OVER the past 50 years, a total of 43,271 stateless individuals and permanent residents have been granted citizenship of Brunei Darussalam.

On Tuesday, 449 new citizens took their oath of allegiance during a ceremony at the Brunei Darussalam International Defence Exhibition (BRIDEX) Hall in Jerudong.

For some, it was their second try. Lim Ai Ching whose parents hailed from China failed to pass her first try at taking the examination, which requires one to be proficient in Malay. About a decade later, she took the examination again and passed. Six years later, Lim is proud to call herself a Bruneian. She said she loves Brunei, "all of it". Many of us, born citizens of this blessed country, probably cannot imagine what it is like to be "stateless", not having the right to call the place that you have been born in "home". The citizenship certificate, a passport with the words "Brunei Darussalam" stamped on it, a yellow IC or "Identification Card" - these are items that we take for granted. But for the 449 individuals who are happy to call themselves "Bruneians", these are precious documents, more precious than gold.

Being a citizen of a country is more than just having documents; it also means professing loyalty and allegiance to the ruler of that country, in this case, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, and to understand the concept of Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB) or Malay Islamic Monarchy, which is the national philosophy that guides the governance of the Sultanate.

Before being granted citizenship, the individual must have spent a suitable period in this country, said the Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Badaruddin Pengarah Dato Paduka Hj Othman, and accept the Sultanate's Malay identity, the holiness of its religion and the beauty of its culture.