SBYLEP 2022 - The 8th Singapore-Brunei Youth Leaders Exchange Programme

This post is part of my reflections for the report expected by Singapore's National Youth Council after the 5-day exchange programme (almost like a work trip but much more fun). Not exactly Edtechy but surely educational and enriching for me and possibly other educators here considering our country's positive bias towards ASEAN.

It was not my first time in Borneo ( the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia) as I had been to Sabah with my NCDCC cadets for Outward Bound Sabah. Still, it was actually my first time in Brunei (adding to my count of almost 50 countries as mapped out here) although I do have quite a few Bruneian friends and acquaintances. One thing I remembered about Sabah in Borneo is that the natural landscape and terrain were so amazing and beautiful. Brunei did not disappoint on that front either. 

We had two boat rides at Sungei Brunei where we saw the Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Bridge and the fascinating Kampong Ayer (once called the 'Venice of the East'). We saw Proboscis Monkeys near the river banks on the first boat ride (no crocodiles spotted though) and had a chance to visit one of the houses on Kampong Ayer (the home of the guide and her husband, the boat captain). The first sunset we caught was a bit mellow but the second one (1st pic in this post) was amazing with the pink and orange hues in the sky.

We also had the chance to check out the brand-new Brunei Energy Hub Dermaga Diraja  

"The old Royal Customs and Excise building in the heart of the capital went through a major facelift and is renamed the Hab Tenaga Brunei Dermaga Diraja. This redevelopment project, fully funded by the Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn. Bhd. is now repurposed as Brunei-Muara’s very own oil and gas interactive museum. Situated along the Royal Wharf with the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Bridge in the background, the museum aims to serve as a knowledge hub for the oil and gas industry and a platform to support the development of the creative scene in Brunei."

There were some pretty interactive and interesting exhibits and I was pretty impressed by their use of the green screen, AR and also IoT (sensor-based) technologies in the museum.

We had actually gone to a modern farm on the first day too just before the Energy Hub so that helped provide a glimpse into some of the industries (like Agritech) that Brunei is developing to become more sustainable (and not solely reliant on oil and gas). We got to taste the melons and some of us had the chance to enter the greenhouse where we could see almost fully ripened melons still attached to their respective plants (apparently they grow one melon per plant to ensure the quality is optimal). We also saw how they made compost all around the farm.

The food we got to try was amazing too. A Bruneian friend, Mims had told me that in Brunei's night market, one would be able to get a feast for S$10 (in contrast to perhaps a Singapore Night Market) and I was impressed by the variety offered at the Gadong Night Market (Pasar Malam). I bought Nasi Katok for a dollar and spent $4 on a soya-sauce-based cockles dish (apparently the stall owner said that $2 would get me about 14 cockles). I also had a chance to have dinner at a Bruneian's home as Hadri opened his home and his family went out of their way to cook and prepare fish, prawns (udang gala) and ambuyat with several dips (cecah). His father also showed us a bee hive they had in their garden.

A big part of the programme was discussions about youth empowerment, social entrepreneurship, start-ups and mental health. We had the opportunity to attend formal presentations by the relevant government agencies at the Prime Minister's Office and we also had our informal chats about the aforementioned topics and more in our bus rides and over food too. I was also really pleased that we got the chance to go to the Singapore High Commission in Brunei at the invitation of the High Commissioner. We got to speak about the great bilateral relations our two countries share and upcoming development and opportunities. I am pleased to hear there are talks to revive an old agreement to have stronger education cooperation. This includes potentially encouraging Bruneian students to do their middle or high school studies in Singapore as they used to do in the past (1980s).

With a population of almost 450,000 (about two-thirds of which are Malay) and with 5,765 km², the country is the opposite of Singapore in terms of density. For those who love numbers...

The population density in Brunei Darussalam is 83 per Km² (215 people per mi²) whereas it is 7,918.95 people per sq. km of land area in Singapore.

Unsurprisingly, Brunei is so small that many people know one another and it is a pretty scary dating scene too as some only find out after some time that they may be actually dating a cousin. Maybe that is why some look beyond their borders (or ethnic communities) and find their soulmates from neighbouring countries or further. I really love the warmth and hospitable nature of the Bruneians I met especially my buddy Alfi (of Dusun descent). Alfi is really talented and she is in digital marketing for now although I believe she will make a good diplomat as that is what she aspires for (All the best!). Even if that does not happen, I think she is already a great ambassador (as in representative) of Brunei.

@ The Frame

I must thank the Bruneian Youth Council (Majlis Belia Brunei) for planning so well for us all. I hope we will do justice to our Bruneian counterparts when they come over next year as Singapore will be hosting some of them as well as new participants too.