| Dr Muhammad Hadi bin Muhammad Melayong, Senior Special Duties Officer, Secretariat Office, MIB Supreme Council |
THE MALAY Islamic Monarchy (MIB) concept has been disseminated in government departments, ministries, the private sector and the entire community of Brunei Darussalam, its (MIB) practice demonstrating the nation’s obedience to the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
As stated in Surah An-Nisaa, Verse 59 in Al-Quran:
“Believers! Obey Allah the Almighty and obey the Messenger, and those from among you who are invested with authority; and then if you were to dispute among yourselves about anything, refer it to Allah the Almighty and the Messenger, if you indeed believe in Allah the Almighty and the Last Day; that is better and more commendable in the end.”
It is apparent the nation is to practise what is brought by their leader (ulil-amri), such as the practice of MIB. We do not overlook the rules and regulations of the State, especially those correlating with MIB. His Majesty continuously reminds the nation to appreciate the MIB values, and to date, over 50 titahs touching on MIB have been pronounced since the philosophy was officially declared 33 years ago.
The MIB concept is to be understood and the values practised throughout everyday life, be it at work or at home, to guide and protect the society from the ever-changing challenges faced as a result of globalisation. All levels of generations can be nurtured and educated with the MIB values and Bruneian culture to preserve its (MIB) existence.
These values should be imbued in the life of the people where it can turn into a tradition, thus the appreciation of MIB can be carried on by the nation’s youths. One of the goals of Brunei Vision 2035 is to develop effective human capital – one that can drive the growth and development of the nation, and for MIB to be used as a form of guidance for the country’s human capital when facing social and economic challenges.
According to the Chamber Dictionary, ‘capital’ is a form of asset used for investment. The meaning of ‘insan’ is a human described as a creature created by Allah the Almighty. Thus, ‘human capital’ is an investment to help construct and shape the country, to create a society that can secure the country’s future success.
To develop human capital, we need to provide them sufficient knowledge, nurture them as Bruneians, imbue them with MIB, ensure that they are high-spirited, possess an enormous soul and are obedient to the ruler, religion and country. They should also have strong physical, mental and spiritual strength, traits required to achieve the Brunei Vision 2035.
Our younger generation is highly motivated and from what we can see from the past decade, they are highly intelligent and tech-literate. This is demonstrated by the high number of startups and businesses founded by our youths in their early 20s. We can find these youth entrepreneurs in incubation centres, signing contracts with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as the government and private sector to develop mobile applications and online portals.
We can witness these youth utilising social media such as Facebook and Instagram to run their businesses, engage with the public and provide quality products ranging from food and drinks to office automation services.
It is a clear that Brunei Darussalam is heading towards the right direction. It is hoped that with government support, these youths can achieve major success and place the country on the world map. However, we need to be reminded that quick success can lead to cultural shock, excessive profits can lead to a rush of pride, inflated ego can lead to overspending, and lack of fund management can lead to budget deficiency.
This quick success-failure cycle is often witnessed and it is hoped that MIB can help stem this in terms of providing support and guidance towards running a successful business. MIB has helped preserve Brunei Darussalam and grow its prosperity; Insya Allah, it can do the same for our business-centric human capital.
To face today’s era of globalisation, we need to have a mentally strong generation infused with strong cultural values that will help them face all types of challenges. The young generation should have a positive personality model to ensure the continuity of traditions, as exhorted by His Majesty in his titah during the country’s 24th National Day celebrations on February 23, 2008:
“Ejen pembawa perubahan, seperti institusi keluarga, institusi pendidikan dan dakwah. Media dan lain-lain, perlu melihat perkara ini dengan keinsafan yang mendalam, supaya kita dapat sama-sama fokus bagaimana mengubat dan sekali gus melahirkan modal insan yang berkualiti.”
We want our human capital to be an important asset in the development of the nation. We recognise that the source of human capital begins with the young intellectuals who will lead us to the success of this country’s development plan. Human capital development should be holistic and encompasses the acquisition of knowledge and skills or intellectual capital, including entrepreneurial capabilities, scientific and technological knowledge, positive and progressive attitudes, values and ethics through education, social exposure, and lifelong learning exercises.
The pursuit of worldly things and desires alone will not bring advantages in terms of development of human capital because the purpose of human creation is clear as indicated in Surah Az-Zariyat, Verse 56 of Al-Quran:
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”
It is hoped the development is aligned with the MIB philosophy where Islam is a key pillar that guides us to success in this life and the hereafter. Based on Islam, human capital will produce trust, honesty, obedience and so forth. The formation of these values not only meets the needs of the organisation, but also for the people and the country based on Islamic teachings. In line with this, the Secretariat Office of the MIB Supreme Council (MTMIB) is always cooperating with all parties to spread the understanding of MIB values in the everyday life of society and the state of Brunei Darussalam.
In this regard, the Secretariat Office of the MTMIB appreciates the efforts of Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Secondary School (SMPDSM) and Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam Secondary School (SMJA) for holding the ‘Community Role Colloquium in the Formation of Student Success’ event – themed ‘Generated Visionary Malay-Based Islamic Generation’ – earlier last year.
This programme hopes to create a sense of discipline and promote academic achievement among our students. It presents an opportunity to explore an informal type of learning and teaching process to further develop an attitude of responsibility, trust, integrity, honesty, obedience, commitment, diligence and respect for parents and teachers and foster a strong national spirit based on the values of MIB. Quality MIB values should be owned and practised by the youths of this country in our quest to produce the ‘ideal Bruneian’.
Such collaboration in running programmes for the benefit of the nation and its residents where they will be embedded with the pure values of MIB, so that they can contribute and play their part in achieving the Brunei Vision 2035, is welcomed by the Secretariat Office of the MTMIB.
The importance of knowing and practising MIB values was stressed by His Majesty in his titah on February 7, 2018:
“…Jalan kita ini sudah cukup bagus, kalau ia diikut, Insya Allah, kita selamat. Apakah jalan yang unik lagi hebat itu? Iaitu MIB. MIB adalah pakaian Brunei. Kita memakainya sejak lebih dari 600 tahun lagi. Jadi mengapa didalam zaman yang dinamakan zaman moden ini ia mahu dipertikaikan? Yakinlah barangsiapa yang mempertikaikan MIB, mereka itu bukan purih Brunei atau tidak berjiwa Brunei.”
It is imperative that the leaders of the country who make the decisions, and the younger generation – the heirs of our nation – understand and cultivate the values of MIB which will bring peace and harmony to life under the leadership of a beloved ruler.
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