A TOTAL of 155 metric tonnes of dates, supplied by Al Madinah Dates Company, will be distributed to all Muslims in the country as a personal gift from His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in conjunction with the holy month of Ramadhan.

His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik, the Chairman of the Committee of Governors of Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, in a ‘sabda’ to officiate the distribution of dates yesterday, urged Muslims to step up their ‘Amal Ibadah’ (practice of doing good deeds) during the last 10 days of Ramadhan, and to recite Al-Quran and Zikir as it would calm their hearts and steer them away from sinful acts.

Besides fasting during the day, we are also required to enliven the nights of the holy month so as to increase our ‘Amalan’, His Royal Highness added.

Meanwhile, His Royal Highness encouraged those responsible for the distribution of dates to perform their assigned task with honesty.

His Royal Highness said that they shouldn’t be any complaints from any Muslim that they had not received the personal gift from His Majesty.

In light of this, His Royal Highness urged Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah to be proactive in monitoring the situation.

At yesterday’s ceremony, His Royal Highness presented boxes of dates to Penghulus and village heads who will distribute His Majesty’s personal gift to Muslims in their respective Mukims and villages.

His Royal Highness also distributed the dates to commanders and commandants of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, as well as the commanding officers and directors of the Royal Brunei Police Force who will later distribute to their respective uniformed personnel.

According to Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Hj Suyoi bin Hj Osman, the Minister of Development cum Chairman of the Board of Directors of Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, a total of 155 metric tonnes of ‘Safawy’ dates packed in 516,666 small boxes were supplied by the Al Madinah Dates Company.

This year’s shipment was 3.5 metric tonnes more than last year’s as the Muslim population has increased.

It took 26 days to ship the dates to Brunei via a ship loaded with 12 chilled containers that arrived at Muara Port on June 18. - Borneo Bulletin (26 June 2014)