| Lyna Mohamad |
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 has called on the youth to reinforce their resolve in serving the country, with particular emphasis on strong patriotic values.
The monarch highlighted these admirable traits in his titah at the passing out parade ceremony for the 8th intake of the National Service Programme (PKBN) yesterday at the PKBN Training Camp in Kampong Batu Apoi, Temburong District.
“The process of youth development is far from easy and requires strong cooperation from all levels of society, whether through government-sponsored events or programmes from various non-government agencies,” said His Majesty.
“The PKBN is an outstanding example of a programme that is capable of producing excellent and highly disciplined youth with a strong sense of self.”
The monarch also noted that in an era of increasing globalisation, “There is hardly any hope of witnessing religious education as the main choice; therefore it is not surprising if the world today is deficient of a generation with strong religious values. What is commonplace is a generation with a weak hold on religious faith.
“Given this, our nation will not allow the young generation to deviate from religion, but continue to instil Islamic values in their lives on a regular basis, whether at school or other educational institutions, including specific courses such as those conducted at the PKBN Training Camp.”
His Majesty then emphasised on strong character steeped with patriotic values as “most essential to our nation, because a weak character without any patriotic spirit is like a body without a soul”.
“To ensure that youth – particularly those in the PKBN programme – are able to maintain their integrity, then the proffered courses should provide a basis for the strengthening of self-esteem, physical endurance and spiritual values. It is a great honour for our nation, if all those can be achieved.”
His Majesty briefly described the main objective of the PKBN programme as a drive “to produce endurance through the empowerment of youth, so that they can be more active and creative in their respective careers”.
“We do not want our youth to lead pleasure-filled lives without any thought for the long-term future, which is fraught with challenges. Only conscientious and insightful youth are capable of earning the country’s trust.
“The youth must strengthen their resolve to be of service to the country, instead of being a burden. This is an earnest pledge that should be ingrained in all young people,” His Majesty added.