VZCZCXRO3125
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHBD #0150/01 1820739
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 010739Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4566
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000150 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS/COPPOLAMG, INR/EAP/KERRK 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL BX
 
SUBJECT:  BRUNEI?S NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PARTY (NDP): CHANGING WITH THE 
TIMES? 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
1.(SBU) The only remaining political party in Brunei, the National 
Development Party (NDP), recently held its fourth party congress to 
elect NDP's new leadership for the 2009-2012 term.  Yassin Affendi 
remains as President while Malai Hassan Othman (Note: A participant in 
a 2008 International Visitor Leadership Program. End Note) was elected 
as the Deputy President of NDP with no contest from the previous Deputy 
President Mahmud Morshidi.  A majority of NDP members hoped Morshidi, 
who is the financial sponsor of NDP's operation and NDP's most active 
leader, would be elected as President while Affendi would step down. 
Morshidi did not contest Affendi's presidency and according to a party 
member, this is part of his plan to make party members realize they 
must learn to stand on their own to push for political development in 
Brunei.  With this reshuffle, most NDP members 'feel lost', according 
to the new Deputy President Malai Hassan.  NDP needs an infusion of new 
ideas and new leadership to give the party a greater relevance to the 
Brunei populace. End Summary 
 
NDP CONGRESS: A PARTY IN SEARCH OF A CAUSE 
------------------------------------------- 
2) (SBU) About 500 National Development Party (NDP) members attended 
the opening of NDP's fourth Annual General Congress. Embassy Deputy 
Chief Mission and Political Assistant were present, along other members 
of the diplomatic community. While there was a fairly robust turnout 
amongst the diplomatic corps, few Bruneian (GoB) government officials 
attended, even though many were invited.  President Affendi, in his 
speech read by the then Deputy President Morshidi, reiterated that "NDP 
is not a national security threat and has no intention to overthrow His 
Majesty's government".  NDP continues to swear its allegiance to the 
Sultan of Brunei and will support the Sultan by partnering with the 
government in realizing the nation?s aspirations, particularly on MIB 
(Malay Islam Monarch) philosophy. 
 
3) (SBU) President Affendi remains optimistic amidst Brunei's 
non-conducive environment for political growth.  He believes only when 
the whole nation has a strong political will for a change can 
transformation begin in Brunei's political environment.  He noted that 
it is apparent that Bruneians have no strong interest in political 
development.   NDP does not blame the Sultan for the political 
stagnation, as the Sultan opened the door for political participation 
through the amended 2004 Constitution, the revival of the Legislative 
Council, and the approval of NDP's registration.   NDP blames a group 
of "apparatchiks" in the GoB who imposed unnecessary warnings and 
restrictions on NDP's activities.  NDP believes it is this group who 
has been instilling political phobia among the Bruneians, which is a 
major hindrance for political development. 
 
UP CLOSE ASSESSMENT 
------------------- 
¶4. (SBU) Deputy President Malai Hassan told Embassy Political Assistant 
that "NDP has no power", so the new strategy is to propagate the idea 
of NDP as the government's partner by contributing ideas from the 
grass-root level. Prior to the NDP Congress, Hassan said NDP was 
expecting Yassin Affendi to step down during the election and that 
Deputy President Mahmud Morshidi would be elected as President.  He 
also disclosed he believed NDP would undergo a major reshuffle.  On 
June 24, after the election, Hassan remarked, "everyone feels lost", 
because NDP leans on Morshidi for direction as he is the iron man 
behind NDP's operation and the main financial sponsor.  Most members 
joined NDP because of Morshidi but he felt NDP was relying on him too 
heavily for solutions.  With the reshuffle, Morshidi hope it will 
educate members to start standing on their two feet.  According to 
Malai Hassan, Morshidi will not challenge Affendi's presidency as long 
as Affendi is alive. 
 
EXPANDING NDP'S BASE 
--------------------- 
¶5. (SBU) NDP Deputy President, Malai Hassan, participated in the 
International Visitor's Leadership Program (IVLP) "I-Vote 2008 
Observing the Elections" in October 2008, when he was the then-NDP 
Spokesperson.   As the new Deputy President, Malai Hassan plans to 
revamp NDP's structure by imparting his knowledge gained from the IVLP 
program. He would like to introduce a new election system.  Malai 
Hassan is also on Facebook spreading NDP's cause with the hope of 
reaching a younger generation of Bruneians. He also has Hajah Saemah, 
Head of NDP's Women Bureau and a veteran journalist from Brunei's local 
Malay paper "Medi-Permata", assisting him in his program to expand 
NDP's reach in the digital and social media.  Hassan has said he gained 
tremendous insights into grassroots campaigning and outreach, as well 
as the need to energize a youth base, while on his IVLP. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶6. (SBU) Many NDP members feel passionately about the party but as 
noted by Malai Hassan, they are adrift and lost in terms of the party's 
purpose. NDP openly supports the Sultan and cites him as the 
inspiration for their party. Senior NDP officials know the party cannot 
 
BANDAR SER 00000150  002 OF 002 
 
 
and should not be a one man show but old habits of looking to one 
person to solve all problems is a hard habit to break in Brunei. Mahmud 
Morshidi and Malai Hassan hope NDP members learn this important lesson 
and allow the NDP to grow as a true political party.  There remains an 
opportunity to assist the NDP with grassroots development, as 
appropriate within the larger framework of Brunei's current political 
system. 
 
TODD