Deputy Minister leads Temburong celebrations
By Hj Abdul Hamid Hashim

Dato Paduka Awg Hj Suyoi (C) leads the Maulud procession alongside Government officials in Pekan Bangar

The Maulud gathering in Temburong saw as many as 41 groups taking part in the event with the number of participants totalling 2,731. The people filled the Community Hall's field in Pekan Bangar to celebrate the Birthday of Prophet Muhammad. The groups taking part comprised Government departments, uniformed bodies, Mukims, Kampung Consultative councils and also schools. Guest of honour at the function was Dato Paduka Awg Hj Suyoi Hj Osman, the Deputy Minister of Education. The gathering started with a reading of the Holy Quran by Awang Hamzah PDLR Hj Abu Bakar, which was followed by a speech from Awang Hj Mohd Yussop Bakar, the Acting District Officer of Temburong who is also the Executive Chairperson for the Maulud celebration.

The guest of honour later gave a speech in which he said that Prophet Muhammad had endured a great battle which resulted in a glorious success in changing people from a very backward community and who did not understand the meaning of courtesy, into a nation where the people have reached the top in development and glory.

Dato Hj Suyoi added that Islam had never encouraged contradiction and splits between knowledge and religion. This is clear when Islam encouraged and further improved the development of worldly knowledge such as astronomy, mathematics, algebra, and science. This led to the birth of famous scientists such as Ibnu Sina, ar Razi, Ibnu Rusyd and others.

The guest of honour was later introduced to the teams taking part in the celebration. A "Dikir Marhaban" was also presented by members of the Religious Teachers Association to further glorify the event. The guest of honour, together with the committee members then led the teams in the procession encircling Pekan Bangar. At the end of the event, Dato Hj Suyoi presented souvenirs to participants taking part in the celebration.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin