Bandar Seri Begawan - Bruneians often think of Labuan simply as the island we can reach in a one-hour ferry ride from Muara. A place to visit occasionally if we want a brief weekend getaway. Or that centre for offshore banking or duty-free shopping.
Certainly this is all true. But Brunei and Labuan have more tangible links.
Until 1846, Labuan was actually part of Brunei Darussalam. Yes, it was only a century and a half ago that Labuan was ceded to Britain as part of an International Treaty.
Particularly at this time of year, we all have cause to remember close links with Labuan from only 60 years ago.
Admittedly, 95 of every 100 Bruneians will have no direct knowledge of even such recent history. But, six decades after peace resumed in our "Abode of Peace" after the conclusion of the Second World War, it is right that we all spare a moment to think of those who helped restore peace to this country.
A War Memorial was created in Jalan Tanjung Batu in Labuan to honour the many people who lost their lives in the island of Borneo between 1942 and-1945. Many were Bruneians and from other parts of Borneo, but large numbers came from distant lands (Britain, India and particularly Australia) to liberate this land, and gave their lives in the cause of peace.
The remains of 3908 people who made the ultimate sacrifice in the fighting or in captivity have their final resting place in the tenderly cared for memorial gardens, close to the equally tranquil Botanical Gardens.
Most of them have their names and ranks and ages inscribed either on a plaque attached to a simple stone or on an adjoining wall of remembrance. Four uniformed men from Brunei are amongst their number. Other stones are labelled even more simply "Known only unto God" where identification of remains could not be made. These were people of all religions and races Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists -- and, perhaps surprisingly, were of varying ages from 18 to 48. The Second World War was not just a war in which young men died.
Even a recent solitary stroll around the Memorial Gardens provided a chilling reminder of the futility of war and a brief insight into the way in which war can only bring pain, injury and death to combatants and misery and heartache to their loved ones.
But, on the second Sunday of November each year, large numbers of people with even more cause to remember those who perished gather together at the Labuan War Memorial. Brunei, Malaysia and Australia are always well represented by dignitaries from those countries and by survivors of the conflict, but particularly by people whose loved ones did not return from this now peaceful island of Borneo.
The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month is the chosen time for such a ceremony because of the tradition begun at the end of the First World War in 1918 when November 11 was the day for peace to be declared.
Many of the visitors to Labuan`s Remembrance Day activities should also visit two other local landmarks. They are both located about 10 km away at Layang-Layangan on Labuan`s West coast. Surrender Point is the precise place at which the Japanese troops surrendered in 1945 and Peace Park was later created as a lasting memorial to the renunciation of the horrors of war and features a plaque to that effect.
It is also worthwhile to try to fit in a visit to Labuan`s Botanical Gardens. These are not as elaborate as their counterparts in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, but are a simple way of reminding ourselves that we are now fortunate to be living in more peaceful times where the tranquil beauty of lakes, trees, plants, and flowers can be witnessed during a leisurely walk in the park.
Nevertheless, on this November 11, we can also learn from the experiences of older Bruneians who will be able to recall those far-off days when Australian troops landed simultaneously on 10 June 1945 on Labuan Island and at Brooketon (what we now know as Muara) to liberate the north of Borneo.
The 20`h Brigade then marched the 25km distance towards Brunei Town (now, Bandar Seri Begawan), succeeding in capturing the town five days later. Their next task was to re-capture the oilfields in Seria, which was accomplished fairly quickly. But the extinguishing of the fires at the oil wells which had been set ablaze took a further three months. And, it was to be some time before the generation of revenues from exporting oil began to flow again.
The exhibitions at Bubongan Dua Belas on Jalan Residency provide us with revealing information about the effects of the enforced delays in resuming the flow of the oil wealth which we now tend to take for granted.
Maybe we can all benefit from remembering such dark days in the history of Brunei Darussalam in order to express our gratitude and hope that such times will never return to our "Abode of Peace".
Source: www.brudirect.com (10 November 2007)
