Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports handing over a flag to a student.
Thousands of mini flags handed over to students
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Some 31,000 miniature flags were yesterday distributed to primary and secondary schools as well as Islamic study institutions throughout the country in ceremonies held nationwide in the run-up to the 29th National Day celebrations, Borneo Bulletin reported.
Of the figure, 330 flags were handed over to Pengiran Kesuma Negara (PKN) Primary School in a ceremony officiated by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Hazair bin Hj Abdullah.
The event kicked off with the singing of the national anthem ‘Allah Peliharakan Sultan’, and was followed by a recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Doa Selamat, as well as a welcoming speech by the chairman of the event.
Later, a motivational speech was delivered by the minister, during which he noted that the national flag plays a significant role for the country as well as in the life of the nation.
“A national flag can unite the people and residents of a country either during a national celebration or during a national crisis.
“What is more important, which needs to be fully understood especially by students, is that the national flag is a symbol of the country, signifying the existence of a nation, the sovereignty of its ruler and its people. A national flag also signifies the liberty of a nation and this makes it a very important symbol for the nation,” the minister explained.
“For that reason, it is very important for every citizen and resident of the country to give the flag the utmost respect as it symbolises our affection and appreciation towards our country and the government,” he continued.
Another important thing is that the national flag not only provides an identity to the nation and its people, but it also contains the sovereign history of the nation, including the ideals or direction in which the country is heading towards.
“Hoisting our national flag should not be regarded as a burden… it should be a matter of responsibility and should be a call every citizen awaits,” the minister said.
Later, an air of strong national pride was felt as the students belted out songs that included ‘Lagu Kibarkan Bendera’ and ‘Tekad Kemerdekaan’.
The day continued with the minister personally handing over the miniature flags to several students. Following the ceremony, the minister took a tour of the school and mingled with students, visiting classrooms to witness the installation of the flags.
It is hoped the distribution of the flags will instil among students a sense of patriotism and discipline.
According to a Ministry of Education press release, 330 miniature flags were distributed to PKN Primary School, whilst 200 more were given to Perpindahan Kampong Bukit Beruang Primary School.