]

Country comparison

Official Name	Brunei Darussalam	Federation of Malaysia
Common name	Brunei	Malaysia
Flag
Coat of Arms
Population	460,345	32,730,000
Area	5,765 km^2 (2,226 sq mi)	330,803 km^2 (127,724 sq mi)
Population Density	72.11/km^2 (186.8/sq mi)	92/km^2 (240/sq mi)
Time zones	1	1
Capital & largest city	Bandar Seri Begawan – 100,700	Kuala Lumpur – 1,790,000
Government	Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy	Federal parliamentary elective constitutional monarchy
Established	17 September 1888 (Established as a protectorate by the British) 23 November 1971 (Self-government granted from the British Empire) 1 January 1984 (Independence from the British Empire proclaimed for Brunei)	31 August 1957 (Independence from the British Empire proclaimed for the Federation of Malaya) 16 September 1963 (Proclamation of Malaysia)
Predecessor States	Medieval Kingdom Period (1368–1888) Sultanate of Brunei (1368–1888) British Colonial Period (1888–1984)  Protectorate of Brunei (1888–1941; 1946–1984) Japanese Occupation Period (1942–1945) Occupied British Borneo (1942–1945) Interim Military Period (1945–1946) Military Administration of Borneo (1945–1946) Independent Period (1984–present)  Brunei Darussalam (1984–present)	Portuguese Colonial Period (1511–1641) Portuguese Malacca (1511–1641) Dutch Colonial Period (1641–1825) Dutch Malacca (1641–1795; 1818–1825) British Colonial Period (1771–1946) Straits Settlements (1826–1946)  Federated Malay States (1895–1946) Unfederated Malay States (1909–1946)  Raj of Sarawak (1841–1946) Crown Colony of Labuan (1848–1946)  British North Borneo (1881–1946) Japanese Occupation Period (1942–1945) Occupied Malaya (1942–1945) Occupied British Borneo (1942–1945) Si Rat Malai (1943–1945) Interim Military Period (1945–1946) Military Administration of Malaya (1945–1946) Military Administration of Borneo (1945–1946) Self–Government Period (1946–1963)  Malayan Union (1946–1948)  Federation of Malaya (1948–1963) Crown Colony of North Borneo (1946–1963) Crown Colony of Sarawak (1946–1963) Federation Period (1963–present)  Federation of Malaysia (1963–present)
First Leader	Muhammad Shah (historical) Hassanal Bolkiah (de jure)	Tuanku Abdul Rahman (Monarch) Tunku Abdul Rahman (Prime Minister)
Head of State	Monarch: Hassanal Bolkiah	Monarch: Ibrahim
Head of Government	Prime Minister: Hassanal Bolkiah	Prime Minister: Anwar Ibrahim
Deputy Leader	Crown Prince: Al-Muhtadee Billah	Deputy Agong: Nazrin Shah of Perak
Legislature	Legislative Council (Unicameral)	Parliament (Bicameral)
Upper House	none	Senate President: Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah
Lower House	none	House of Representatives Speaker: Johari Abdul
Judiciary	High Court	Federal Court Chief Justice: Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat
Official language	Malay	Malay
National anthem	Allah Peliharakan Sultan (God Bless the Sultan)	Negaraku (My Country)
Currency	Brunei dollar (B$)	Malaysian ringgit (RM)
National carrier	Royal Brunei Airlines	Malaysia Airlines
International airport	Brunei International Airport	Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Public broadcasting	Radio Television Brunei	Radio Television Malaysia
GDP (nominal)	$13.002 billion ($30,933 per capita)	$800.169 billion ($25,833 per capita)

History

Relations between the two countries has been established since January 1984.^[5]

Cultural links

Brunei and Malaysia have many similarities in culture especially in the East Malaysian areas as they were once a part of the Bruneian Empire. In 2011, around 61,470 Bruneians visited Malaysia^[5] while Brunei received 1,238,871 Malaysian tourists in 2013.^[6]

Transport links

Consulate General of Brunei in Kuching, Sarawak.

The states of Sarawak and Sabah in East Malaysia are connected to Brunei via the Pan Borneo Highway through the Brunei–Malaysia Friendship Bridge.

Disputes

Before 2009, Malaysia's land boundary with Brunei around Limbang was in dispute.^[7] Brunei and Malaysia agreed to cease gas and oil exploration in their disputed offshore and deep water seabeds until negotiations progressed into an agreement over allocation of disputed areas in 2003.^[8] In March 2009, it seemed a solution was achieved between the two governments when the Malaysian press reported that Brunei dropped all claims to Limbang, thus recognising it as a Malaysian territory.^[9] Brunei however immediately denied Malaysian press reports, saying the Limbang Question was never discussed during negotiations for the Exchange of Letters.^[10]

See also

• Bruneian Malay people
• Malaysian Malays
• Brunei–Malaysia border

References

1. "Consulate General of Brunei Darussalam in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah". Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei Darussalam. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
2. "Consulate General of Brunei Darussalam in Kuching, Sarawak". Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei Darussalam. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
3. "Official Website of High Commission of Malaysia, Bandar Seri Begawan". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
4. "Ministry of Foreign Affairs Brunei Darussalam". Retrieved 15 October 2023.
5. "Brunei-Malaysia Relations". Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Brunei). Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
7. R. Haller-Trost (1994). The Brunei-Malaysia Dispute Over Territorial and Maritime Claims in International Law. IBRU. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-897643-07-5.
8. Samuel Blankson (February 2007). The Practical Guide to Total Financial Freedom. Lulu Press Incorporated. p. 274. ISBN 978-1-4116-2054-4.
9. "Brunei drops all claims to Limbang". The Brunei Times. 17 March 2009. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
10. Azlan Othman (18 March 2009). "Brunei denies Limbang story". Borneo Bulletin. Archived from the original on 21 March 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2009.