Editorial - Beyond poverty

THE myth that Brunei is a Sultanate with roads paved in gold is obviously an exaggeration but there are many, especially those who have never been to the country, who believe that everyone here is wealthy and live in big bungalows with ten cars. Going around the residential areas in the capital, one may think this is not entirely untrue. However, go further away from the suburbs to the rural areas, one can still see that poverty is very much a reality in this blessed country of ours.

Why is this so?

We have to understand that while Brunei is considered a rich country with a per capita income at US$31,000 (about $40,000), it does not reflect the reality on the ground. While Brunei's citizens enjoy many special privileges compared to neighbouring countries, there are many individuals that, through ignorance or lack of education, have not taken advantage of the opportunities provided by the government.

Education, for example, is free. But there are parents who do not and cannot send their children to school because they do not have enough money to buy uniforms and books, or even petrol for their cars. We have had, time and again, published cases of unemployed parents who had to put food at the top of their list, rather than education for their children. "We have to change the perception that there are no poor people in Brunei," said Darussalam Holdings Compliance Officer Hj Shamsul Baharin Hj Abd Rahman in an interview on Tuesday. The team from the company had visited a poor family living in a small shack near a paddy field to provide them with foodstuff to get them through Ramadhan and prepare for Hari Raya Aidil Fitri.

Many companies do charity work during Ramadhan but the effort must go beyond this period; not just on providing foodstuff and cash donations, but in giving motivation and to ensure that the poor will be able to give their children an education. Donated foodstuff can last you a day or a month but with an education, InsyaAllah, you will be able to put food on the table every day.

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times