DESPITE the heavy downpour, spirits were still high in festivity for His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s 67th birthday celebration in the Belait District’s ‘Raja Berdaulat, Negara Berkat’ themed get-together ceremony. Held at the Padang Bandaran, Jalan Sultan in Kuala Belait yesterday, the event brought together a total of 467 participants from various walks of life.

The Belait District performance entailed a presentation of a declamation in the form of poetry entitled ‘Menjunjung Kedaulatan Raja’ expressed through a mix of pantomimes and Tausyeh with added music and sound effects along with narration in the background showing a manifestation of the people’s loyalty and love towards His Majesty, whilst capturing the essence of poetry.

The participants performing at the event were represented by a combination of leaders from educational institutions, students, youths, indigenous groups, members from the private sector, as well as Mukim and Village Consultative Councils.

Moreover, the performances this year were divided into three segments where before the first segment began, His Majesty, the Royal entourage and the public present at the Padang Bandaran were entertained by a performance from the choir group singing ‘Teraju Negara’, composed by Rosman Masri, filled with movement and choreography following the lyrics and stanzas in the form of a prayer for the monarch, along with a pledge of the people’s loyalty to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

The presenter then paid homage as part of the opening presentation in submitting the essence of a Special Presentation signalling the start of the day’s performance. The first segment began with a verse from Surah An-Nisaa [4:59] in the Al-Quran along with the declamation poem entitled ‘Menjulung Kedaulatan Raja’. The second segment included a Tausyeh performance entitled ‘Raja Berdaulat Negara Berkat’ portraying the chosen theme implicitly, while the third and final segment was filled with three cheers of ‘Daulat’ which echoed across the field punctuated by shots heard from eight confetti canons which further added to the colourful decorations at the field.

In an interview with Hj Zaidi bin Jaini, one of the singers in the ‘Teraju Negara’, he stated that the preparations took place three weeks before the actual event.

Hj Zaidi added, “Despite the rainy weather I did not think about it at all. I only thought about giving out a great performance for His Majesty. Rain or shine, the show must go on!” - Borneo Bulletin (29 September 2013)