Permission for any entertainment – a pre-requisite

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I heard the news that Bruneian residents need to apply for permit if they are to organise any form of entertainment even in their own private premises.

Weekend in Brunei is normally filled with all sort of wedding-related ceremonies – basuruh (fact-finding mission); batunang (engagement); basanding (newly-weds sitting on a special dais); etc. This is part of our Brunei way of life – family gathering. So you can imagine if one have to obtain permit as usually there are some form of entertainment which might either be a memukun or gambus or local band playing at a private function during a wedding ceremony. I imagine that our elders who love to do a badondang (poetry recital with the aid of rabanna) would also need one before they carry on with their generations-long tradition of entertainment.

I think it is too much of a hassle to obtain a permit if you are having an entertainment in your own private place. Maybe hotels and restaurants do have to but not private individuals. So, maybe a courtesy letter to the local authority such as the police would suffice to say that there would be some sort of entertainment at one’s house at so and so date and place. Period.

I just hope that the authority are not slow in giving out a permit as understandably, they must be receiving applications by hundreds every week.

Tokoh wartawan Melayu – Eminent Malay Journalists Award

Congrats to our two Bruneians – Awang Haji Ahmad Haji Arshad and Pengiran Fatimah binti Pengiran Haji Mohd Nor for winning the awards from Malaysia’s Berita Harian last night in KL.

Read the online news here.

Pengiran Fatimah is in fact the only woman recipient of the award. She is a journalist with the Information Department and has written articles for the weekly-Government newspaper, Pelita Brunei.

Haji Ahmad, as far as I know is a retired Government journalist and is one of Brunei’s prominent literary figures. He has been contributing to the development of literature in Brunei since 1959 and so far has published a book of poetry and short stories and another book on the social development and achievements of Brunei.

More on him from the Brunei Times report here.

The awards ceremony was organised by former journalists association of Malaysia’s Berita Harian to show appreciation for journalists who have contributed to the development of literature in the Malay archipelago in their respective countries.

Journalism in Brunei still has a long way to go. Most of the local journalists have other qualifications not related to journalism while many others just got involve in it because it’s their work. It is an interesting subject and wonder when it will be taught at UBD.

This afternoon while listening to the radio station, I heard that there would be RTB awards in various categories like (the usual suspects) – best actors and actresses and even the best news presenters. C’mmon RTB, what happen to the best journalists? News presenters just read the news and they are not even doing any research and reporting. Sometimes they even read very badly that I have to switch to other channels or even turn the radio off. I am rambling on again now…

Read my previous posts on journalism here and here.

Halal Hong Kong Yam-cha dim sum