Brunei, a small Southeast Asian country with a population of only 460,000, is one of the richest countries in the world. Brunei under King Hassanal has maintained a monarchy, although this seems anachronistic in today's social development trend. However, it is surprising that despite Hassanal's extravagant life, Bruneians are extremely supportive of him and unwilling to change the existing social landscape.
The small country's wealth derives mainly from its abundant oil and gas resources, and King Hassanal personally made a fortune of $70 billion. The Nuroyman Palace, where he lives, is known as one of the largest royal palaces in the world, with 1,788 rooms, 5 large swimming pools and 257 bathrooms. The palace is resplendent and luxuriously decorated, with gold, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds everywhere.
King Hassanal is a wealthy collector of luxury cars and private jets, owning 604 Rolls-Royces, 574 Mercedes-Benz, 452 Ferraris, 382 Bentleys, 209 BMWs, and luxury cars from other brands, totaling about 7,000 vehicles. He also owns 21 private jets and two luxury yachts.
Hassanal's lifestyle is clearly flaunting wealth, and his weddings often invite international superstars such as Michael Jackson for high fees. His queen, on the other hand, was a cousin and later married a flight attendant and a female journalist, but both wives later divorced and left the palace with generous breakup fees.
However, despite Hassanal's remarkable lifestyle, Bruneians are grateful to him. This is because he gave back to his citizens very generously, raising all 460,000 citizens. In Brunei, education, health care and housing are free, and everyone can enjoy these benefits, rich or poor. This is a huge life guarantee for ordinary people, who do not need to worry about education and medical expenses, and even if they have diseases, they do not need to worry about high medical costs.
House prices in Brunei are relatively low, and installment payments do not require interest and can be subsidized by the state to build houses. For low-income families, the state will provide garden villas as public housing, with very low monthly rents, and the house will be owned by individuals after 20 years of renting. These policies have led Bruneians to a high standard of living, luxury car ownership has become commonplace, crime rates are extremely low, and social security is good.
Brunei is a small and wealthy country, but its unique welfare system and the king's generous feedback have enabled the people of this country to live happily and well. They enjoyed a secluded life, with a high standard of living, a beautiful environment, and social harmony, so they were not dissatisfied with the king's extravagant life and did not seek change. Brunei is undoubtedly a desirable place, but becoming a citizen of Brunei is very difficult, because the resources and benefits of this small country can only be supplied to a limited population. If the population is overcrowded, the king may not be able to afford such a large expense.
In short, the extravagant lifestyle of King Hassanal of Brunei contrasts sharply with the happy life of his citizens, but it is this generosity and giving back that makes Brunei a unique and desirable country. Although the social formation did not seem to match the king's lifestyle, the people of Brunei were happy and satisfied because they enjoyed free benefits of education, medical care and housing, and were not dissatisfied with the king's extravagant life. The existence of this country has made people's hopes and thinking about the welfare society continue to heat up.