His Majesty the Sultan has called on more youths to venture into entrepreneurship further strengthening Brunei’s economy, noting that youths are a critical component in the development of the country as a dynamic stakeholder.
In a titah at the recent 17th National Youth Day celebration, the monarch said that the right mould is needed for youths to be more ready as drivers of the country’s development.
“Today we see youth transformation where they are more visionary and daring to explore new fields such as economy, digital, social innovation, agri-business and creative industry,” said the monarch.
His Majesty is delighted to see the youths’ proud achievements whether at the national or regional and international levels.
“For example, from the economic growth perspective, products of youth entrepreneurs have gone beyond the country, especially in the communication technology sector, smart application and software development, agri-business, textile and creative,” said the sultan.
Furthermore, in the aspect of leadership, the monarch said that the youths have gained recognition for their efforts and commitment from abroad either at the ASEAN or international levels such as in the fields of volunteering, humanitarianism, and sports.
“Recently our youth athletes have made the country proud by winning medals and success in sports during the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam and The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, United States. However, I wish to remind that Brunei has always been known even without winning any medals. What’s more important is to keep the good name of our country,” added His Majesty.
The Sultan also highlighted that youths must not neglect their morals and the nation’s Malay Islamic Monarchy philosophy even when aiming for success.
“I am confident that this is an ideal and suitable strategy for our youths. Do not think that we are going backwards, it is not. Our youths still have the opportunity to make a huge investment to higher levels and the potential to generate changes in economic and recovery efforts,” said His Majesty.
The monarch also urged all government, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, and the community to keep on supporting the National Youth Policy and Strategy, ensuring that implementation and the success of the plan meet targets.
Youth awards
The National Youth Day celebration saw four exemplary youths receiving awards from His Majesty the Sultan in the categories – Excellent Youth, Youth Service, Young Youth Leaders and Excellent Project for Youth.
The Excellent Youth award was given to Dr Hilmy Baihaqi Hj Yussof from Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali; the Youth Service to Co-founder of Bina Ukhwah Pg Hj Ahmad Fadilah Akhbar Pg Hj Sellahhduddin; Young Youth Leaders award was presented to Abdul Aziz Hj Hamdan and Excellent Project for Youth to CEO and co-founder of Nextacloud Technologies Agus Muslim for the Bloodkad mobile app.
Each recipient of the first three categories received a trophy, kain tenunan, certificate of appreciation and $3,000 cash prize. Meanwhile, the Excellent Project for Youth award winner received a trophy, certificate of appreciation and encouragement grant (C-Grant) worth $3,500.
In his welcoming remarks, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports said that the celebration’s theme ‘Future Ready Youth’ is maintained from last year as it is relevant to His Majesty the Sultan’s hopes to see local youths are ready to face future challenges especially when the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and the digital economy development are set to bring new norms and changes.
Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Hajj Nazmi Haji Mohamad shared that 90 per cent of the programmes under the National Youth Policy and Strategy 2020-2035 have reached targets and are ongoing due to strong cooperation and high accountability via a national approach.
The minister added that the five-year Youth Work Plan at the ASEAN level is slated to be presented to heads of state at the upcoming 41st ASEAN Summit and the ASEAN Plus Three Summit.
After the awarding ceremony, the monarch and other members of the royal family graced an exhibition focusing on youth who excelled in fields of entrepreneurship, technology and innovation.
The Sultan was accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah.
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
