| Dr Muhammad Hadi Bin Muhammad Melayong |

THE ease of access to social media platforms and the Internet has fused our daily lives to be part of Internet societies formed by individuals from different regions, ethnicities and cultures.

It exposes our generations to new frontiers, allowing them to meet and network with individuals from other countries, to learn of the different existing politics, to acquire new knowledge, learn new languages and appreciate different cultures.

It’s admirable to see our youth having developed interest in the happenings beyond the borders of our country as part of their efforts to better the country, in line with the Brunei Vision 2035 – be it in tourism industry, politics and socio-economy.

There are, however, challenges faced domestically and internationally. We are to abide by the rules and regulation enforced by the government, and to remember that rules are placed for the protection of the people and control of stability.

Fortunately, as the youth of our country are exposed to the world, their combined minds unify as a nation-wide think tank, leading to development of proposals, ideas and opportunities that contributes towards building Brunei’s economy, tourism and religion.

Government-based initiatives such as DARe (Darussalam Enterprise), i-Ready Apprenticeship programme and Halal Certification close the gap between our youth and the Brunei Government, as it encourages working together as one effective entity driving towards economic development, employment and business opportunities.

The country also faces international challenges from the side effects of globalisation that comes from the same channel; the Internet.

It’s understandable that our current youth are the most intriguing bunch; motivated and highly driven to explore and learn new things, seeing that they aspire to develop themselves and to contribute towards growth of the country. Therefore, the problem of regulation and control over the information available on the Internet makes it inevitable to encounter materials and media that goes against our religion and national philosophy.

Our nation is defined by our philosophy – the Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB). ‘Malay’ represents our cultures, traditions, heritage and histories; ‘Islam’ represents the official religion that guides the way of life in Brunei as a Zikir Nation; and ‘Monarchy’ represents our monarchial government with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam as the head of state to rule the country.

Practising against our national philosophy risks us losing our identity as Bruneians, to lose our cultures and forget our histories, to lose our grip on our faith and going against the government. Ergo, it is important for Bruneians to preserve and protect the philosophy that defines the people and holds the country firm.

MIB is not only a national policy, but also a guide in shaping the country for the future development and achievement.

The preservation of our philosophy allows Bruneians to share their cultures to the outside world through social media. As our youth embraces YouTube and Instagram, more and more local talented content creators are sharing photos and videos showcasing the beauty of our country, our multi-ethnicity and our culture.

During the month of Ramadhan, the author noted a huge amount of contents shared on social media featuring young and fresh entrepreneurs selling food at Ramadhan bazaar, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) leading Sedekah initiatives to provide food and clothes to the needy, and Muslims breaking fast together at the mosque.

There are many different ways to contribute to the country, and these are the Brunei youth’s contribution towards national economy, social responsibility in sharing our culture, heritage and religion to people across the globe through social media. This is just one of the many ways we preserve and share our philosophy, albeit our youth perhaps not even realising it.

We’ve also seen the growth of the government’s involvement in social media, primarily on Instagram to interact with the public. Hosting competitions and events for everyone to participate in, to showcase Brunei’s history, culture and traditions.

Another bridge to narrow the gap between the youth and the government is the new Relationship 2.0. Every government entity should embrace the social media platform as it benefits the people both in and outside the country. We’ve been looking for ways to preserve our culture and history, yet we need not look too far. Without realising it, our youth have been capturing all these beautiful moments, such as Brunei Darusalam’s National Day, His Majesty’s birthday celebration, and ceremonies such as Maulidur Rasul and Khatam Al-Quran

They share these beautiful moments online for everyone to see. There are videos and photos of our architectural wonders such as the mosques, the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha (RIPAHS) Bridge and the soon to be completed Temburong Bridge, just to name a few.

But every light side comes with a balance of the dark side.

Another form of Internet challenges is the spreading (or ‘viral’) of fake news, rumours, defamation and slander. It’s unfortunate to see a technology capable of positive outcome being easily abused. This brings no actual benefit to anyone. A prime example would be the use of Facebook pages to express individual frustration and anger to business or government office.

There exist better ways to manage frustration. The government’s public service has provided a 123 line to lodge reports or complaints, while the Ministry of Health has provided a hotline for anyone facing mental health related problems. Or you could always have a discussion with business owners should you wish to file a complaint.

Our philosophy reminds us to be decent and to respect one another (jaga aib). Doing so can prevent the nation from abusing communication technologies in spreading untrue information or defamation.

As stated by His Majesty in his titah during the 56th RBAF anniversary celebration on September 17, 2017, “Benteng dalaman ini termasuk ketahanan rohani dan ugama. Kefahaman ugama yang sempurna tidak syak lagi, mampu untuk menangkis segala fahaman salah yang menjurus kepada ekstremisme. Disinilah pentingnya nilai-nilai Melayu Islam Beraja menjiwai kehidupan kita.

“Kita perlu ingat bahawa anasir-anasir yang tidak bertanggungjawab sangatlah bijak mempergunakan kaedah-kaedah baru seperti media sosial, untuk menyebarluaskan ideologi mereka, dan seterusnya, mendorong masyarakat ke arah radicalisation. Oleh itu, Beta menekankan betapa mustahaknya untuk mematuhi etika penggunaan media sosial, dan menjalankan pemantauan secara proaktif, bagi memastikan keutuhan benteng dalaman itu.”

Another titah from His Majesty on August 27 stated, “Kuasa teknologi infokomunikasi (ICT) sangat besar dan berpotensi untuk mempengaruhi seluruh kehidupan kerana jika ia digunakan untuk kebaikan, maka kebaikan itu dengan mudah boleh dicapai namun jika sebaliknya digunakan untuk keburukan, tidak syak lagi ia adalah racun berbisa untuk semua, kita semua sentiasa waspada dan berhati-hati terhadap kemungkinan-kemungkinan negatif dari penggunaan ICT terutama di kalangan generasi muda bahkan juga kanakkanak. Penggunaan yang tidak betul dan menyeleweng, boleh mengundang kepada kemudharatan-kemudharatan serius bagi individu, keluarga dan masyarakat. Sehubungan itu agensi-agensi yang bertanggungjawab dan semua sektor yang berkaitan hendaklah memastikan, ICT hanyalah sebagai pemudah cara untuk meningkatkan produktiviti, keberkesanan dan efisiensi di dalam urusan serta untuk menjana pertumbuhan ekonomi.”

These social media challenges became the topic of discussion at a seminar held by Secretariat Office of the MIB Supreme Council, Public Service Department and the Academy of Brunei Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).

As Public Relation Officers (PROs) are the frontliners for every ministry, they are a vital part of the government – in that they communicate with the public. These officers are required to provide accurate and supportive information to the public, thus, maintaining the ministries reputation. This could minimise the after-effect of frustrated members of the public who, in the end, decide to vent their frustration online.

At the seminar, PROs participated in a short course on Peraturan Am – Melayu Islam Beraja. The objective was to enhance employees’ knowledge on the Brunei philosophy, with hopes that they will fuse the MIB values in their work and day-to-day operations at the office.

The Secretariat Office of the MIB Supreme Council also hoped that the Brunei Public Service would embed the MIB values as guides and to be responsible in their respective ministries.

Other than the author, the following members also delivered their presentation on the first day – Pengiran Dr Khairul Rijal bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Rahim discussed Konsep Melayu Islam Beraja, Zulhilmi bin Haji Jaidin discussed Jati Diri Orang Brunei, and Noralipah binti Haji Mohamed discussed Melayu Islam Beraja dan Wawasan Brunei 2035.

Brunei is known as the Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures, but the greater treasures are the minds of our youth who shared their stories, photos, videos, ideologies and discussions on social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and Reddit. Your contributions make Brunei a great country, Insya Allah.

MIB values have shaped the government’s administration and policies. They’ve also helped shape the Bruneian way of life. As a commemoration of Brunei achieving her independence on January 1, 1984, MIB was officiated as Brunei’s national philosophy as stated in the constitution.