Pomp And Spectacle At HM’s 62nd Birthday Celebration

Bandar Seri Begawan - The much anticipated festivities of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's 62nd birthday started with thousands of local and foreign well-wishers turning up for the annual Guard of Honour parade yesterday.

State dignitaries, members of the diplomatic corps, titled VIPs, invited foreign guests, senior government officials, corporate leaders in their best attire were also present to witness the grand event.

Arriving as early as six in the morning, some locals and foreigners came to find the best spots to catch a glimpse of His Majesty and other members of the Royal Family.

Several spectators stood on heightened ledges on surrounding buildings and children were hoisted high into the air, while a lady was seen standing at the back of a pickup truck.

His Majesty was first greeted by enthusiastic flag-waving schoolchildren and the thundering beat of the traditional instrument hadrah before his motorcade arrived at the Taman Hj Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien.

His Royal Highness Prince Hi Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah and His Royal Highness Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah also made their appearance at the Taman.

Looking dashing in his uniform of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, His Majesty was welcomed by the Chief of Adat Istiadat Negara Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pengiran Anak Hj Abdul Aziz, Royal

Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) Commander Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General Dato Paduka Seri Hj Halbi Hj Md Yussof and Police Commissioner Pehin Datu Kerma S etia Dato Paduka Seri Zainuddin Jalani before proceeding to the royal dais.

The grand parade officially started with the playing of the national anthem by the combined band of the RBAF and the Royal Brunei Police Force.

This was followed by a 21-gun salute to mark the start of the parade.

His Majesty then proceeded to the field to inspect the participating contingents of the grand parade, accompanied by RBAF Commander Pehin Dato Hj Halbi and Police Commissioner Pehin Dato Zainuddin.

His Majesty, standing in a specially designed Land Rover, inspected the various contingents including public uniformed groups.

The royal inspection was followed by a performance of the slow and fast marches by the contingents of the RBAF, the RBPF and the Royal Brunei Navy, to a medley of traditional and non-traditional tunes, including Happy Birthday.

The event concluded with the customary three chants of Daulat Kebawah Duli Tuan Patik, followed by a flypast by 10 Royal Brunei Air Force helicopters trailing streaks of white, red, yellow and blue smoke.

The Guard of Honour and traditional parade marks the commencement of a month long festivities in celebration of His Majesty's 62nd birthday.

Local and international photojournalists and photographers were also out in full force to capture the special moments of the occasion.

Reeda Malik, a prominent photo blogger, told The Brunei Times that there were 25 photo bloggers from the Brunei Forever forum involved in the birthday celebrations.

Twenty-one international photojournalists, invited by The Brunei Times and the Information Department were present to record the royal event and to capture the many faces of Brunei.

Foreign diplomats were all praises for the perfectly executed parade, which showed the discipline and precision of uniformed personnel.

Hj Ishak, a government officer, who took the time to see his son waving the mini-flags said he could not help but feel a moment of pride within himself, and believes that yesterday's event will be forever etched in his memory.  -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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