By Lyna Mohamad
His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam underscored the importance of self-identity and its preservation that should be unique to Brunei and be its asset.
The monarch said this in a titah at the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation's Hari Raya celebration at the Plenary Hall of the International Convention Centre in Berakas, yesterday morning.
Teachers shape the students' future and teachers on the other hand are human resource in the educational services that produce the nation's generation. Both are prime movers of the country's future development.
"We cannot predict the future but we need to go for development," the monarch said.
"Some of our elders did not picture us achieving the high standard of living we now enjoy. They may not have expected the nation to develop rapidly but they still joined in the effort to achieve whatever that was possible to be achieved.
"Their greatest and most meaningful efforts were to provide education for us even though the level of their academic achievements were not the same (as what it is today). Through education, our nation is seeing development that we are enjoying now," said His Majesty.
The ruler said that the key to development are effort and determination, and cited an example saying the country would not have been able to produce local doctors if it had not planned or provided the appropriate schemes.
"The same goes for other professional careers as well," His Majesty added.
Providing education, followed by appropriate planning in providing opportunities to some of the students to pursue their studies at a higher level are crucial to the nation's progress.
Many Bruneians work in specialised fields and we should be grateful and proud to see them successfully holding higher posts including the oil and gas industry, His Majesty said.
"With these examples, we should be more confident and optimistic to continue planning the nation's future through our students.
"The world will continue to witness the development of knowledge. The excellence of a nation will be determined by how far it can master knowledge and skills," said the monarch
His Majesty said, a developed nation is one which is able to preserve its own identity and will be known to others through that self-identity.
A nation with its own identity will definitely be appreciated and respected by all.
In this respect, as a nation that possesses its own identity must not neglect its culture and must possess the attitude of caring and improving the identity and not by simply changing it with time.
"Melayu Islam Beraja" (Malay Islamic Monarchy) is one such characteristic that is stated in the nation's independence declaration, and this identity is not merely meant to be known but must also be made obvious," said His Majesty.
To perceive its benefits, it must be always visible, practised and appreciated and must not be mixed up especially with futile issues that contradict our principles and culture.
His Majesty added that mixing it up with other issues is an easy task as it can happen through various ways and channels such as through entertainment during festive events.
Sometimes we lose focus until we forget our own identity such as disregarding religious boundaries and ignoring the characteristics and politeness of being a monarchy and a sovereign nation, the ruler pointed out.
The Bruneian identity, said His Majesty, is full of its own distinct manners and values that form an important aspect in a relationship.
That identity has to be truly established on Brunei's soil and thus we are so much in need of educators and leaders who carry that identity, said His Majesty.
His Majesty urged teachers and other relevant parties to take note of this issue, so as to save our children, youths and future generations as a whole from any cultural contamination.
His Majesty hoped that all parties would move together to prevent any unwanted elements that are not suitable to the nation's very own identity.
- Borneo Bulletin
(15th Nov 2006)
