Joyous moments: Kalshom presenting gifts to the parents of the newborn babies; (below) Sultan Hassanal and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha during the ceremony. — Borneo Bulletin/ANN
A traditional Grand Parade has been held here, setting off a series of events to celebrate Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s 78th birthday.
The event took place at Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien, a renowned park in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei, where state dignitaries, grassroots leaders and other distinguished guests came dressed in traditional costumes for the event on Monday.
Personnel from the Royal Brunei Land Force, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force, Royal Brunei Police Force and members of uniformed government departments and associations were inspected by the monarch, according to a report by local daily, Borneo Bulletin.
The king highlighted optimistic developments in the nation during a titah (speech) delivered in conjunction with his 78th birthday celebration.
In the speech, the ruler expressed gratitude that the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the non-oil and gas sector saw positive growth last year, recording an increase of 4.5% as well as a 59.8% increase of overall domestic exports in the sector.
“The prospects of the country’s economic growth is even more promising,” said the monarch, noting that the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office projected the country’s GDP growth for 2024 to be at 2.7%.
Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank projects a growth of 3.7% and the International Monetary Fund projects a 2.7% growth based on the continuous growth in the downstream and food sector.
The monarch also noted that the nation recorded a 6.8% year-on-year growth in the first quarter of this year, emphasising that the government will double the efforts in driving faster economic development in the coming years.
Efforts to create more investment opportunities, jobs and transfer of expertise and technology to the local workforce will continue to be upgraded, the ruler said, adding that this is linked to the huge potential coming from the development of the second phase of the Hengyi Industries integrated petrochemical and refining complex in Pulau Muara Besar; the expansion of Muara Port as well as the Integrated Marine Maintenance and Decommissioning Yard project.
An oil-rich country in South-East Asia, Brunei is located in the northern area of the island of Borneo, with a population of over 450,000 and a high level of social welfare.
The king’s birthday was also marked by the births of 15 babies in the Brunei Muara district and four in the Belait district, providing a double celebration for new parents.
In honour of these joyous arrivals, a “Doa Kesyukuran” ceremony was held at the Women and Children Centre of the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (Ripas) Hospital yesterday.
Kalshom Suhaili, spouse of the Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Perbadanan Tabung Amanah Islam Brunei, along with Norzana Rosli, spouse of the Minister of Home Affairs, presented gifts to the delighted parents.
The ceremony was filled with the sounds of a Dikir Marhaban (religious chanting), warmly welcoming the newborns into the world. — Xinhua/Borneo Bulletin
