Bandar Seri Begawan - A house key plaque handing over ceremony to recipients of the new houses in Kampong Ayer was held yesterday, where the ceremony saw 65 being awarded keys to their now new homes. Some of the recipients, during an interview with the Bulletin, shared their thoughts on the momentous occasion.

One of the recipients, Dk Kasni binti Pg Hj Durahman, said, "We are very happy to receive the two-storey house today. It is well-equipped with great facilities."

Irma Yusran Shafiee, meanwhile, told the Bulletin that no words can express his happiness in receiving the house. "We would like to take this opportunity to thank His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam," he said. His wife, Dyg Norain binti Ahmad added, "After 12 years of waiting, our dream has finally come true. The houses are fully furnished and they are comfortable to live in."

Hj Md Harun Hj Serudin said that the house is comfortable and big. "What's best is that we do not have to expand our house further as it can easily house all of us. On safety issues, it is also well taken care of Overall, we are very satisfied," he added.

Speaking to Pg Mat Salleh bin Pg Hj Hassim, he said, "If we were to build a house like this ourselves, it won't look as good as this. It is not easy to build a house, let alone building a house on stilts in Kampong Ayer, while keeping the traditional features. We are very thankful to have this house and are very satisfied with the number of rooms provided. The house is spacious enough for our family. The changes made for the development of Kampong Ayer can be easily observed, and this makes us happy. Furthermore, we love the view outside looking from our window. We would like to thank His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam for the 'Kurnia'."

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin