Waleed PD Mahdini in Kuala Lumpur

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday morning attended the Opening Ceremony of the Sixth World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) that was held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Set against the backdrop of the Malaysian capital’s most iconic landmark, the Petronas Twin Towers, the opening session was chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as His Majesty and five other world leaders delivered their special addresses.

His Majesty began his titah by firstly congratulating Malaysia for hosting the Sixth WIEF and expressed his appreciation for its active role and support in the activities of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The monarch also expressed his appreciation for the close and excellent bilateral relations with Malaysia and emphasised on the strong bond shared between the people of both countries, stating, “We do not only have relations with Malaysia, we are relations”.

His Majesty recalled the inaugural WIEF that was held in 2001, the same year as the Mecca Summit, as one of the most significant meetings that produced an action plan for the progress and development of the Islamic Ummah in the 21st century.

His Majesty also highlighted that globalisation continues to remain as one of the biggest challenges for Muslims in the 21st century and urged Islamic communities to be better prepared in meeting these challenges. In line with the theme of the forum “Gearing for Economic Resurgence”, His Majesty urged Muslims to strengthen their faith and to better adapt themselves to the era of globalisation.

His Majesty further noted that it is also important for Muslims to acquire the necessary skills to better handle this challenge, be they ordinary citizens, as nations and lastly, as Muslims. His Majesty then expressed his appreciation to the forum for the advice and training programmes that it has provided to improve the welfare of the Muslim Ummah.

His Majesty stated that there have been calls for the trade and financial systems to be fair, honest, ethical and moral, which His Majesty added are already deeply embedded in the most basic values and principles of Islamic, as well as in its basic approach to business. His Majesty further expressed his view that this sense of fair play and honesty could be Islam’s major contribution to international business. His Majesty reiterated that in order to achieve economic resurgence, Muslims must be active members of the international community. Therefore, an important forum such as this should undertake to instil these values, into economic global affairs with persuasion, technical skill and commercial expertise.

After the opening session, His Majesty attended the official luncheon at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

After the official luncheon, His Majesty held a bilateral meeting with President Mohamed Nasheed of the Republic of Maldives and received in audience Tun Musa Hitam, Chairman of the World Islamic Economic Forum Foundation at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. His Majesty also held talks with Kosovan President Dr Fatmir Sejdiur.

In the evening, His Majesty attended the official gala dinner that was hosted by the Malaysian Prime Minister.

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