| James Kon |
BRUNEI is set to celebrate its National Family Day this year on May 6 – the first Sunday of May. The celebration, the seventh time it will be held, will carry the theme ‘Keluargaku Penyayang, Negara Gemilang’, or ‘Caring Family, Prosperous Nation’.
With less than 100 days to the celebration, the Executive Committee for the National Family Day celebrations held its first meeting for the event at DiGadong Hall of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS).
Present at the meeting was Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, who is also the Chairman of the Executive Committee for the National Family Day 2018 celebrations.
Representatives from the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) and Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), Legislative Council members as well as senior officials and officers from various government agencies and non-government organisations (NGOs) were also present.
“The National Family Day celebration acts as a platform to unite the nation as a whole to send a message on the importance of harmony and strengthening family ties to overcome every challenge,” said the minister. “The country’s continuous commitment to contribute to peace, prosperity, stability and progress will help achieve Brunei Vision 2035.”
Its ‘Caring Family, Prosperous Nation’ theme focusses on raising awareness on the importance of caring among heads of families and family members to bring happiness and harmony within households.
“This initiative remains relevant to address drug abuse – one of the key factors of domestic violence,” said the minister. “The meeting was held early for better preparation and planning.”
Among the agendas discussed during the meeting included the format of the main celebration, which will include religious, community sports and recreational activities.
Also discussed were feedback from last year’s National Family Day celebrations to improve events and activities during the event. Among the suggestions included having the community be more involved with the celebrations.
This year’s National Family Day celebration will be jointly organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs; Ministry of Religious Affairs; MCYS; and Ministry of Health; and supported by other government agencies, the private sector and NGOs through a whole-of-nation approach.
The Minister of Defence II called on all parties – from the ministries and departments, private sectors, organisations, associations and institutions, all the way to penghulus and heads of villages as well as the community at large including grassroots leaders – to work together as a united front to prepare the celebration activities be they taking place at the national, district, mukim, village, or organisational levels.
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