Today is World Mental Health Day, and I have been thinking about how we check on each other. Where I grew up, care shows up as food, a seat at the table, a quick “Sudah makan?” It is a good habit and I would not change it. But how rarely…
Category: Brunei Darussalam
Brunei & Governance
My thoughts on elderly care in Brunei
Just read Malai Hassan Othman’s (MHO) latest piece, “When Mum Can No Longer Be Left Alone,” and it hits close to home. I see the real struggles families here are going through with this, and it has made me think hard about how unprepared most of us are for this…
Brunei Darussalam
AB Rewind: Catching Up With Ihsan, 16 Years Later
Back in 2010, I interviewed a young Bruneian PhD student studying Genetics in the UK. At the time, Ihsan spoke about her passion for science, cancer research, scientific literacy and her hopes of contributing to Brunei’s development one day. She was curious, driven and excited about the future. A lot…
Brunei Darussalam
The Problem Was Never AI
A few days ago, someone shared one of my cabinet reshuffle articles on Reddit. Predictably, the discussion eventually drifted toward AI. Some people objected to the use of AI. Others rolled their eyes at yet another AI-related discussion. And the more I thought about it, the more I realised something….
Brunei Darussalam
The Ones Who Built the Buttons
The older we get, the more we realise a difficult truth: The people who annoy us the most are often the people who love us the hardest. Our parents know exactly which buttons to press because, in many ways, they helped build those buttons. They were there when we were…
Brunei & Governance
Less Than a Decade to Go…
Before sharing these thoughts, it is only fair to acknowledge that I am certain these are matters already under active consideration by His Majesty and His Government. What follows are simply the reflections of a concerned Bruneian who loves this country and hopes, however modestly, to contribute to our shared…