His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the Minister of Defence and Supreme Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) in his Titah cautioned RBAF against being negligent which is the "prime enemy".

In the royal address during the 49th anniversary celebration of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces yesterday, the monarch said the main duty of the RBAF is to sustain peacefulness, praise be to Allah, it can be seen a reality.

"However, bear in mind that the main enemy is negligence. A slight of negligence could result in a major catastrophe or tragedy.

"Despite the peace, there is still uncertainty and the possibility of the existence of unpredictable elements and threats.

"Hence, constant awareness and caution is vital, aside from upgrading the quality, whilst undergoing joint trainings among RBAF services at all levels," His Majesty, said.

The Monarch went on to say that it is supplementary to master administrative procedures such as Balanced Score Card, Performance Budgeting and soon to come, Capital Budgeting.

"All these should be implemented with precision and consistency," His Majesty added.

The RBAF involvement in operations abroad, especially under the vision of the United Nations should be continued as it brings great benefits, not only to the personnel involved and the RBAF but also to the nation, specifically in the field of defence diplomacy.

"In this context, I wish to express my gratitude to RBAF, particularly to the former and current personnel involved in the International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Mindanao, the Philippines and in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

The contribution made by our teams has placed Brunei Darussalam as a contributor in the international peacekeeping.

In the aspect of individual upgrade, the Command College course as a component of the defence academy of ABDB which will commence in November 2010 is in line with the policy of 'life long learning'.

"Obviously we support and encourage such an approach. Hence the Ministry of Defence and the RBAF need to be lauded for such achievement."

On the target for comprehensive and balanced enhancement, His Majesty added, "Insya Allah, we would see to that the Ministry of Defence and RBAF are capable of carrying out the trust that they shoulder.

The monarch expressed gratitude and thanks for the contributions made by RBAF community in an effort to strengthen the integrity of the nation and uphold the constitution and Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) philosophy.

In conclusion, His Majesty wished a Happy 49th anniversary celebration for the Royal Brunei Armed Forces to all RBAF community still in service and those who have retired and their families.

"Let us pray to Allah for the nation and the people to receive protection from Allah the Al-Mighty," His Majesty said. - Borneo Bulletin (1st June 2010)