BRUNEI (UCAN) -- This feature, the third in the Asian Church Snapshot series marking the national days of Asian countries, appeared in the Feb. 20 issue of ASIA FOCUS.

Brunei Darussalam (abode of peace), a tiny oil-rich kingdom on the northern coast of Borneo, celebrates its seventh anniversary of independence on Feb. 23.

Brunei's national boundaries enclose two small wedges of land with a total area of only 5,765 square kilometers. The kingdom faces the South China Sea on the north and is surrounded by the east Malaysian state of Sarawak.

The former British protectorate has a population of 241,400, including 53,000 temporary residents employed in the oil and gas industry. Malays form the majority of the population, followed by Chinese (about 20 percent).

From the 14th century to the 16th century, Brunei was the center of a mighty southeast Asian empire, but the arrival of Europeans in the region in the 16th century heralded the end of the empire.

Brunei became a British protected state in 1888 and by 1904 its territory had shrunk to a small sultanate sandwiched between the two Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah.

The discovery of the first major oil field in the western part of the state in 1929 marked the beginning of Brunei's energy riches. That initial find and offshore discoveries in the 1960s put the state on a path of economic development and prosperity.

In 1959, a constitution was put into effect introducing "self-government" to the state, with Britain retaining responsibility over Brunei's foreign affairs, security and defense.

British forces swiftly ended a rebellion by leaders of the Brunei People's Party (BPP) in 1962. The BPP, which supported neither Malaysia nor Britain, rebelled when it was prevented from forming a government despite its sweeping victory in Brunei's first elections.

In 1967, after a 17-year reign, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin abdicated in favor of his eldest son, Muda Hassanal Bolkiah.

As a result of a 1979 treaty between Britain and Brunei, the state was granted full independence on Dec. 31, 1983. On Jan. 1, 1984, the sultan proclaimed Brunei "a sovereign, independent, democratic and Malay Muslim monarchy according to Sunni belief."

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is prime minister and defense minister of Brunei. Two of his brothers serve in the 12-member Cabinet.

This year's national day celebration, based on the theme "Bersatu Padu Mengekalkan Ketahanan Nasional (unity for the preservation of national strength)," will feature a parade by various ministries, organizations, schools and private companies.

Traditionally, the Catholic Church offers special national day Mass at Brunei's three parishes, Assumption Church at Bandar Seri Begawan, Church of the Immaculate Conception at Seria and St. John's Church in Kuala Belait.

Pupils and teachers from Brunei's four Catholic schools take part in the main parade and a host of other events connected to the celebration.

The Church has played an active role in the development of Brunei, especially in educating and training youth to be responsible citizens.

The history of Catholic schools dates back to 1929 when a missionary, Father A. Stotter, established the first school at Kuala Belait.

He hired a teacher from Kuching, Sarawak, to teach the children two classes a day -- one in the morning for boys and one in the afternoon for girls.

School buildings at Kuala Belait and Bandar Seri Begawan were rebuilt after World War II, during which all Catholic priests were interned by the Japanese.

Because of the influx of workers to Brunei's oil fields, missionary priests built a school and a church at Seria.

A new school building at Kuala Belait was built in 1959 and an extension was made in 1978 to cater to upper secondary classes.

Since 1957, when the government ceased financial aid to schools, the Church has operated its four schools independently.

Father Cornelius Sim, Brunei's only local Catholic priest, says that the four schools are open to children of all races and creeds.

"In fact, only about 20 percent of enrollments in our schools come from Catholic families," he said.

Meanwhile, the government has made concerted efforts, especially in the past two years, to promote Malay Muslim monarchy, commonly referred to by locals as the "3M" concept. The concept calls on people to be loyal to their ruler, practice Islam and live in adherence to the characteristics of "true Brunei Malays." To promote the concept, the government made 3M part of the curriculum at the University Brunei Darussalam.

The religious affairs ministry, which is responsible for projects to "uphold Islam as the national ideology and as a complete way of life," has upgraded Islamic education standards in religious and English-Malay medium schools.

Arabic secondary schools and a religion teacher training college have so far trained about 1,300 Islamic teachers. To further strengthen Islam in the country, the ministry has established an institute of Islamic studies.

In line with Islamic practice, the government recently banned the importation, processing, serving and selling of alcohol in Brunei.

In a telecast marking last year's national day, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said he saw the 1990s "as a decade full of challenges towards fulfilling the expectations of citizens and the people for a better life."

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