Grateful For His Majesty's Titah
By Ahmed Shaheeb, P Marilyn & Amin Hosni

Bandar Seri Begawan - In the recent titan of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to commemorate the nation's 24th National Day, His Majesty emphasised on the importance of the development of youth with reference to the worrying crime rate statistics of the Sultanate.

The Bulletin caught up with some members of the public to find out their thoughts on the monarch's concern over the problem.

According to Hj Rani, a government, officer from Temburong, "I think it's a good thing that the monarch is so involved with problems facing the country. I hope the Brunei youth will take heed of the warning from His Majesty and stay away from such social ills."

He was glad as every time the National Day comes around, it teaches one to be patriotic and gives them a sense of belonging.

It is as what I expect it to be, very beautiful, as National Day celebration is an exciting affair. I've been going around the capital at night and the lighting is so wonderful. I had also seen the rehearsal and think it was brilliant. I think everyone is having fun, so am I.

"I am proud to be involved in this morning's performance and see so many people le working hard behind the scenes. I ant also pleased to see today's performances have really -brought op the spirit of the theme, `Tunas Bangsa'," he added.

Suziyana bte Bujang from Belait also thought the titah was especially pertinent in highlighting the problems facing the nation today. She also spoke about the theme for this year's National Dav celebration. She said `Tunas Bangsa' refers to the young people who will one day become the leaders of tomorrow and was glad to see so many of them turning up to show their love for the country, especially the children.

"They are children in primary schools who will grow under the guidance of the community and their parents. Through everyone's commitment, the young will grow up to be responsible adults," she added.

Janah and Jainatul, students from Lambak, also took note of the televised titah and said it was good to make people aware of the worrying statistics and were also heartening that the people of Brunei have such a cars monarch who is always mindful of the nation and people.

Speaking to Norkhalilah binti Jinal among the group of participants from the Cinta Tanah Air Youth Programme, she said the National Day celebration is very meaningful to them, as it was all about showing their love to the country.

"Young people should participate more in the programmes similar to ours so they would not be involved in undesirable activities. It will also teach them to be patriotic and build a sense of pride to be a Bruneian," she added.

Hjh Kamsiah, a teacher from Sekolah Menengah Awang Semaun, Brunei-Muara District, said parents play an important role in disciplining their children.

"Parents cannot fully rely on the schools to discipline their children as teachers can only act as guide to steer them away door deviant activities. Everyone plays a role in educating the youth, not only in terms of education but also against social ills.

"The increase in crime rate as mentioned in His Majesty's titah is worrying as today's youths are our future generation. However, as compared to other countries, Brunei is still doing all right. Nevertheless, something needs Io be done," she added.

Hjh Norhalizah bte Hj Raub, in her capacity as the Head of the Anti-Drugs Club at Sekolah Menengah Awang Semaun, told the Bulletin that there are a lot of teenagers involved in drugs.

"Teenagers should be aware of the dangers of drugs and all parties are responsible in creating awareness, especially parents. They should monitor their children's activities to ensure that they are not involved' in any social ills," said Hjh Norhalizah.

She also spoke of how the increase in crime rate among youths in Brunei can lower the status and reputation of the country.

Meanwhile, the Bulletin also had the opportunity to speak to the CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, Tiew Siew Chuen, who fully supports the Brunei government in creating awareness and educating the youths on social ills and deviant activities in the country. "More than half the population in Brunei is made up of people below 25 years of age and this group is the foundation and generation of tomorrow. So it is extremely important to shape today's youth so that they will be good citizens in the future," she said. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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