| Hakim Hayat |
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 underscored the importance of continuously developing the nation’s youth by instilling strong values to help build their resilience and enabling them to be advocates of change.
The monarch stated this yesterday in a titah delivered on the occasion of the passing out parade of the 7th intake of the National Service Programme (PKBN) at the PKBN Training Camp in Kampong Batu Apoi, Temburong where some 374 PKBN trainees successfully concluded their three-month-long training.
This is the largest intake of the PKBN since its inception in 2011.
In the titah, His Majesty emphasised that PKBN trainees are trained to be equipped with strong physical and spiritual values, to enable them to be capable of facing challenges that lie ahead of them.
The monarch added that such values form the important foundation for the development of excellent human capital. “A country’s progress is often linked to the development of its human capital, because it is the core of any effort to bring about change.”
His Majesty noted that, “PKBN is one of the initiatives that can contribute towards the goal of generating human capital with excellence for the country, and the programme can help produce the nation’s finest youth who possess a strong identity and the spirit of patriotism.”
The monarch said such strong spirit must be continuously inculcated, so that we can create a modern Brunei by 2035, calling the youth “pillars of the nation”.
In the titah, His Majesty also expressed great pride over the establishment of the PKBN Alumni, which the monarch said is another milestone for the programme. The ruler noted that the establishment of the alumni association is capable of not only uniting all PKBN alumni under one organisation, but will also allow for a centralised platform for them to render their contributions through voluntary work as well as religious and community services.
The monarch also expressed great delight over the launching of the new PKBN Training Centre last year, which His Majesty said is fully equipped with state-of-the art facilities such as multi-training and multi-planning structures and an obstacle course.
His Majesty reminded that all these facilities must be optimally and fully utilised at all times, and not only during the PKBN training programmes. The monarch also underscored the importance of optimal planning and implementation of training programmes for the PKBN. Concluding the titah, His Majesty congratulated all 374 trainees for their hard work in completing the training and thanked their parents and guardians for their support.
“Their success today is the result of not only their hard work, but also the unyielding support from various parties, especially the prayers of their parents and guardians as well as their intention for their children to be imparted with valuable knowledge, skills and experience to become a generation of youth that is truly ready to provide services to the nation,” the monarch said.