I would like to congratulate the royal couple, His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen and Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Isteri Anisha Rosnah binti Adam, on their marriage.
The royal wedding was a joyous affair that undoubtedly marked a momentous occasion for our country. However, the planning of public activities raised some questions.
Students were instructed to arrive in the capital as early as 6.30am. They were told that the estimated marching time for the celebration was between 10.30am and 1.30pm. But given that the live television broadcast began at 10.15am, why were the students asked to be there so early?
As it turned out, the marching only commenced at 11.45am, resulting in children and young adults idling under a scorching sun for over five hours.
My question is: does it take five hours to “settle down” participants prior to the event?
These students were obligated to participate in the event, but the lack of proper time management on the part of the organising committee had impacted the welfare of the participating students.
Then, there were issues with transportation. Students and their teachers found themselves with no ride out of the venue following the ceremony. And when they did find transport, some were stranded for hours due to traffic congestion. The students basically spent their entire Sunday consumed by the event. Worse, they were expected to attend school the following day.
Equally disconcerting are reports of sub-standard food distributed during the event.
Numerous accounts surfaced on mouldy bread and maggot-filled packed meals. While blame could be placed on the food supplier, the organising committee ought to have overseen the quality of the meals.
The food issue wasn’t new either; it had happened in the past. So, the question is: why didn’t the organisers come up with some sort of measure to ensure it wouldn’t happen this time around?
I can’t help but wonder if proper planning was done beforehand. Were the aspects of scheduling, transportation and meal quality even discussed at all? Has there never been a post-mortem meeting after each national celebration to talk over and address issues that surfaced, with the objective of being better at organising events at a grand scale?
As Bruneians, we are proud of every milestone achieved by our country, and we want to join in on every single celebration. However, it is also crucial for the organising committee of these celebratory events to manage them efficiently by ensuring the safety and welfare of all participants.
A Concerned Citizen
