Azlan Othman
The court (litigation) is currently the common dispute resolution mechanism in Brunei Darussalam.
However, in recent years, there has been an increase in interest and the adoption of alternative dispute resolution methods, particularly arbitration and mediation. On this basis, there is a definite shift in global desire to consider dispute resolution alternatives to court proceedings.
Participants learnt this at the World Cafe organised by Brunei Darussalam Arbitration Centre (BDAC) at the BDAC Office in Jalan Kumbang Pasang on Saturday.
Participants shared views and interacted with a broad cross-section of individuals encompassing professionals from both government and private sectors including legal practitioners, graduate, youth non-governmental organisations, construction sectors, associations as well as dispute resolution stakeholders in an open dialogue that reflected deeply on what the “Past, Present, and Future of Dispute Resolution” means to each individual and the community as a whole.
In light of the trend towards alternatives to litigation, it is pertinent to explore the history of dispute resolution in the Sultanate to identify the lessons learned, as well as to examine current challenges to forecast how dispute resolution will develop in the future.
The World Cafe aimed to explore ideas relating to this. BDAC also hoped to encourage more conversation and discussion to develop and gather innovative and insightful ideas towards the mainstreaming of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in the coming years.