His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam applauds Brunei’s socio-economic developments and progress since its independence four decades ago.
In a titah to commemorate Brunei’s 40th National Day, the monarch said that the blessing of forty years of independence, requires solidarity and patriotism among the people as the backbone of the country’s resilience and integrity.
Thus, His Majesty emphasised that independence must be protected, cultivated and defended for the purity of the religion and sovereignty of the nation, country and monarch.
“The joy of 40 years of independence that we celebrate today, is a gift from Allah through the efforts and struggles of the current generation and those before us. The concept of independence includes aspects of freedom and the achievement of a harmonious life. This is the true meaning of independence,” said His Majesty.
The meaningful achievements in many areas over the years are proven when the country achieved a high ranking in the Human Development Index (HDI) in 2012, placing Brunei at 51 out of 191 countries.
“From the findings of the United Nations’ (UN) report that measures the standard of living and economy, we can translate it as the country’s fruitful efforts in increasing the people’s life expectancy, skills and education as well as the quality of life, paralleled to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Brunei Vision 2035 objectives,” said the monarch.
His Majesty further said that the commendable feats are also related to the effectiveness of the initiatives under the National Development Plan (NDP) which have greatly contributed to important achievements.
“My government will continue to focus on the NDP strategic projects, especially in areas linked to digital transformation that have a positive and significant impact on the well-being of citizens and residents,” said the sultan.
The sultan added: “This includes increasing manpower capacity, innovation capability and the country’s productivity as well as employment opportunities for locals.”
Touching on the country’s economic development, the monarch is delighted with the progress of the non-oil and gas industry in giving access to new markets by increasing maritime connectivity with other countries.
“Alhamdulillah, it has come to fruition when Muara Port Company successfully made its inaugural shipment directly from the Muara Port to China’s Qinzhou Port in 2023,” said the monarch.
The achievement, added the sultan, is also aligned with creating Brunei Darussalam as one of the important hubs in increasing international trading networks, especially in the BIMP-EAGA region.
“At the same time, efforts were also extended to increase collaborative projects with foreign direct investments, such as in food security that aimed to lessen reliance on imports,” said His Majesty.
Meanwhile, on local businesses, the sultan highlighted that the country will also continue to see the progress of local entrepreneurs in priority areas and improve the involvement of new entrepreneurs especially among the younger generation.
“This confidence comes from the persistent attitude of Bruneians who persevere to improve themselves, despite facing various challenges at times,” said the monarch.
His Majesty also noted that this year marks the 40th year of bilateral relations between Brunei and 37 other countries including Brunei’s membership in regional and international organisations especially ASEAN, UN, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Commonwealth which diplomatic relations have strengthened Brunei’s profile internationally.
The sultan concluded the titah extending gratitude to all parties including participants, workers and committee members for making the national day celebration a success.
“Not forgetting, appreciation to all citizens and residents, civil servants including those working abroad, security forces, volunteers and youths as well as those in the private sector,” said the sultan.
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
