|
315 Become Brunei Citizens
By Debbie Too
Bandar Seri
Begawan - A Total, of 315 people were awarded Brunei
citizenship yesterday at a ceremony held at the Multipurpose Hall of
the Fire and Rescue Department in Berakas.
The 21st Citizenship Awarding
Ceremony was attended by Pg Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohammad Pg Hj
Abdul Rahrnan, the deputy Minister of Education.
Out of the total number, 198 were
awarded the citizenship by registration under the Chapter 5(1) of
the Brunei Nationality Act and after passing the Malay written and
verbal tests, 104 people were spouses of Brunei nationalities under
Chapter 5 (6) and 13 others were those born outside the country, but
have been holding a permanent resident identification card for over
20 years and have fulfilled all the required criteria to be eligible
for the test, as stipulated under Chapter 8(1) of the Act.
"We are extremely happy to receive
our Bruneian citizenships," said one of the participants to The
Brunei Times. She received her citizenship with her sister, who used
to be a red IC holder.
The requirements to attain Brunei
citizenship include passing tests in Malay culture, customs, and
language.
Stateless permanent residents of
Brunei are given International Certificates of Identity, which allow
them to travel overseas.
An amendment to the National
Registration and Immigration Act of 2002 allowed female Bruneian
citizens for the first time to transfer their nationality to their
children.
The Deputy Minister of Education
said: `A briefing was held for the new citizens by officials from
specific government agencies to clarify the roles and
responsibilities as Bruneians under the Government of His Majesty
the Sultan and Yang DiPertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
"This briefing provides additional
knowledge which Bruneians should understand, remember and hold close
to their hearts. The knowledge is all about our country, language
and' customs," he added.
Last year, Brunei welcomed more
than 290 new citizens.-- Courtesy of
The Brunei Times
Click
Here To Have Your Say On This Story
Brudirect.com News
|