The official language of Brunei Darussalam is Bahasa Melayu (Malay) yet the country is diverse both linguistically and culturally. The country has a long tradition of selective English medium education and since 1984 English has been available to all. This paper looks at three facets of language and language education in Brunei. Firstly it examines the relationship between Malay and the minority languages. Secondly the relationship between English and Malay in the unplanned environment is analysed. The last section looks at the place of bilingual education in the community and suggests future directions for the country's education policy.

Malaysia had a long tradition of English medium education and bilingualism which effectively came to an end as a direct result of communal pressure in 1970. This paper looks at the place of bilingualism in the development of the country from the mid-nineteenth century until the present day. How far having a bilingual population contributed to national development is considered, as is the question of whether the abandonment of bilingual education has had an inhibiting effect on development.

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