What happened to Bruneians? (Again)

I read the many comments on my previous posting of what happened to Bruneians. Interestingly enough, yesterday noon when I was at Athirah, someone approached me and said 'minta duit pengiran'. He was a young man, looks fit and somehow does not strike me as someone who is unemployed. But looks can be deceiving and he asked me for money because he thought I was someone. I was with my son today and I saw him again but this time he did not ask for money. Yesterday I had a tie and today I only had a tee shirt. Anyway, what bothered me was this 'begging' is not the first time.

In the 1990s, I remembered when I used to park at the Customs wharf when I used to work at MOF which was at IBB building. I used to walk from there to IBB which is about a 10 minute walk and I used to be accosted by a man, a nicely dressed elderly one (guessing around 50+), who always called out 'Pengiran, minta duit'. He usually gets a couple of dollars from me and the few other people he stopped. I saw him the other day while I was in town. I think he still does his 'begging'.

When I was at MOF, at the new building, the first week I reported for duty, there was a man who urgently wanted to see me. He told me some sob stories about him not being given welfare despite the fact he earned it. I fell for it and gave him some money. Later on I found out that, he does it to all the new guys who got promoted. I think you would know who he was. He actually did his sob story a few years ago and he was actually given a boat and an engine so that he could do his moto tambang and for him to earn money. You know what he did? He sold the boat and the engine.

There has been too many people who I have met. When I was the TAP head honcho, there were many who wanted to withdraw their savings sooner and they all had sob stories. I probably have more than my fair share of listening to sob stories than other people, sometimes that it becomes too easy not to believe all of them. But I am sure some are true. It's just that I can not tell them apart after a while. It does not answer the question - are some Bruneians so hard up or they just want some free money?

I am not trying to say that there are no poor Bruneians. There are. That's why there is this effort of a zero poverty policy. Eradicating it requires not just efforts but for us as a society to balance our priorities. There are a number of people who are contend to do nothing but to earn welfare. This is proven in many countries and don't come and tell me some b***sh*t stories that there are none here.

We have to go back to basic. What do we want? I remembered one man who told me that 'kita sanang, gaji basar, keluarga kaya, apa kita ingaukan?' I told him straight. I told him 'you think I started with keluarga kaya and gaji basar? When I was small, my father used to tell me, my toys were made up of sawn up pieces of wooden planks in a basket. We were not rich but we were comfortable and contended. There was no tv. We didn't have one until almost everyone else had one. I went to a hostel and was given $30 allowance a month. I made do. When I came back from England, I drove a second hand car to go to work and I started off just like every other officer from a B2 level. I knew a house was important. I built one just as soon as I could afford it with government loan. Until today, I have never owned a Mercedes, BMW or any of those fancy cars. I guess my priority is different.

So, my question still stands - what happened to us Bruneians? Have we become too materialistic that we worry more about other things? Have we no shame anymore that some of us are openly begging? Or is out welfare institutions failing out and unable to help anymore? We have JAPEM, Yayasan and Baitul Mal. Surely if you are a deserving case, you will get assistance.

We have not always been like this. I remembered writing about it 2 years ago that in 1962, the Brunei Annual Report pointed out that "... it is necessary to point out that the Malay, Dusun, Murut and Iban social structures are such that applications for assistance are rare, members of the family considering it their responsibility to take care of relatives who are in need..." and "... there are also a number of Chinese charitable organisations which cater for destitute members and in particular, arrange for funerals and give assistance to dependents of sick members of the various Chinese communities..." Can we go back to those years?

Comments

Al-Qadr said…
My good and honourable brother in Islam, Allah Subhannahu Wataala the All-Knowing and Most Merciful seems to give us some sort of SIGN of WARNING today when a Charitable event at the Yayasan Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah complex turned ugly resulting in the tragic deaths of some elderly folks - INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAIHI ROJIUN (From Allah the Almighty we came and to Him we shall all return) - AL-FATIHAH! My most sincere condolences to the Bereaved families. May Allah the Greatest bless their souls and grant them special places in the Heavenly Paradise. Amin Ya Rabbal Alamien!

If I were an authoritative figure, I really need to ponder over this tragic incident and do some sort of reflection or MUHASABAH DIRI on where did we go wrong? A Crisis Management team at the appropriate level should be on top of this gross negligence on the part of the relevant Gov't authorities and organising agency of this morning's particular event. More importantly, the bereaved families must be consoled and given full respects as due to Rakyat in need during their times of difficulty.
Al-Qadr said…
Courtesy of RanoAdidas.com:

".The vigilante blogger.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008 @ 11:50[GMT +8]

Breaking news: At the beginning I thought it was food related but it turned out to be monetary where there were some fatalities involved in today’s stampede incident that took place at town. This is a tragedy that shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Apparently from a source, quite a lot of people needed attention from the medics as some passed out due to the stampede incident. This happened when the “duit sedekah” were being distributed to the public. We already have an issue on the food rationing which is still a big issue and now this tragic incident needs some urgency on how to tackle or overcome the “eager crowd”.

Al-Fatihah to the unfortunate and my condolences to their families. Let’s forget the negatives and focus on solutions that will benefit the community. I’m not sure if it will come out on printed news tomorrow but they were some press photographer who happened to be there.

Note: Pls don’t post any videos of the incident."
Shenun said…
exactly... i HATE when people saying "gaji basar, blanja eh!" "ko gaji basar ok lah mampu" "gaji basar, minta eh!" iisshhhh mcm apa!! like we each individuals nada financial priorities ka? each of us got so many things, expenses n future savings. yg suka meminta n kn mnta blnja anipun satu.. mustahil nada prasaan bout wat he feels on his personal expenses break down.
even me myslef, though baru setahun jagung kraja.. mun labih2 bro n sista kn minta usin sja.. i do get pressured. i always said that "some people berusaha n keraja n wanted to enjoy titik peluh atu, some people do nothing n asked money for free!, so wat if SEMUA org kn do nothing n get money for free?? annoyed kan life cmatu.. its just not fair.. i also often said..sukur zaman kmu skulah skrg ani blanja labih sringgit, nda pernah jln kaki n such n still easily get money for free plus modern gadgets.. n me? bata skulah jrg kna bagi, malar jln kaki, handphone pun mbali usin sndiri at d age of 20 time kraja part time. its just not fair.. n i cant accept when knk2 skrg ani mnjwp "dulu lain skrg lain" stillll!! belajar th dulu cari usin sndiri!
buh melarats aku ah.. melapas sasak
Shenun said…
yes i heard that too this morning.. people berasak2 to get the entrance pass.. tpi objective bukn tuk the majlis but more to the monetary offer they will get afterwards.. hmmm ashamed of bruneians
Al-Qadr said…
Public outcry from Rano's shoutbox:

"30 Jul 08, 16:47
Families of the Decease: man - Im not sure abt that either, but so far, no news reg that matter..
30 Jul 08, 16:47
fids: how was it handled? medics came immediately, the authorities, did they do anything to stop the stampede?
30 Jul 08, 16:47
new: aww
30 Jul 08, 16:46
Families of the Decease: fids - Im not sure myself..
30 Jul 08, 16:46
man: So the people who trampled the deceased are let go away of it?
30 Jul 08, 16:45
Families of the Decease: Yes I was there and I thought it was just her.. rupanya RAMAI.. chaos lah..
30 Jul 08, 16:45
guest: not just "Hey! I want to do Sedekah! Come here if you want some money!", that way, gerenti stampede tu no matter what...
30 Jul 08, 16:45
fids: since when these free coupons thinggy kan.. just started this year?
30 Jul 08, 16:44
Families of the Decease: The Adat Istiadat ppl, BKNs, KDNs were there at the emergency..
30 Jul 08, 16:44
fids: families, were you there?
30 Jul 08, 16:44
guest: the 'sedekah' thingy should be given to selected individual that really needed the most
30 Jul 08, 16:43
new: its all about money!
30 Jul 08, 16:43
Families of the Decease: She died in the arms of her son.. It was painful to know how she died.. )'=
30 Jul 08, 16:43
Families of the Decease: They must get the COUPON to get on the bus. THE COUPON that grabbed 3 lives..
30 Jul 08, 16:42
Families of the Decease: And Mulah was one of the people who rushed up the bus and with the stampede, she "lost" and fell to the ground and what others did? They stepped on her w/o mercy! So sad )=
30 Jul 08, 16:41
fids: awu event dorg kan pigi tu all ladies event saja
30 Jul 08, 16:40
fids: ramai jua 10k.. what actually happen? durg brabut kan ke bus or brabut ngambil coupon when the stampede happen?
30 Jul 08, 16:40
Families of the Decease: all injured were FEMALES..
30 Jul 08, 16:39
Families of the Decease: 8000 people were expected but more than 10k turned up and that was one of the reason why they wanna rushed up to the bus..
man: We can't simply accept the facs that this is over. We need to know whats going on and what the authorities are doing to prevent this sort of problem from ever happening again
30 Jul 08, 16:38
new: families : 60+ ppl? what? ramai jua..
30 Jul 08, 16:38
fids: who?
30 Jul 08, 16:37
Families of the Decease: She died on the spot.. )=
30 Jul 08, 16:37
fids: im really sorry for your loss.. takziah to you and your family..
30 Jul 08, 16:36
fids: medics nada standby sana? they should expect something like this after what happen with urg brabut food masatu ..
30 Jul 08, 16:36
Families of the Decease: Fids - Yes..
30 Jul 08, 16:35
Families of the Decease: Take it easy guys. No need to blame anyone regarding this matter. All these has been written. Redha kan saja. Sudah AJAL. Al-fatihah.
30 Jul 08, 16:35
fids: hey Families, are you a family?
30 Jul 08, 16:35
food lover: baruuu jua Sultan titah, food is becoming critical. I bet government servant pun ada ikut tu berabut envelop tadi. If its true... atu sadang...
30 Jul 08, 16:34
man: The Internet is far more powerful than any other media. When our news gets filtered and prevented from being broadcasted locally, the internet will reveal the facts and truth.
30 Jul 08, 16:34
:): WOW! that many??!!
30 Jul 08, 16:34
anonymous: stampede video: pls don't make fun of this news. This is a serious issue.
30 Jul 08, 16:33
Families of the Decease: Hey peeps. 3 died in this incident. 60+ were injured and I think 5 in ICU. It was terrible. Place of incident @ The BIBD HQ in front of the Padang SOAS.
30 Jul 08, 16:33
Me: It's all back to basics...i.e human's greed...
30 Jul 08, 16:33
new: eventho they are controlling the media..hopefully sooner or later the whole bruneian will know about this thing! just spread it out!
30 Jul 08, 16:32
Me: I dunno la..i just think there's a reason why govt gives our pension money, set up TAP for us...tsk tsk...
30 Jul 08, 16:32
jaq: how comes things like doesn't make breaking news?? isn't this is already bad enough?
30 Jul 08, 16:30
food lover: all they say is orang berabut, orang tua tua inda mendangar arahan bla bla, banyak poklen n all.. bla bla. The truth is thy work semerana. Tau sudah orang brunei cana ah.. esh.. inda cali tu ppl died.
30 Jul 08, 16:29
anonymous: the reason why only rano is reporting this news is that he is SomeOne
30 Jul 08, 16:29
:): food lover: that will nvr happen
30 Jul 08, 16:29
food lover: yatah bila nada organiser inda telus membuat kerja, I hope they tell the truth to our Sultan. i hope the menteris is not covering it up!
30 Jul 08, 16:28
lah: Me: haha nice
30 Jul 08, 16:27
fids: LOL .. We love Rano .. hehe
30 Jul 08, 16:27
yul31: Innalillah..condolence to the families of the deceased
30 Jul 08, 16:26
Me: Shall we touch on the topic why Rano is brunei's no.1 social news again?
30 Jul 08, 16:25
fids: food lover ... EXACTLY! n d media can't do anything abt that..
30 Jul 08, 16:24
food lover: relevant authorities is controlling the media!
30 Jul 08, 16:23
fids: hopefully tomorrow they'll decide to tell the ppl abt this, at least in the papers kah
30 Jul 08, 16:21
new: me - yeah i agree also! pasal d brunei apa saja yang free gerenti bleh jadi cemanie. liat saja yang pasal makanan free ah sudah berabut apatah lagie duit $$
fids: me, i totally agree
30 Jul 08, 16:15
new:
30 Jul 08, 16:15
qamaruz: al fatihah.
30 Jul 08, 16:15
Me: they shouldn't give out money in the first place to begin with...
30 Jul 08, 16:14
fids: stampede, kan collect coupons apparently in exchange for $30 kah, this morning.. not sure where ..
30 Jul 08, 16:14
man: Seems like rano is the first site to report.
30 Jul 08, 16:14
new: inda terorganize yatah jadi cematu..mana pihak atasan? tuang keraja kah
30 Jul 08, 16:13
ZIe: OMG!! I can't believe that happen. I mean Why? How? Takziah to the Family
30 Jul 08, 16:11
fids: btw rano saja yg bagitau abt the news?
30 Jul 08, 16:10
fids: its not like the country isn;t help people in need.. there's no need for stuff like this.. mesti besystem organizer nya
30 Jul 08, 16:09
anon: wang usin, the economics of fuel subsidies, only the riich benefits
30 Jul 08, 16:08
fids: *involved
30 Jul 08, 16:08
Me: like...man.....how embarassing...
30 Jul 08, 16:08
:): this shows that this country do have very poor people
30 Jul 08, 16:08
fids: action should be taken against all the ppl onvolved.. skati2 bagi brg free, fikirkan consequencesnya..
30 Jul 08, 16:08
Me: And the funny thing is that our govt is actually subsidizing for our petrol and rice...
30 Jul 08, 16:07
fids: the coupon utk apa? cash kah $30?
30 Jul 08, 16:07
new: yeah man they need to be shown to public..biar urg ketani tau apa kejadian yang banar nya!
30 Jul 08, 16:06
lol: officer tu nda organize bisai2
30 Jul 08, 16:06
man: yeah spread somemore then only will the printing press take action just like a few days ago including major news portals
30 Jul 08, 16:06
lol: 30 beharga bagi dorang tu
lah: kjadian beyond control...*sigh*
30 Jul 08, 16:06
fids: RTB should be informing about the fatalities.. daripada they show rubbish for the news.. people need to know..
30 Jul 08, 16:06
Me: Vote Rano next editor in chief! Hahaha
30 Jul 08, 16:06
lol: nda dpt dsalahkan jua org ramai..dorang atu org susah tu
30 Jul 08, 16:06
man: Exactly the internet spreads news faster than wildfire at an exponential rate. That's the pros and cons of 21st century technology.
30 Jul 08, 16:05
Me: Haha spread somemore, i'm sure eventually it'll make it to the papers...
30 Jul 08, 16:05
lol: officer nya tinglur bah tu
30 Jul 08, 16:05
anon: org d masjid gtau 7 org plang
30 Jul 08, 16:04
:): shame to the country? without any publications of whatsoever, the news wil go around though the words of mouth like wildfire!
30 Jul 08, 16:04
new: i agree with wang usin..kenapa pihak berkuasa atau penganjur inda mengambil langkah keselamtan atu? inda awas nya urg..
30 Jul 08, 16:04
lol: sandi eyh..kesian. org kg air tu bnyaak
30 Jul 08, 16:04
fids: brunei, they're our people, some may really need the coupons,whatever that is for. give some respect to the families of the victims..
30 Jul 08, 16:03
man: they need to be shown to the public. There's nothing to hide about or be shameful. Only the person involved should be ashamed of him/herself
30 Jul 08, 16:02
wang usin: Wang anon, ada tah HIKMAH disebalik kejadian yang amat menyedihkan dan menyayat hati ani tuan. Keluarga yang malang labih tia lagi berdukacita dan geram marah atas kejadian yg lara nda diingini ani!
30 Jul 08, 16:02
fids: lol, im not sure how many, some say 2/7/9..
30 Jul 08, 16:01
brunei: Post up the pics.. show the videos.. let everyone see who these people are.. They deserve no mercy for this.
30 Jul 08, 16:01
fids: i totally agree that they should stop hiding incidents from us, but i think they are not allowed to publicize something like this that can bring shame to the country. thanks Rano ..
30 Jul 08, 16:01
lol: brapa org exactly meniggal kan?
30 Jul 08, 15:59
fids: condolences to the family of the victims, Al-Fatihah..
new: yatah lain pulang kejadian nya. bukan apa takut inda ampit wah tu. hmpf
30 Jul 08, 15:57
guest: baru camani tu, alum lagi time puasa betadarus arh istana, cana ntah...
30 Jul 08, 15:55
Me: Oh well, i guess by the end of the day it's the greediness of the people...i mean do we REALLY need those free stuffs?
30 Jul 08, 15:55
wang usin: Wallahu 'Alam Bissawab.. Ajal memang urusan Allah Subhannahu Wataala. Takdir sudah takdir Ilahi akan tetapi langkah-langkah berwaspada sepatutnya diambil oleh pihak berkuasa atau penganjur sewajarnya!
30 Jul 08, 15:54
man: yeah agreed there is a youtube video on Bruneians and free food that shows what happens when food is free .What more if money is free
30 Jul 08, 15:52
wawa: i agree. crisis management should be improved! that incident is obviously could be foreseen. Free stuff=mob. as simple as that.
30 Jul 08, 15:52
wang usin: That is to be made ANSWERABLE on why preventive measures had not been put in place, given a similar rush for food last Sunday almost went out of control and could have ended tragically. Why not learn?
30 Jul 08, 15:51
Me: Is it part of the Israk Meraj event to give out those stuffs?
30 Jul 08, 15:51
lah: so kesian urg yg berabut tu..like nda bebaloi berabut..sampai cani jdi nya
30 Jul 08, 15:51
lah: ksian ah..hati ikhlas kn bersedekah tp ani jadi nya..
30 Jul 08, 15:50
lah: nama pun urg "bersedekah"
30 Jul 08, 15:50
man: Basically, a few people died at yayasasn when they were trampled to death at yayasan while trying to get the free money coupons
30 Jul 08, 15:50
wang usin: In any established and well-organised Governmental System of Administration key stakeholders in the relevant ministry or agencies must ne made accountable for GROSS NEGLIGENCE in handling d situation!
30 Jul 08, 15:49
Me: Well why did they give out free stuffs in the first place anyway?
30 Jul 08, 15:48
aduhhh: kna ban ni krg
30 Jul 08, 15:46
anon: wang usin, ur no school drop out, ur a learned fren
30 Jul 08, 15:46
new: what happend actually? what is the story? im just curious. al-fatihah
30 Jul 08, 15:45
wang usin: Such sloppiness in Crisis Management could only lead to wild speculations and unnecessary gossips! Or has any Crisis Mgt standard operating procedures (S.O.P) been thought of at all at d top level?!
30 Jul 08, 15:45
aduhhh: the truth is out there..
30 Jul 08, 15:44
aduhhh: Brunei ha no press freedom
30 Jul 08, 15:43
:): no point hiding the truth...
30 Jul 08, 15:43
RanFan: every news have to be censored by the relevant authorities which can be publish and which cant.
30 Jul 08, 15:42
RanFan: We cant blame the media
30 Jul 08, 15:40
wang usin: The least the HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER should do is JUNJUNG MENGADAP KE HADAPAN MAJLIS KEBAWAH DULI YANG MAHA MULIA untuk issue a simple 2 paragraph Press Release or mini-Press Conference! CRISIS MGT 101
30 Jul 08, 15:39
Me: Wait...what happened again?
30 Jul 08, 15:38
RanFan: Covering up the real facts because the truth might hurt Brunei image
30 Jul 08, 15:37
wang usin: Funny, a car accident that happened last night without fatalities was televised BUT a big tragedy like today's stampede was IGNORED totally by a national broadcasting station? ALLAHU AKBAR! Napa tia?!
30 Jul 08, 15:37
anon: al-fatihah
30 Jul 08, 15:36
RanFan: another x-file
30 Jul 08, 15:36
RanFan: takut malu wa 2
30 Jul 08, 15:35
man: But in reality some are very serious. they underestimate the seriusness of some issues
30 Jul 08, 15:35
man: They try to not make such a big deal about incidents like this.
30 Jul 08, 15:35
RanFan:
30 Jul 08, 15:35
man: Don't you see the RTB and Local newspaper are covering up
30 Jul 08, 15:34
RanFan: we have to do something..:(
30 Jul 08, 15:34
wang usin: What the heck is RTB's function if not to INFORM the general viewing PUBLIC about tragic incidents like RanoAdidas.com's 'Breaking News' as any responsible News Organisation should?! Wake up RTB!
30 Jul 08, 15:33
RanFan: we have to do something..:(
30 Jul 08, 15:32
anon: heard 7 died
30 Jul 08, 15:27
rayyan: js read dnews...so mad + disappointed.. condolences to the unfortunate. ALFatihah.
30 Jul 08, 15:13
:): OMG! Thats terrible!!
30 Jul 08, 14:49
guest: influence
30 Jul 08, 14:38
RanFan: oppss..awu ahhh, fi you no one, NOBODY respect or support u-Brunei concept
30 Jul 08, 14:37
RanFan: Stop using royalty here as steps of going up! and for UR info Ranz is just normal just like all of you.
30 Jul 08, 14:35
wang usin: ASTAGHFIRULLAHUL AZHIIM...
30 Jul 08, 14:34
wang usin: Astaghfirullahulahiim aladzi LA ILLA HA ILLA HUWAL HAYYUL QAYYUUM wa atuubu ilaih. INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAIHI ROJIUN: AL-FATIHAH... Takziah kepada keluarga mereka yang telah kembali ke Rahmatullah:(
Unknown said…
Dear Sir,

I am also concern with the issue of 'begging'in Brunei. I want to share a story told by a top religious person that in the past the Baitul Mal had a tough time to look around for 'orang fakir dan miskin' to hand the 'zakat' money to. If one was to ask 'orang miskin'(really orang miskin) to go to Baitul Mal to seek help or assistance, they were not happy, in fact, some of them were angry. They took the offer really offending. They did not want to be considered as 'orang miskin'. They prefered to earn their living decently like going out fishing. But today, it is the opposite. A lot of people readily 'akun' themselves as 'orang miskin'. I guess society changes over time.
Al-Qadr said…
Earlier down the 'shoutbox' comments of RanoAdidas.com, there were very sensitive young people who expressed their shock and remorse and condolences with Al-Fatihah, no less.

But sadly, there were also insensitive comments and pranksters who posted irrelevant 'youtube links'!:( My wild guess is that they're probably 'naive' kids, I dunno.

My point is some SERIOUS POST-MORTEM or OFFICIAL INQUIRY would have to be actioned by the relevant authorities immediately.

How I wish I could be of any help at all to relatives and family members of those who have passed away and are being hospitalised. My heart-felt sorrows go to them. I can only pray that Allah Subhannahu Wataala the Most Benevolent bless the souls of "Allahyarhamah-Allahyarhamah"..
Al-Qadr said…
My sincere apologies about the confusion regarding the actual venue where the tragic 'human stampede' occured i.e. NOT at Yayasan as I misquoted earlier.

A bystander and eyewitness at the scene (apparently a very patient relative of one of the deceased) described the spot where it really happened as:

"Families of the Decease: Hey peeps. 3 died in this incident. 60+ were injured and I think 5 in ICU. It was terrible. Place of incident @ The BIBD HQ in front of the Padang SOAS."

Misinformed due to NEWS BLACKOUT!
baz said…
bapa ceritanya lagi teruk, dulu lah batah udah >10 yrs ago, ia ngambil surat kabar d bandar, biasalh kereta enjin runnin dapan kadai, 2-3min udah ia kan balik masuk kereta, adatia laki2 muda masih peumurannya masuk kereta minta antar ke satu tempat, bapa merista plang pasal ani dulu, tpi gerenti si awg atu minta usin arahnya. sedih kitani ani :'(
stormtrooper said…
Heard the stampede as well today. It seems Bruneians are very desperate now ..... for everything.

Regarding the man who ask for money targeting newly promoted personnel, we had gone the same thing. Same story same BS. We is persistent and does not want to leave until he gets some reprieve. In the end our Director collect from all of us and gave it to him so it would be a one off thing.

What sad is some people are willing to do the extra mile by saying that he should get the Zakat from Baitul Mal and clearly that he is not fall to any of the categories. How can he ask for Zakat money where he got a mobile, a car, a house, a satellite TV and so on? Basically now IMHO is that all of us has become too materialistic for our own good. It all boils down to the mighty dollar. We have to ponder "when enough is E N O U G H?"
I think it was a couple of years ago when a pregnant woman lost her life during the stampede for the same ocassion. Ironically, $30 two years ago bought lots more than it does now.

Here's my 2 cents, a thorough assessment of the problem is crucial and to point fingers to MUIB and KKBS is just not enuff.

I too hate being approach for money just because I fit the criteria of 'orang beusin' i.e. one-child family and etc. The truth is, it hurts. There is no justification to the claim but yes these things happened.

I sincerely hope that serious measure will soon take place to curb these kind of things. Yes, those ppl who monitor these kinds of blogs, you lots play a vital role in this too.

Allah knows best. Wassalam.
Al-Qadr said…
I haven't read this morning's papers yet about yesterday's tragedy (BB or BT, etc). We can only try to digest the incident to learn from our mistakes and take necessary precautions, preventive actions, steps, etc to avoid such misfortunes and unfortunate tragic events from happening again... ("Jangan pisang berbuah dua kali") as the Malay proverb goes.

"Kitani bersabar tah saja, banyakkan istighfar, bertawakal kepada Allah yang Maha Kuasa dan kitani ambil IKTIBAR dari kesedihan yang telah menimpa.

"Mudah-mudahan banyaklah HIKMAH disebalik musibah yang tidak dijangkakan seperti tragedi pada hari Memperingati Peristiwa Israk Mikraj kelmarin. Kitani bersangka baik tah saja bahawasanya kaum Ibu dan anak perempuan yang telah meninggal dunia dalam keadaan yang menyayat hati atu dalam perjalanan mereka menuju ke satu Majlis Ilmu yang penuh rahmat dan berkat dan kembalinya mereka ke Rahmatullah adalah dalam keadaan mati Syahid, ya Allah, ya Tuhan kami yang Maha Esa lagi Maha Mengasihani dan Maha Pemurah, ya Ghani serta Maha Kaya. Amin ya Rabbal Alamien:Al-Fatihah".
Condolences to deceased families...

i hope we can create an awareness issue among the public, bruneians are supposed to be "berlandaskan dengan concept Melayu Islam Beraja" but current events shows exactly the opposite. its a shame really...bruneians acting up in such a way with no humility but only greed to answer for.

I just hope the media wud play its role in informing this "sensitive" issue to the public so as to make the public "aware" such behaviour do exist within them. We have to be open-minded and condemn such behaviour which shud not exist among bruneians.

we are lucky, his majesty's govt is providing us to an extent helping the unfortunate one's through various institutions such as JAPM, Yayasan, BaitulMal etc etc. But why do certain ppl still want to abuse /take advantage on such premise.

In time, lets hope public mindset change for the better of the country with relevant actions taken at all levels, insyallah. again, many condolences to the late family of the decease. al-fatihah.
Beanie Bean said…
Just now, a few whiles back, i was going to voice out some critical issues, addressed to specific or perhaps, a majority of government officials. Being rather harsh and straighforward it sounds for Brudirect Have Your Say, I somehow declined to act and post it, for fear that it may mislead the younger generation minds and create undesired public outrage and hiatus, so i just kept that to myself in a small blackbook diary. Being 28, single and unemployed with abundance of educational achievements do not seem to pave way for me to live a decent, fruitful and meaningful living. All those previous miserable times and unfortunate turn-of-events now lead me to a standstill. My faith in Islam no longer holds. As a pure Malay Bruneian, this is rather corny feeling. But yet, this actually happened and i could not avoid that at all. Generation of people like you, Mr Rozan are times better-off..but i must say Bruneians nowadays are degrading in faith, minds and lifestyles. Personally, for myself, in the coming times, i feel i can no longer live in this country, but to migrate and even change my citizenship. Living in Brunei only suits the royal brood, the noble and the likes. And not for commoners like us. Moreover, the massive immigrants of indons and filipinos may well be better-off as the new citizens of Brunei.
goldendurian said…
Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rojiun


“The Roots of Violence: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice, Politics without principles”

- Mahatma Ghandi

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