The first series of the Malay Islamic Monarchy Dialogue programme was aired last night on Radio Television Brunei (RTB).

The first series invited YB Pehin Jawatan Dalam Seri Maharaja Dato Seri Utama Dr Hj Awang Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri bin Begawan Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Umar, the Principal of Brunei History Centre, to discuss the topic on “The historical existence and survival of Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB)” and was chaired by Associate Professor Dr Haji Hashim bin Haji Abdul Hamid, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, according to a press release from the Secretariat for the Supreme Council of Malay Islamic Monarchy, Akademi Pengajian Brunei, UBD.

YB Pehin Jamil stated that MIB has long been in existence in Brunei. During the early days, the term was referred to as Malay Monarchy (Melayu Beraja). It was only after the first Sultan of Brunei and his people converted to Islam that the term was changed to Malay Islamic Monarchy and since then it has been used up to the present day.

YB Pehin also stated that MIB was officially adopted as the national philosophy after His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam stated it in his titah during the Proclamation of Independence on January 1, 1984.

YB Pehin also discussed the main conclusions that could be drawn from His Majesty’s titah during the Proclamation of Independence.

Firstly, Brunei will forever be a Malay state whose state affairs would be carried out by its own people.

Secondly, Brunei will forever be an Islamic state where the teachings of Islam would be practised as a way of life and finally, Brunei will forever be a Monarchy state that would be ruled by a Sultan and his immediate descendents as provisioned under the 1959 Brunei Constitution.

YB Pehin then laid out some of his thoughts on how to implement and inculcate MIB among the people of Brunei in accordance to His Majesty’s titah.

The dialogue programme was organised by the Supreme Council of Malay Islamic Monarchy and produced by RTB in an effort to disseminate information about MIB among the public.

The 50-minute programme will be aired once a month and each series will invite different panels to discuss different topics pertaining to MIB.

It is hoped that through this programme, the public would get a better understanding on MIB and would be able to uphold it as the national philosophy as envisioned by His Majesty the Sultan.

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