There have been no significant developments in Bruneian politics in the past quarter. The sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, used the 27th anniversary of Brunei's independence in late February to deliver his National Day speech. He spoke of the importance of not wasting government subsidies in public services, highlighted the importance of education in moving the economy away from reliance on oil and gas, and underlined the importance of maintaining political stability in order to attract foreign investment.

Although the sultan's comments expressed worthy aims, he once again failed to give any details on the partial democratisation of the country that he has promised in the past. There has been no notable activity by the one remaining legal political party, Parti Pembangunan (National Development Party). The sole notable political event in the yearly calendar is the annual meeting of the largely appointed Legislative Council, which meets each March to hear a number of presentations on the government's budget and other affairs.