| Azlan Othman |
THE nation is in need of a vibrant young generation that is brave enough to come forward to lead its development, said 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.
“It is our desire to see our nation progressively develop further and it is the noble aspiration of an independent nation which should be shouldered by the younger generation,” the monarch said yesterday in a titah to mark the 34th National Day.
“Youth must grab all opportunities to enhance their capability through programmes offered domestically or abroad. They should come forward to lead voluntary bodies and companies.
“Youth are usually rich with new ideas and certainly courageous to face various challenges. They are expected to give a fresh impetus to developmental efforts in the country. In this new era, the use of information technology is widespread and plays a crucial role. No doubt, it also redirects our focus towards creating a digital economy that is widely open to be explored. This is also a mounting challenge,” the monarch said.
“We are thankful to Allah the Almighty for blessing the nation with peace and prosperity. Not many countries have received such great blessings.
“Therefore, in any circumstance, we must step up our efforts and pray to Allah the Almighty for the nation to continue to enjoy such blessings. We should not turn away from it as blessings come and go solely on His will. We can only plan, but it is Allah the Almighty who does. Hence, when we plan, we should select what is good or the best and not wrong things that are not liked by Allah the Almighty.
“Many people make mistakes in this regard without understanding it. They only plan what they want or what they like and disregards Allah the Almighty. In the end, these plans are filled with problems or covered with flaws as they are not blessed,” His Majesty noted.
“As a progressive Islamic nation, strengthening ‘Maqasid Syariah’ (objective of Islamic law) is the pre-requisite to achieve success for the nation. Empowering it is important – as a catalyst towards ensuring that the nation continues to attain prosperity and remain in harmony,” the monarch said.
His Majesty also said that this year, “we are maintaining the earlier National Day theme which reads ‘Accomplishing the National Vision’. This indicates our seriousness in making the vision a success. In this context, people as a whole should play a role towards making themselves successful and enhance efforts towards growing the economy and developing the nation.
“Government agencies should be efficient and wise in managing the country’s resources. This also goes for human resource development which should always be attentive. We need integrated commitment and efforts from all parties, including the private sector, in ensuring that all plans run smoothly and achieve their target.”
On the international arena, the ruler said Brunei Darussalam continues to practise respect and maintain friendly ties with other nations. “We will continue to tackle issues that have come to the international community’s attention such as terrorism and climate change.”
Concluding the titah, His Majesty conveyed his highest appreciation to all participants, workforce and committee members for jointly making the 34th National Day celebration preparations a success.
The monarch also expressed gratitude to all citizens and residents in Brunei Darussalam, including public servants, those working overseas, security personnel and those working in the private sector, and prayed for the people and the nation to be continuously blessed and always under the protection of Allah the Almighty.
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