Prisons Department Officer Amirulmukmenin bin Haji Omar, led the contingent of 84 youth in reading the National Day Oath at Brunei Darussalam’s 40th National Day celebration grand assembly before 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 and the royal family as well as tens of thousands of people at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium yesterday.
In an interview with the Sunday Bulletin, the 33-year-old said, “The honour of representing the country as an oath reader is a rare opportunity and a huge blessing from Allah the Almighty. I’m grateful for the continuous support and love from my wife and my family, as well as my work family at the Prisons Department for having faith in me, not only representing them but the entire nation.”
Amirulmukmenin, who led the group which included readers from the special needs community and those in different academic and professional backgrounds said, “We are expected to be the catalyst and pioneer leaders with noble characters, world-class and agents of future change.”
Reading the oath, he said, “takes on an emotional level as we take in the deep meaning behind each verse of the oath, highlighting its importance to all citizens. Through our oath, we hope that it will instil a deep sense of patriotism, to contribute in building a sense of national identity in the country. It is important that we all work together to achieve Brunei Vision 2035.
Speaking about the country’s progress in the last 40 years, he said, “Alhamdulillah, the last 40 years, under the leadership of His Majesty, Brunei has grown exponentially into prominence. Even more so now, in the age of increasing modernity and advancement, our national aspirations are multifold, our international relationships are improving and we can see the improvements in the welfare and living standards of our people.”
In the next 40 years, he said, “I hope to be able to witness our children, the next generation, grow into a life of peace and harmony. We hope to see the next generation experience Brunei’s progress and development regionally and on an international level, with a strong sense of united communities and national identity, competitively prepared and equipped with the changes and advancement of IT towards modernisation, all within our Malay Islamic Monarchy’s (MIB) way of life.”
Finance Manager of Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd Yusbazillah binti Haji Mohd Yusof, one of the selected oath readers said, “I am proud and blessed to participate as part of the oath reading team. Our team has been training hard to prepare for the big event.
During our training, we learnt a lot, which included the meaning of each word. It gave us a different perspective to what we stand for. I was born in 1984, so there is a real sense of appreciation for our roles in the country’s development.”
Touching on the progress of Brunei Darussalam for the last 40 years, she said, “Alhamdullilah, we have seen significant progress in our beloved country, especially in infrastructure. I commute a lot between Belait District and the capital, so I’m grateful to see the changes in infrastructure that everyone enjoy. We also see similar infrastructure development in other places like the Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Bridge and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Bridge that allows many to be connected.”
She added, “In my line of work, I also lead a team of talented Bruneian professionals and it is encouraging to see more of our people upskilling themselves and stepping up to contribute to the nation. This is progress!
“We are on a good track and it’s important for us to retain this energy. We are 11 years away from realising Brunei Vision 2035, so it’s critical for each of us to play our part in realising this ambition. I hope that we will see more diversification, more infrastructure development and continue to be privileged enough to receive free education and healthcare.” – James Kon
