Rokiah Mahmud
Youth are a critical component of a nation and they need to be moulded into future drivers of national development.
This was stated by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam during the 17th National Youth Day celebration at the International Convention Centre yesterday.
“We can see the willingness of today’s youth to venture into new fields, such as economy, digital, social innovation, agri-business and creative,” His Majesty said, expressing pride in the youth for their commitment to excellence at national, regional and international levels.
The monarch continued, “In terms of economic development, youth entrepreneurs have produced goods that are present in overseas markets especially in communication technology, smart application and software development, agri-business, textile and creative industries.”
Following this, His Majesty welcomed more youth involvement in entrepreneurship to empower the Sultanate’s economy.
The nation’s youth have proven to be capable leaders, said His Majesty, with some receiving recognition for the commitments in volunteerism, humanitarianism and sports. His Majesty added that youth athletes have recently made the nation proud by winning medals in prestigious sporting championships including the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), and the World Games 2022 in the United States.
His Majesty said even without winning medals, Brunei Darussalam has always carried its name with distinction, and highlighted the importance of maintaining the good image of the country “through our actions and activities”.
“The country’s youth will have more opportunities to carry out large-scale investment in the effort to make economic and developmental impacts,” His Majesty said.
His Majesty also urged government agencies, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and the society to continuously support the National Youth Policy and Strategy to meet its targets.
