The recent meet-and-greet with 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 to celebrate the monarch’s 76th birthday was a memorable one.
However, while I was soaking up the jubilation in the capital, a part of me was horrified to see children as young as five years old wandering around unsupervised.
I am a mother myself and I would never allow my youngest out of my sight. The fact that the area was crowded with well-wishers, I thought the parents would watch their children like hawks.
I hope it was just a matter of excitement getting the better of these parents, though it should never have happened in the first place.
Protector