Sad Young Princess Brings Out Better Side Of Brunei People

Bandar Seri Begawan - A heart-rending letter a beautiful young Brunei princess presumably wrote to www.Brudirect.com Brunei's No 1 news website has helped to bring out the care, compassion and the better side of the Brunei people.

A growing number of the public in Brunei have been posting their comments on the website's 'Have Your Say" opinion column ever since the divorce announcement of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah from his second wife Hajah Mariam binte Haji Abdul Aziz last Sunday.

Some of these comments have been extremely one sided and others painfully rude, thoughtless and crude to the extreme.

Yesterday Princess Azemah Bolkiah, one of the four children from the Brunei ruler's second marriage hit back at these inconsiderate critics in a posting, which showed the agony and sorrow she and her siblings were going through because of the royal marriage breakup and its aftermath.

And her candid remarks have found an immediate responsive echo in the Brunei people who are on the whole kind, compassionate and forgiving.

The teenage princess wrote in replying to some of the unkind remarks on the Internet, "We can take your views but those cruel and heartless comments are tearing me and my brother (Mateen) apart because you are talking about OUR PARENTS.

"This was actually a private matter that has been mismanaged, abused and taken advantage of and the fact that you think you know better only shows how ignorant you all are."

Therefore more crap from those concerned will only highlight a nation's ignorance and stupidity rather than its wisdom.

She added, "This has been one of the best smear campaigns in history and I wish to thank all of you for your heartless comments."

She begins the letter with, "Just a little mention from people directly involved in the matter - my brother Mateen and myself.

"Having gone through the amount of dirty comments which only serve to highlight the SAD mentality of us Bruneians, I would like to say that most of what is written is heartless and cruel and has been exaggerated to an inhumane extent," she said.

Her father the 56-year-old Brunei ruler divorced her mother after more then 20 years of marriage according to Islamic rites on Sunday.

The country had been rife with gossip that all was not well with the marriage for more than three months and the Sunday announcement opened up a flood of public comments.

Princess Azemah Bolkiah's retort yesterday found a quick and sympathetic response from the Brunei public.

One person wrote, "I share your sadness. Just to let you know, not all people are heartless and cruel.

"I am one of the many who have my sincere sympathy. There are still many who care. You and your brother are still very young. Be strong. Life must go on."

Another writer said, "It does bring the whole Royal divorce issue down to what it is. A man, a woman and their children…and the breakup of a family.

"And for those of you who have not gone through the genuine trauma of your family breaking up, you cannot imagine how awful it is," the comment says.

"It is pretty bad - and that's without an entire country talking cock about it," it adds.

Among other letters were ones, which offered advice on how to overcome her current grief and pain.

One writer said, "I hope everyone will stop all the bitching for a moment and think about HM's children. Surprise, surprise…yes, they have feelings too and how do you think they feel when they read all these things about their mother?"

"Well done Princess Azemah," another comforting writer says. "I am with you. Only people who have through it will understand your feelings…"

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