BRUNEI TREATY OF INDEPENDENCE (Hansard, 7 February 1979)

§ Lord BROCKWAY
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ The MINISTER of STATE, FOREIGN and COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (Lord Goronwy-Roberts)
My Lords, under the Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation signed in Brunei on 7th January, the Government will relinquish responsibility for Brunei's external affairs and our consultative commitment for Brunei's defence. The Treaty will come into effect on the 31st December, 1983. The text will shortly be laid before Parliament.

§ Lord BROCKWAY
My Lords, while thanking the Minister, may I ask this question. In the discussions, was the issue of human rights raised, and has he hopes that in the early future the nine persons under detention without trial in Brunei and those who are exiled will be allowed to return? Furthermore, was there any discussion whether there would be adult suffrage when independence is obtained, particularly because of the position of women? When the Treaty was signed at a great gathering, it was an all-male gathering.

§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS
My Lords, Brunei has been, is and will be entirely self-governing in respect of all internal matters—which covers the points raised by my noble friend. However, as two good friends—and we have been in close friendship with Brunei for many years and hope to remain so for many years to come—we have intimated and are continuing to intimate to them our views in a friendly way on such questions as human rights, democratisation, detention and so forth. I am glad that my noble friend mentioned that there are now only nine persons in detention in Brunei. Some years ago, after the rebellion, the figure was as high as 2,000. There has been real progress in that aspect of affairs in Brunei. I think we can look forward to a very fruitful relationship, possibly within the Commonwealth, between an independent Brunei and this country.

§ Lord AVEBURY
My Lords, after what the noble Lord, Lord Brockway, has said about civil rights, may I ask whether the provisions for internal self-government include terms for the citizenship of the people of Brunei and whether, bearing in mind some of the difficulties that we have had in previous cases of independence, Her Majesty's Government will represent to the Sultan and his advisers that the British protected persons living in the territory, of whom there are quite a large number, should be entitled to Brunei citizenship on independence?

§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS
My Lords, I shall shortly be laying before Parliament the text of the exchange of letters relating to nationality and citizenship with the text of the Treaty. I think my noble friend will see from that exchange that the matters he has raised have been satisfactorily settled.

§ Lord DUNCAN-SANDYS
My Lords, while welcoming the Minister's expressions of friendship towards Brunei, may I ask him whether, in view of the unwavering support given to Britain by the Sultan and, before him, by his father, and the extremely valuable training facilities afforded to our forces in Brunei, Her Majesty's Government will keep open the possibility of extending in some form or another the arrangement for mutual assistance after independence?

§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS
My Lords, the Treaty is in title and content one of co-operation and friendship, and covers the point raised by the noble Lord. We shall continue to make available to Brunei, within the limits of our resources, loan service personnel, both in the defence and in the civil field. We shall also of course assist them to build up their Diplomatic Service. The reason why we are doing this over a period of some years is that it is better done this way so that there is no abrupt change from a situation which, after all, has its peculiarities. This new State, as I hinted, possibly within the Commonwealth, will be able to build itself up into independence on that basis. I should like to add, in view of the previous position held by the noble Lord, that he and indeed the House will be glad to know that the way we have done this, and what we have achieved, has been given a 693 very warm welcome throughout the Pacific, from New Zealand and Australia right across to the ASEAN countries and to the North.

§ Lord ELTON
My Lords, will the noble Lord accept that for us on this side of the House it is a pleasure occasionally to see the Government doing something rather difficult rather well, and that into this category falls their achievement in arriving at a solution which has, as the noble Lord says, been actually and courteously welcomed by the neighbouring States as well as by the region?

§ Lord BROCKWAY
My Lords, arising from my noble friend's reply to the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Duncan-Sandys, may I ask whether it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to keep in Brunei the battalion of Ghurkas which has been part of the defence, and—with all our friendship—under conditions which are not democratic?

§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS
My Lords, the Ghurkas will remain until independence is a realised fact, in 1983. I could not prophesy beyond that date. I think that the main thing to emphasise is the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Duncan-Sandys, that we shall continue, on a basis of sovereign independence of possibly two equal—I repeat "possibly two equal"—members of the Commonwealth, a mutual exchange of assistance, including facilities for training on their part to us, and our making available civil as well as military loan service personnel to assist them to make a reality of independence.