HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday called on the people to put religion at the forefront in all aspects of their lives and use religion as their torch and guidance.

“We will be blessed if we are always anchored by religion,” the monarch said in a titah to mark Hari Raya Aidilfitri broadcast over radio and television last night.

His Majesty said that people should not disregard religion because religion never goes wrong.

“It is our own act that is wrong when we choose (anything) other than religion. Hence we must ensure that we stay with religion in our daily lives, in developing, in administering and even in our dealings.

“If it was by religion, then surely there is no longer a single space to be filled or occupied by infamy. Would it not be an infamy when the situation is not peaceful, insecure, chaotic or when there is crime?”

“Our duty, as one blessed with peace and prosperity, is to be thankful and forever grateful and determined to preserve and uphold it until eternity.

“These are the assets enjoyed, not only by us today but also the next generation and thereafter. Because without peace and prosperity, life will be bland and (we are) unlikely to savour happiness.

“It is not fair if we enjoy peace and prosperity while our brothers out there are not able to enjoy it as their countries are experiencing a variety of disturbances or wars or disasters that come suddenly. To them, we extend our deepest sympathy and prayers and hope that the situation will soon change for the better.”

The monarch said, “We must be thankful to Allah the Almighty for showering us with health and wealth as with such blessings, we can perform our fast properly.

“Besides health and wealth, we are also blessed with continuous peace and prosperity. Blessings in the form of peace and prosperity in my opinion are hard to get compared to others. This can be seen globally where there are events that threaten peace and prosperity.

“Phenomena that trigger a variety of disturbances also have the potential to destroy peace and prosperity. This is especially when a country is a nest of social ills, especially crime, which without doubt, threatens security, peace and even lives.

“Praise to Allah the Almighty, in our country these things do not happen. There is nothing that could be considered disturbing the peace. Everything is going well and the people are always united without any contention.”

In conclusion, His Majesty said, “My family and I sincerely would like to take this opportunity to wish citizens and residents ‘Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri’ regardless of where they are and hope that we can jointly celebrate this joyous occasion full of happiness.” - Borneo Bulletin (29 July 2014)