Citizenship recipients express gratitude
| Nazirul Hakeem A |
NEW citizens of Brunei Darussalam expressed their heartfelt gratitude in receiving their citizenship yesterday, granted by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
The Bulletin had a chance to interview some of the recipients at the 31st Citizenship Certificate Presentation ceremony, and get an insight on what it takes to become a Bruneian citizen.
Speaking to Ibrahim bin Rosli, he said that there were a lot of challenges before obtaining his citizenship.
Dyg Janet Nuramalina binti Abdullah Shak speaking to the Bulletin. – BAHIYAH BAKIR
“We need to know the customs and culture in Brunei as well as the Malay Islamic Monarchy. The workshops conducted for us were very informative and it gave us the necessary knowledge in how to become a true citizen of the Sultanate. After attending the workshop, it was easy and I found it fun to learn what was taught to us. It also boosted our spirit of patriotism and motivation to excel in the test and succeed in becoming a citizen of Brunei,” he added.
Chua Boon Hin, who took the citizenship test for the second time was finally granted the certificate yesterday.
He said, “It was hard for me. There was a lot to learn. I have to know the customs and the MIB philosophy and my proficiency of the Malay language has to be good. I faced the challenges by being determined to excel in the exam.
“I practiced a lot and went for tuition as well.”
Some of the recipients were very patient. After a long wait of four years, Lionel Kho has finally become a Bruneian. He said, “I feel honoured to receive the certificate today.”
Janet Nuramalina binti Abdullah Shak also shared her experience on the processes of obtaining her citizenship. She had gone through interviews together with her husband and other processes. She said that the officers at the Department of Immigration and National Registration made it comfortable for her and her husband to answer the questions in order to review her criteria in obtaining her citizenship.
She also loved the workshop as they better understood the concept of MIB. Janet summed up her experience during the whole citizenship process as a ‘valuable lesson that you cannot get anywhere’.