Nation Nurtured by Charity: Brunei’s Call to Reawaken Its Moral Capital

 🌱 Can a Nation Be Planted with Charity?

In a world obsessed with wealth and skyscrapers, Brunei’s Majlis Ilmu 2025 reminds us: the strongest nations are those rooted in generosity.
From zakat and waqf to digital giving and moral capital — His Majesty calls for a national awakening.

📖 Read why “Negara Ditanai Dengan Sedekah” is more than a theme — it's a blueprint for Brunei’s future.

 By Malai Hassan Othman | KopiTalk with MHO

In an era when nations race to build skylines and amass wealth, Brunei is reminded that its most enduring foundation lies in its moral capital. 

At Majlis Ilmu 2025, the theme “Negara Ditanai Dengan Sedekah” did more than adorn banners — it served as a call to re-anchor national identity in generosity, dignity, and shared responsibility.

“Ditana(i)” or “ditatang” is more than planting — it means cherishing, protecting, nurturing care. To say that a country is ditanai with sedekah is to assert that the very health of Brunei depends upon the conscientious giving of its people. In this society, generosity is woven into governance, culture, and public policy.

The Sultan did not present sedekah merely as a pious ideal; he positioned it as national architecture. He spoke of zakat, urging accountability and fairness, and of wakaf, reminding us of its enduring legacy across Islamic history. He acknowledged that sedekah goes beyond wealth — it embraces time, knowledge, kindness, and public service.

Here, the concept of waqf (endowment) rises as a key instrument. As explained by scholar Alishba Fazal ur Rehman, waqf is characterised by its permanence, irrevocability, and inalienability — the property relinquishing private ownership to serve society forever. 

Through waqf, the earnings of a donated asset perpetually support communal needs: schools, healthcare, infrastructure, and welfare. It is a mechanism older than many modern institutions, yet more potent in aligning personal generosity with enduring social impact.

Historically, waqf played a pivotal role in Islamic civilizational excellence. The Prophet ﷺ himself instituted endowments: for example, he bought the well of Rumah and declared it a waqf so all could draw water eternally. 

During the Ottoman age, vast swathes of public services — hospitals, schools, libraries — were financed by waqf revenues. These were not acts of charity but systems of social governance.

In Brunei, the opportunities are ripe. The country already administers funds, subsidies, public welfare, and religious endowments. But the challenge lies in institutional maturity: ensuring that zakat and waqf are not discretionary appendages but robust, autonomous pillars of national infrastructure. 

To truly nurture a nation through charity, we must embed good governance, transparency, professional oversight, and strategic planning into every waqf project and zakat fund.

Yet generosity is only fruitful when it transforms. A clinic built on waqf should not stand idle. A fund for orphans must ensure education, vocational training, and long-term uplift. The state, civil society, and religious bodies must align to translate the morality of giving into measurable outcomes.

What the 2025 theme does is demand moral accountability: that every blessing given be a seed sown, every gift a trust held. It challenges complacency. It asks: If our prosperity is drawn from Allah’s grace, what will we leave in return?

In the end, the measure of Brunei will not lie in GDP per capita or infrastructure alone. Its true stature will be seen in the humility of its citizens, in the dignity of the poorest, and in the enduring legacy of its endowments. May our country be ditanai with sedekah — and may we be gardeners worthy of its blessings. (MHO/09/2025)

Seeds of Charity, Roots of Unity

📖 Negara Ditanai Dengan Sedekah — His Majesty’s powerful Majlis Ilmu 2025 titah reminds us that charity is not just a virtue… It's the foundation of a blessed nation.

In an age of rising inequality and spiritual fatigue, His Majesty's message is clear:
💡 A giving society is a surviving society.
💡 A just state is built on compassion, not just policy.

 

By Malai Hassan Othman | KopiTalk with MHO

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 25 SEPTEMBER 2025: His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, today launched Majlis Ilmu 2025 with a profound call for the nation to embrace sedekah — charity — not merely as an act of faith but as a foundation of Brunei’s wellbeing and unity.

This year’s Majlis Ilmu, part of the monarch’s birthday celebrations, carries the theme “Negara Ditanai Dengan Sedekah” (The Country is Upheld with Charity). 

His Majesty likened charity to seeds that bring forth fruit: just as fertile soil yields harvests, a nation nourished by sedekah will produce blessings, peace, and prosperity.

Citing Surah Al-Baqarah verse 261, His Majesty reminded that a single act of charity can multiply many times over, both spiritually and socially. “Charity does not reduce wealth, but brings growth and healing,” the monarch said, referencing the words of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

His Majesty stressed that sedekah goes beyond money. It includes time, knowledge, effort, prayer, and even simple acts such as removing obstacles from the road or offering a smile. In this, charity becomes both a spiritual act and a civic duty, binding people together in compassion.

Turning to policy, His Majesty urged transparent and efficient management of zakat to avoid public discontent, and highlighted the enduring value of wakaf (endowment) as sedekah jariah that benefits generations. 

In today’s digital era, he welcomed online platforms and mobile apps for giving, pointing to funds such as Dana Pembinaan Masjid, Tabung Anak-Anak Yatim, and the Ministry of Health’s Tabung Amal Bantuan Pesakit as examples of institutionalising generosity.

To reinforce this theme, His Majesty also launched a commemorative book titled “Negara Ditanai Dengan Sedekah”, symbolising the embedding of charity into Brunei’s intellectual and moral development.

While not directly mentioning Wawasan 2035, the titah resonates with its vision of a high-quality, moral, and united society. 

By framing sedekah and wakaf as both religious imperatives and instruments of nationhood, His Majesty positioned generosity as a safeguard against poverty, inequality, and social fragmentation.

At a time of global uncertainty, the message was clear: Brunei’s strength lies not only in strategy and policy, but in the collective spirit of giving. (MHO/09/2025)

 

Transparency: The Strongest Safeguard of Stability

This is not about me. It’s about making sense of what happens when billions are adjusted on the books — and why Bruneians deserve to understand.

I feel compelled to respond after some former government elites expressed discomfort with efforts to highlight the Darussalam Assets issue in the public domain. Among the remarks shared were:

“Darussalam Assets knows what they are doing.”
“Don’t take the article seriously — the writer has no credibility.”
“Between the lines, the article is instigative.”

I respect these views, but I believe the recent discussions on Darussalam Assets’ billion-dollar share capital adjustment should not be dismissed lightly. Even if it appears “technical,” the scale makes it significant. Public curiosity is natural when sums tied to national wealth are involved.

Some have suggested that raising these questions is somehow dangerous. But when over a billion dollars is adjusted on the books, the real risk lies not in asking but in leaving the public confused. My writing does not create unrest — it reduces it, by explaining what is already public record and reinforcing the value of clarity, transparency, and trust in our institutions.

Clarifying these issues is not about blame. It is about strengthening trust in institutions. Transparency and open communication help prevent rumours and reassure the rakyat that governance is sound.

KopiTalk with MHO aims to unpack complex financial and legal matters so ordinary readers can understand them. Far from being instigative, such writing should be welcomed as part of constructive dialogue — aligned with the principles of openness, accountability, and public confidence under Wawasan 2035.

In the end, transparency is not a threat to stability — it is its strongest safeguard.

 

Sultan Calls for Smart Use of AI in Education, Launches Guidance Book

🌱 “From early childhood to higher education, His Majesty’s titah maps a journey: teachers as catalysts, children as the seed, and AI as the new tool. The question is — how do we nurture it all?”

By Malai Hassan Othman | KopiTalk with MHO

Bandar Seri Begawan, 23 September 2025: His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah highlighted the need for Brunei’s education system to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) wisely, stressing that while it can be helpful, we shouldn’t rely on it too much. 

At the 35th National Teachers’ Day celebration at the International Convention Centre, His Majesty launched the Gen A.I. Guidance for Education book, marking a first step towards a National AI Framework in Education. 

The book aims to help teachers and students use AI tools “secara beretika, berhemah, bertanggungjawab dan berteraskan falsafah Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB)” — ethically, sensibly, responsibly, and in line with MIB values. “Relying too much on AI can weaken deep thinking and harm creativity in the long run,” His Majesty warned, while also seeing AI as a way to boost efficiency and innovation.

In his speech, His Majesty also agreed to update parts of the Brunei Education Act (Cap. 56), giving the Lembaga Peperiksaan Negara Brunei Darussalam the power to award qualifications for local subjects at upper secondary and pre-university levels. 

This change, His Majesty noted, will enhance the credibility of Brunei’s exam board and ensure its certifications are recognised internationally, which is crucial for Bruneian students looking to study abroad.

His Majesty also supported new guidelines for Private Higher Education Institutions (IPTS), allowing them to create their own programs and award qualifications within the Brunei Darussalam Qualification Framework (BDQF). This is a big step towards diversifying the country’s higher education options, giving students more choices while ensuring IPTS maintain quality and relevance to national needs.

Recognising the importance of strong foundations, His Majesty called for a comprehensive National Early Childhood Care and Education Framework. This framework, to be developed by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, will ensure every child gets a well-rounded, inclusive, and high-quality start to learning, including religious education.

Reaffirming this year’s theme — “Guru Pemangkin Pendidikan Lestari dan Inovasi” (Teachers as Catalysts for Sustainable and Innovative Education) — His Majesty recognised the crucial role teachers play in shaping the nation’s future. He congratulated the recipients of the Teacher’s Day Awards, hoping that this recognition would inspire more contributions to the country’s educational excellence.

The focus on AI shows Brunei's readiness to tackle one of the biggest debates in global education — how to balance tech-driven efficiency with human creativity and ethical values. 

By launching the Gen A.I. Guidance for Education, His Majesty positioned Brunei as an active player in promoting the responsible use of AI in classrooms. 

For teachers, students, and parents, this milestone presents both opportunities and responsibilities: the future’s tools are here, but they need to be used with national values, critical thinking, and creativity in mind.

A Billion in Lost Shares — Is Brunei Finally Facing Its Past to Prepare for the Future?

 

💡 Darussalam Assets’ billion-dollar share cancellation is being called a “technical clean-up.” But beneath the numbers lie deeper questions — legacy overvaluations, delayed accountability, and the future Brunei has long debated: a stock exchange of its own. Is this simply correcting the past, or quietly preparing for the next chapter?

Second Follow-Up to KopiTalk’s Investigations | By Malai Hassan Othman

In two previous reports, we looked at how Darussalam Assets Sdn Bhd (DA) asked the High Court to cancel over B$1.24 billion in “lost or unrepresented” shares — a move seen as a balance-sheet tweak but viewed by many as a billion-dollar mystery. In this third instalment, we’re diving deeper: what historical and structural factors might have led to this mismatch, why the delay in seeking court approval occurred, and how it connects with broader issues of governance, oversight, and Brunei’s economic future.

Legacy Overvaluations

DA was set up in 2012 to bring together government-linked companies under one roof, starting with around B$2 billion in share capital. Analysts are now saying that the recent capital cut might show overvaluations that have been around since the beginning. Assets transferred at book value might not have accurately reflected their true value, and over time, impairments or depreciation widened the gap.

This doesn’t necessarily mean fresh losses today — it might just be a delayed recognition of past mismatches. Sometimes, assets inherited from earlier restructuring were recorded too optimistically, only for today’s stricter accounting rules to reveal the overstatement.

The Two-Year Delay

The special resolution for the reduction was passed in November 2023, but the High Court petition didn’t come to light until mid-2025. That nearly two-year gap has raised eyebrows. Usually, such delays happen when internal audits, external valuations, or shareholder talks drag on. In Brunei, where private GLCs don’t have to publish accounts, the lack of transparency let this issue stay under wraps until the court notice popped up.

Critics see this as another sign of systemic inertia in SOE oversight. The IMF has repeatedly pointed out Brunei’s slow progress on reform and risk management in state entities, which resonates with this case.

📡 Subsidiaries and National Priorities

Some of DA’s subsidiaries, like those in telecommunications and infrastructure, are said to operate with more of a national-service focus than a profit-driven one. Building networks in remote areas or maintaining underused facilities is great for social policy, but not for making money.

When these investments are racked up at high costs but bring in little return, they create “fictitious” value that eventually needs to be wiped off. This is a common issue in resource-dependent economies: state-owned enterprises are expected to serve the public good, but eventually, the financials need to reflect reality.

⚖️ Accountability and Oversight

Why weren’t these mismatches caught earlier? DA’s audits aren’t made public, raising questions about both internal audit strength and board-level financial know-how. International observers have long urged Brunei to improve governance in its SOEs, noting that boards often lack the specialised skills needed to keep an eye on risk.

The lack of accountability fuels public mistrust. As one online comment put it: “A billion dollars written off may be a paper exercise, but to the rakyat, it feels like a wasted opportunity.”

📈 A Prelude to a Stock Market?

Some folks think the cleanup isn’t just about fixing the past but also about getting ready for the future. Brunei has been talking about setting up a domestic stock exchange for ages — discussions date back to the early 2000s when neighbours like Malaysia and Singapore ramped up their markets, while Brunei stayed cautious.

Progress has always hit the same roadblocks: a small corporate base, low liquidity, and the need for better transparency in financial reporting. For an exchange to work, GLCs need to present credible accounts that meet international standards.

Seen this way, the adjustment at Darussalam Assets could be viewed as a prelude to market reform — a step toward aligning financial reporting with what’s expected in public capital markets. If Brunei really wants to push for a stock exchange in the coming years, then balance sheets need to be believable, valuations realistic, and accountability essential.

Whether or not this is a deliberate move, the ghost capital saga highlights the scale of preparation needed before Brunei can make such a big leap.

🌍 Broader Risks for Brunei

This capital reduction isn’t just a corporate footnote. It risks sending a message to investors that Brunei’s valuations are unclear and that SOEs might have hidden weaknesses. For a country looking to diversify under Wawasan 2035, such doubts can derail efforts to attract joint ventures and foreign partners.

The public also connects these numbers to real-life issues: unemployment, rising costs, and underfunded social programs. Even if technically “no money was lost,” the perception is that value slipped away without explanation.

✍️ Closing Reflection

From the start, our KopiTalk series has stressed that this isn’t just about lost or unrepresented shares. It’s about governance. Whether the mismatch came from unpaid share capital, uncollected debts, or legacy overvaluations, the bottom line is: it took more than a decade and a High Court petition for the issue to come to light.

This report doesn’t aim to interfere with the Court process. The petition will be decided within its legal framework. Our focus is on the larger lesson: Brunei needs to tackle its governance challenges head-on if it wants to build public trust and achieve Wawasan 2035.

If the adjustment is indeed part of gearing up for a more transparent financial future — maybe even paving the way for Brunei’s long-discussed stock exchange — then the ghost capital story might carry not just lessons from the past but also hints about the country’s next chapter. (MHO/09/2025)

Darussalam Assets’ Ghost Capital: Just Paper or Public Money Written Off?

Darussalam Assets’ billion-dollar “ghost capital” has sparked questions far beyond accounting. Some say it was just a technical adjustment, but others wonder if uncollected debts and weak oversight were also at play. What’s clear is that transparency matters — silence only fuels more confusion and speculation.

Follow-Up to KopiTalk’s First Report | By Malai Hassan Othman

This article is a follow-up to my earlier report on Darussalam Assets’ billion-dollar capital reduction, where the company asked the High Court to cancel B$1.24 billion worth of “lost or unrepresented” shares. 

The first report explained the legal and technical background — how the move was framed as a balance-sheet clean-up — and raised questions about transparency and governance.

In this second piece, we dig deeper. Beyond the legal notices, what could have caused the mismatch? Could it involve uncollected debts and unrecovered receivables? And how has the public debate changed since the first report?

Beyond “Technical Adjustments”

In the first article, we talked about how ghost capital often comes from unpaid share subscriptions or unreconciled transfers. But analysts now suggest another angle: debts and receivables that have gone uncollected for years.

• Subsidiaries or joint ventures might have borrowed a lot from Darussalam Assets.
• Advances could have been given out without safeguards for repayment.
• Receivables may have stayed on the books even when recovery seemed unlikely.

If that’s the case, then the billion-dollar write-down was more than just a technical adjustment. It could mean that public funds were effectively written off due to weak financial discipline.

What the Public Is Saying

Since our first report, the public discussion has heated up. Bruneians are framing the issue in stark terms:

• “If you cancel B$1.24 billion, what could that money have done for unemployed youth?”

• “We’re told it’s technical, but to us it feels like a wasted opportunity — hospitals, housing, even daily costs.”

• “Foreign investors will see this too. If ghost shares can sit on the books for years, how can they trust other numbers?”

• “Ghost capital? More like ghost accountability.”

Some voices compared it to a restaurant menu listing burgers that don’t exist — numbers on paper that never turned into actual assets. Others pointed to bigger risks: if inflated capital was ever used as collateral, banks and suppliers may have relied on figures that weren’t real.

Alongside these, more speculative voices linked the mismatch to unpaid public bills or funds “already in someone’s tummy.” While unproven, these narratives reflect a deeper truth: silence breeds suspicion. Without audited statements or official explanations, both reasoned concern and wild speculation can thrive.

Bridging the Cultural Lens

Some Bruneians might think this is making too much of a technical issue — after all, no physical money was said to have disappeared, and the Court process is routine under company law. That instinct reflects a cultural norm of trusting authority to safeguard national interests. Yet governance isn’t just about whether dollars left the vault; it’s also about accuracy, discipline, and accountability in managing what belongs to the nation. Even if no cash was lost, the perception of a billion-dollar void without explanation undermines confidence and invites speculation. In the long run, silence can be more damaging than the figures themselves.

Governance and Debt Discipline

If ghost capital partly comes from uncollected debts, the governance implications are significant:

1. Who approved advances without ensuring repayment capacity?
2. Why were receivables left unreconciled for so long?
3. Why has no authority stepped forward to explain?

This is where the follow-up goes beyond the first article. The issue isn’t just whether shares were “represented” or not, but whether financial discipline across the group broke down, leading to a tolerance for non-payment.

Lessons from Abroad

Brunei is not alone in this situation. Other nations provide cautionary parallels:

• Malaysia’s 1MDB had receivables that were never collectable until the scandal broke.
• Indonesia’s PLN tolerated massive unpaid bills before the government stepped in.

Brunei’s case is smaller, but the similarities lie in the pattern of opacity, unreconciled debts, and silence that erodes trust.

Why It Matters for Wawasan 2035

Brunei’s path to Wawasan 2035 needs credibility in managing national wealth. The first article highlighted credibility as the core issue; this follow-up shows how deeper layers of doubt have emerged:

• Citizens are asking: If debts were quietly written off, how much public money has actually been lost?

• Investors are wondering: If B$1.24 billion could disappear on paper, what else might be hidden in GLC accounts?

Both questions show that this isn’t just an accounting issue — it’s about Brunei’s reputation for sound governance.

 

A Call for Forensic Clarity

As we said in the first report, just cleaning up the books isn’t enough. This follow-up makes the case even stronger: Brunei needs a forensic audit, not just a capital adjustment.

The public deserves clarity on:

• How much of the mismatch was unpaid share capital?

• How much was uncollected debt?

• Which subsidiaries or projects were involved?

• What safeguards will be put in place to prevent this from happening again?

In many countries, such findings would lead to independent reviews or even executive resignations. In Brunei, continued silence risks deepening mistrust.

 

Closing Reflection

The first article asked whether cancelled shares meant ghost entries or cracks in governance. This follow-up takes the next step: perhaps those ghost entries were not just “lost shares,” but uncollected debts and unrecovered advances that eroded public wealth.

For Brunei, this isn’t just about accounting hygiene. It’s a test of accountability, financial discipline, and trust.

This report doesn't aim to interfere with the ongoing High Court process. The legal outcome is up to the Court alone. What’s at stake here isn’t the judicial procedure, but the broader implications for governance, transparency, and public trust in how Brunei manages its national assets.

Unless addressed with transparency, ghost capital won’t just haunt Darussalam Assets — it will shadow Brunei’s journey to Wawasan 2035.(MHO/09/2025)