Skip to main content

DAY 3 AFTERNOON

For Informational Purposes Only

6TH MARCH 2023 - AFTERNOON​

info

Help needed with Jawi and Arabic characters, please email pr@queeniecy.com if you have experience with Markdown.

Disclaimer

The information presented on this webpage is based on processed PDFs downloaded from the official website and translated using OpenAI technology. We have taken steps to ensure accuracy, but if you identify any discrepancies or issues, please kindly notify us at pr@queeniecy.com so that we can make necessary adjustments. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Disclaimer

Despite our best efforts to ensure the accuracy of these translations, please note that they were performed by AI technology. As such, we cannot guarantee their infallibility and are not responsible for any inaccuracies or misinterpretations that may arise from the translated content. If you have suggestions for better translations, please email the specific section along with your proposed translation to pr@queeniecy.com. We are committed to continuous improvement and greatly appreciate your input.

(Mesyuarat mula bersidang pada pukul 2.30 petang)

Yang Dimuliakan Jurutulis​

الرحيم الرحمن الله بسم Mesyuarat Pertama D ari Musim Permesyuaratan Kesembilan Belas Majlis Mesyuarat Negara bersidang pada hari ini, Isnin, 13hb. Syaaban 1444 H bersamaan 6hb. Mac 2023M didahului dengan Doa Selamat.

DOA SELAMAT​

Doa Selamat dibacakan oleh Yang Dimuliakan Begawan Pehin Khatib Dato Paduka Awang Haji Emran bin Haji Kunchang. (Imam Masjid Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien).

MAJLIS MESYUARAT​

Your Honorable Speaker​

اللّٰ ه ِ الرَّ حْ مَٰ ن ِ الرَّ حْ يم ِ بِسْم ُالسَّلام ُ عليْكُم ْ ورحْ مة ُ الله ِ وبركاتُه هِ لِلُألْحمْد kita bersyukur ke hadrat سبحانه الله وتعالى kerana dengan limpah rahmat dan izin-Nya jua kita dapat lagi bersama-sama hadir pada petang ini bersidang bagi hari yang ketiga dalam Mesyuarat Pertama dari Musim Permesyuaratan Kesembilan Belas Majlis Mesyuarat Negara. Selawat serta salam ke atas Junjungan Besar kita ه الله صل حمد م نبي وسلام عليه kaum kerabat, para sahabat serta pengikut-pengikut Baginda yang taat lagi setia hingga ke akhir zaman.

Honorable Members. Last Saturday, (in the afternoon, the meeting of the Legislative Council had finished passing the Notices of Motion) and the meeting had begun discussing Agenda VI Supply Bill (2023) Supply, 2023/2024 which had been proposed by Your Honorable Dato Seri Setia Dr. Awang Haji Mohd. Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II.

The Bill has been read for the first time. Your Honorable Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II has applied for the Bill to be read for the second and third times, namely by suspending the Standing Orders 28 (2) of the Legislative Council.

Therefore, for the reasons that have been stated, I give permission for the Bill entitled: "A Bill to provide for the issue and application of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund for the service of the financial year 2023/2024 and for the appropriation of the moneys for certain purposes" to be read for the second and third times according to Clause 48 (3) of the Constitution of Brunei Darussalam.

I would now like to call upon the Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Minister of Finance and Economy II to present his arguments.

Silakan Your Honorable.

Your Honorable Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Ekonomi II​

Your Honorable Speaker, I would like to express my utmost gratitude for Your Honorable Speaker's permission for me to read the Bill entitled "An Act to provide for the withdrawal of a sum of money from the Consolidated Fund for the service of the financial year 2023/2024 and to appropriate that sum for certain purposes" for the second time.

Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members. The purpose of this Bill is "To authorize the withdrawal of a sum of $5.96 billion from the Consolidated Fund for the service of the financial year 2023/2024 and to appropriate that sum for the purposes specified in the Schedule".

Kaola request permission to briefly explain the preparation of the National Budget for the Financial Year 2023/2024 based on the analysis and evaluation made of the global economic prospects and Brunei Darussalam, the priorities of government spending and the government's financial ability to fund the relevant expenditures.

Alhamdulillah, we thank Allah because with His permission and grace as well as the leadership, wisdom and concern of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the people and residents of this country can continue to enjoy development and progress, security and prosperity in the face of various challenges.

The world has witnessed various extraordinary upheavals such as the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflict and high inflation impact. All this has caused a cost of living crisis in most countries and has a special impact on household spending due to increased energy and commodity costs. Limited supply chain of goods as well as reduction of fiscal incentives related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation has resulted in a prolonged negative impact on global economic performance.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the latest World Economic Outlook report released in January 2023 has predicted the Global Economic Organization to slow down from 3.4% in 2022 to 2.9% in 2023, before recovering to 3.1% for 2024. This is partly due to most countries have reopened borders as well as the resilience of the countries in dealing with the increase in inflation, high energy costs, high interest rates and continuing geopolitical conflicts.

Following this Global Economic Outlook forecast, global demand is also expected to decrease and further affect global trade. Therefore, the IMF through the WEO January 2023 report has forecasted the global trade volume or global trade volume to slow down from 5.4% in 2022 to 2.4% for 2023 before recovering to 3.4% for 2024.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) through the January 2023 report has forecasted the Brent oil price to fall by an average of USD 100.94 per barrel in 2022M to USD 83.10 per barrel in 2023, following an oversupply of global oil production compared to demand.

Your Honorables, Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members.

I would like to share with you the economic performance of the Nation of Brunei Darussalam. The momentum of the economic recovery rate of the country is expected to continue to increase following the reopening of the economy and international borders.

Namun penularan semula pandemik COVID-19 masih menjadi satu risiko beserta risiko global lain yang besar kemungkinan akan menjejaskan situasi ekonomi negara ini. Mengikut laporan suku ketiga tahun 2022, Jabatan Perancangan Ekonomi dan Statistik, Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) Negara Brunei Darussalam, ه ِ لِل ُ ألْحمْد telah mencatatkan pertumbuhan yang positif sebanyak 0.9 % setelah mencatatkan pertumbuhan negatif pada suku pertama dan kedua tahun 2022. Pertumbuhan suku ketiga tahun 2022 ini berikutan peningkatan dalam sektor bukan minyak dan gas sebanyak 4.6% yang didorong oleh peningkatan dalam beberapa subsektor seperti hiliran, kewangan, pengangkutan udara, perdagangan borong dan runcit dan perikanan.

Walau bagaimanapun, sektor minyak dan gas pula mencatatkan penurunan pada kadar 2.7% disebabkan oleh penurunan pengeluaran minyak mentah. Penurunan ini disebabkan antaranya penutupan yang berjadual dan tidak berjadual bagi aktiviti-aktivitimaintenance serta pemulihan pelantar minyak luar pantai.Manakala Pusat Kajian Strategik dan Dasar atauCenter for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) melalui laporan Brunei Economic Outlook 2023 telah pun mengunjurkan ekonomi negara akan berkembang pada kadar 2.6% bagi tahun 2023. Unjuran ini didorong oleh pertubuhan dalam sektor minyak dan gas pada kadar 2% berikutan pengeluaran yang dijangka meningkat setelah aktiviti-aktivitimaintenance selesai dilaksanakan. Manakala aktiviti yang lain dalam sektor bukan minyak dan gas juga dijangka mencatatkan pertumbuhan yang positif pada kadar 2.8% mengambil kira kebanyakan aktiviti ekonomi berkenaan dijangka akan beransur pulih berikutan pembukaan semula sempadan serta pengurangan langkah-langkah pengawalan yang berkaitan dengan endemik COVID-19.

The CSPS also predicts that the country's inflation will decrease to 2.5% by 2023, recording 3.7% in 2022, the highest inflation rate since 1995. This is due to weak global demand and the recovery of the supply chain. In addition, the IMF, Asean +3 Macro Economic Research Office or AMRO and Asean Development Bank (ADB) have predicted positive economic growth for the country of Brunei Darussalam in 2023, respectively at 3.3%, 3% and 3.6%. The forecast took into account the recovery and diversification efforts of the economy, especially the production of downstream oil and gas industry products and activities related to Hengyi Industries Private Limited, Methanol Brunei Company (BMC) and Brunei Fertilizer Industries Private Limited (BFI). Nevertheless, the forecasts that we shared earlier are also subject to several external and internal factors.

Among them are:

  1. The spread of new variants of COVID-19.;
  2. Continued geopolitical pressure that will cause supply chain disruption to high inflation.;
  3. Risk of global economic recession.; and
  4. Uncertainty in the global oil and gas market and the level of oil and gas production in the country.

However, the steps that have been and are being taken by the government with the support of the private sector and all citizens and residents through the Whole Of Government and Whole Of Nation approach have been able to control and reduce the effects or impacts of global economic uncertainty in order to ensure that the country's economy can develop, remain strong and stable.

Several efforts towards diversifying our country's economy have been and will continue to be implemented to help the development and growth of the private sector through the development of local businesses and government linked companies (GLCs) and including efforts to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

In recent years we have seen encouraging developments in the non-oil and gas sector. However, efforts to diversify the economy must continue and be multiplied in that sector through the involvement of the private sector, especially local entrepreneurs (GLCs) and FDI to build a stronger, wider and more sustainable and advanced economic base as desired under the third goal of Brunei Vision 2035, namely a dynamic and sustainable economy.

Therefore, let us all strive harder to achieve the goals under Brunei Vision 2035, which is getting closer to the target period. This has also been decreed by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam in conjunction with the 39th National Day of the Nation of Brunei Darussalam on 23rd February 2023M.

In this regard, the Ministry of Finance and Economy has launched the Economic Blueprint and roadmaps under the food industry, downstream oil and gas industry and maritime services industry, which aim to improve the ecosystem and also local industries can increase their efforts towards strengthening the economic resilience of the country. These blueprints and roadmaps are important for planning and achieving national development in the medium and long term towards achieving the goals of Brunei Vision 2035.

In support of the country's efforts to achieve Brunei Vision 2035, the government remains committed to global action in implementing sustainable development goals for 2030, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's), which is the basis for ensuring that the national development is achieved with the principles of inclusive, fair and sustainable.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Tindakan-tindakan menyokong agenda SDG ’s telah berjaya dalam beberapa aspek contohnya:

  1. Pemantauan perkembangan petunjuk indikator SDG’s, Bengkel K ebangsaan SDG’s.; dan ;
  2. Perkongsian (Partnership) dan program meningkat kesedaran.

Insha Allah lebih banyak tindakan akan dilaksanakan seperti laman sesawang SDG ’s dan meningkatkan kerjasama terutamanya dengan belia.

Di samping itu, negara sedang membuat persiapan bagi menghadapkan laporan Voluntary National Review II keUnited Nation High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development pada bulan Julai 2023. Laporan ini akan mengongsikan kepada masyarakatglobal mengenai kemajuanSDG ’s dari konteks Brunei Darussalam terutamanya Wawasan Brunei 2035.

Your Honorable Speaker dan Ahli-Ahli Your Honorable.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Negara telah memasuki fasa endemik kira-kira setahun yang lalu dan rakyat serta penduduk di negara ini mempunyai tahap imuniti yang tinggi bagi perlindungan masyarakat umum yang diperolehi melalui vaksinasi dan jangkitan semula jadi.

However, the nation must remain vigilant and adapt to the new norms, taking into account the threat of the pandemic has not yet ended in full, including the risk of the discovery of new variants and other infectious diseases.

In this regard, the government will continue to strive to stimulate economic growth, increase fiscal space to continue investment, especially in the health and infrastructure sectors, and improve the social security network so that the country can be ready to effectively address any challenges in the future.

In addition, the government will continue to invest to ensure the welfare and wellbeing of the people and residents of this country to ensure a prosperous life through the provision of quality education and employment opportunities in both the public and private sectors. Furthermore, the government ensures that the people and residents can live comfortably during retirement.

On this occasion, I would like to thank the gracious titah of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam during the Official Opening Ceremony of the First Meeting of the Ninth Session of the Fifteenth Legislative Council Meeting on 2 March 2023 regarding the National Retirement Scheme or SPK, which will be implemented in July 2023.

SPK is the government's effort to improve the existing pension scheme, to replace the Workers' Trust Fund (TAP) and Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SCP). With the SPK scheme, it will further strengthen the social welfare of members during retirement.

The scheme will use the income replacement ratio method or monthly pension based on salary at the time of service which is better at the time of retirement. It will also take into account inflation rates to ensure that members' retirement income is not affected in the future.

This scheme is also more inclusive in that it is not only limited to workers in the public sector, but also the private sector including self-employed. In encouraging workers to be more productive, SPK can provide better benefits with payments that can last a lifetime. At the same time, the protection of benefits for members' dependents has also been expanded.

Since April 2022, SPK briefing sessions have been delivered to almost 13,000 members comprising government and private sector workers. As a result of the briefing, some feedback and input has been received and the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Employees Provident Fund have made some additions to the scheme to further strengthen the benefits for its members.

The updated SPK was then briefed through several consultation sessions starting with members aged 50 to 59 at the International Conference Centre until 22nd March 2023M.

الله ه شاء ان sesi kedua akan diteruskan diHealth Promotion Centre bermula 27 hb. Mac 2023M sehingga 21 hb. April 2023M. Maklumat-maklumat mengenai SPK juga boleh didapati melaluiwebsite dan media social TAP. Setakat inisambutan dan maklum balas dari ahli-ahli yang hadir sangat positif bahawa mereka menghargai penambahbaikan berkenaan, terutama sekali peningkatan i n tuiti semasa mereka bersara nanti.

The second session will continue at the Health Promotion Centre starting on 27th March 2023M until 21st April 2023M. Information about SPK can also be obtained through the TAP website and social media. As of now, the welcome and feedback from the members present are very positive that they appreciate the improvements, especially the increase in intuitiveness when they retire.

Allah willing, this SPK will be updated from time to time continuously for every 3 to 5 years to ensure that it remains relevant and achieves its objectives. Therefore, I encourage members to take the opportunity to attend the SPK consultation sessions to learn more about this new scheme. Your Honorable Speaker and Your Honorable Members. Allow me to share the government's fiscal position for the 2021/2022 Financial Year.

Alhamdulillah, the government's revenue collection has increased by 132.5% to $4.77 billion compared to the 2020/2021 Financial Year due to the increase in world oil prices in 2021 which on a pro rata basis is at a level above USD70 million per barrel.

At the same time, the actual government spending has also increased by 9.2% to $5.78 billion compared to the 2020/2021 Financial Year. Therefore, the government recorded a deficit of $1.01 billion for the 2021/2022 Financial Year.

In terms of the updated government's fiscal position for the 2022/2023 Financial Year, Alhamdulillah, due to the increase in world oil prices, the government's revenue forecast for the 2022/2023 Financial Year has been updated to $6.0 billion. Meanwhile, government spending for the 2022/2023 Financial Year is expected to be $5.9 billion compared to $5.7 billion that has been allocated for the 2022/2023 Financial Year.

However, the proposed Development Expenditure amounted to $237.74 million compared to $350 million that has been approved, among others due to the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the Human Resource Development Program such as the Training Program under MPEC, user requirement and project scope research, tender and appointment of consultants as well as project site suitability.

Taking into account the ability of the ministries to implement the National Development Plan or NDP projects, I am pleased to share the decision of the NDP Supreme Committee chaired by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to extend NDP-11 for another year until the end of the 2023/2024 Financial Year.

This is to enable the ministries to complete the NDP-11 projects that are still being implemented as well as to provide an opportunity for the ministries to re-examine the new projects applied under NDP-12.

Therefore, based on the encouraging revenue collections and expenditure as I shared earlier, the government is expected to record a marginal budget surplus for the Financial Year 2022/2023.

Your Honorable Speaker dan Ahli-Ahli Your Honorable. Seterusnya sukacita kaola mengongsikan bahawa dengan berasaskan unjuran-unjuran serta hala tuju ekonomi dunia pada masa ini dengan mengambil kira tahap pengeluaran minyak negara, anggaran hasil kerajaan bagi Tahun Kewangan 2023/2024 diunjurkan berjumlah $2.99 bilion iaitu $2.03 bilion adalah hasil daripada sektor minyak dan gas dan $952.37 juta adalah hasil dari sektor bukan minyak dan gas. Pecahan hasil-hasil tersebut adalah antaranya:

Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members.

I am pleased to share that based on the forecasts and the current direction of the world economy, taking into account the level of oil production in the country, the government's income estimate for the Financial Year 2023/2024 is expected to be $2.99 billion, of which $2.03 billion is from the oil and gas sector and $952.37 million is from the non-oil and gas sector.

The breakdown of the income is as follows:

  1. Kutipan hasil cukai-cukai yang keseluruhannya berjumlah $335.50 juta,;
  2. Hasil dari yuran, caj dan sewa yang keseluruhannya berjumlah $323.27 juta.;
  3. Hasil pulangan pelaburan dan simpanan sebanyak $236.28 juta ;dan
  4. Hasil yang berlebihan dari badan-badan berkanun sebanyak $40.49 juta.

From the perspective of expenditure, a sum of $5.96 billion has been proposed to finance the expenditure of ministries and government departments, which consists of:

  1. A sum of $2.19 billion to finance the remuneration of civil servants including salaries, allowances and pension payments;
  2. A sum of $2.21 billion is to finance recurrent expenditure;
  3. A sum of $500 million has been allocated for development expenditure to continue projects under the 11th Malaysia Plan; and
  4. The rest is to finance expenditure under the recognized expenditure title.

Therefore, based on the estimated revenue and expenditure that I have mentioned earlier, the government is expected to experience a deficit of about $2.97 billion.

This deficit forecast will be updated from time to time based on the level of oil and gas production, world oil prices, the exchange rate of the US dollar, non-oil and gas sector income and actual government spending.

Your Honorable Speaker dan Ahli-Ahli Your Honorable. I will now move on to the theme of the 2023/2024 National Budget. The theme that has been chosen is: ‘Bersatu Membina Masa Depan Yang Lebih Makmur’ or ‘Building A Prosperous Future Together’. This theme will focus on 3 priorities:

  1. Memelihara Kesejahteraan Awam;
  2. Mendukung Pemu lihan Negara yang Inklusif Dan Berdaya Tahan; dan.;
  3. Pembangunan Modal Insan yang Dinamik, Proaktif Dan Inovatif.

Tema ini dirangka ke arah mengukuhkan lagi kedayatahanan sosioekonomi negara. Kerajaan akan sentiasa berusaha membina asas ekonomi yang berdaya tahan, dinamik dan resilien ke arah pertumbuhan ekonomi yang mampan bagi mencapai Wawasan Brunei 2035.

Oleh itu, sektor kerajaan, sektor swasta serta setiap lapisan rakyat dan penduduk perlulah bersama-sama berganding bahu, memainkan peranan dan tanggungjawab masing-masing demi menjamin kesejahteraan negara yang berpanjangan. Ini juga termasuk penglibatan s yarikat-syarikat berkaitan kerajaan atauGLC ’ s dan juga Syarikat Pelaburan Langsung Asing atau FDI.

In this regard, priority will continue to be given to efforts to diversify and drive national economic growth, improve the business ecosystem and strengthen the competitiveness of the country to attract more quality and sustainable investments to this country in order to create quality jobs for local children especially in the private sector.

The government will also continue to provide high quality and accessible infrastructure that is critical in supporting economic activities and also ensuring the welfare of the people and residents of this country.

In addition, the government will also continue to provide quality and inclusive education to improve the skills of the current and future generations in order to produce local children who are marketable and employable so that they can contribute to national productivity.

Honorable Speaker. I will briefly outline the priorities one by one, including their development and achievements.:

  1. Maintain Public Welfare. The government will continue to give priority to maintain and protect the lives and well-being of the people to ensure the social and economic stability of the state. This includes ensuring the needs and basic services of this country will continue to be channeled and enjoyed by the people and residents, including low-income groups. Therefore, some provisions have been provided under the focus of Maintain Public Welfare:

    1. To ensure the Intergrated Road Network System of $11.3 million with the Planned Price of $926.7 million under RKN-11 and $14.5 million under the Continuous Expenditure will be provided by the Ministry of Development to continue the improvement works, maintenance and improvement of the road network.;

    2. To ensure access to clean water supply in this country, the provision of $34.8 million with the Planned Price of $234.4 million under RKN-11 and $26.4 million under Continuous Expenditure is provided specifically for the Ministry of Development through the Public Works Department to carry out construction works, upgrading and replacement of water supply assets.;

    3. To ensure the stability of the electrical supply network in the country, an allocation of $69.2 million with a Planned Price of $335.7 million under RKN-11 and $83.5 million under Pe r Recurring Expenditure, the Prime Minister's Department is provided to finance upgrading and maintenance works electric infrastructure.; and

    4. To increase access to home ownership as the needs of the population increase, an allocation of $65.1 million with a Planned Price of $195 million under RKN-11 will continue to be provided to build houses under the National Housing Scheme.

In line with the grace of the title of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam regarding the implementation of the SPK beginning in the Financial Year 2023/2024, the allocation provided for contributions is $105.7 million under Kakitanga n Salary for all officers and staff of ministries and government departments.

The government will also give priority to ensuring that people with disabilities enjoy full access and opportunities to participate in society.

With the enforcement of the People with Disabilities (PWD) Order 2021 on 01 October 2021, as of December 2022, a total of 3,800 PWD registration forms have been received by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and will be entered into the National PWD Registration after obtaining approval from the Ministry of Health.

Pihak Jabatan Pembangunan Masyarakat juga sedang dalam perancangan akhir untuk mengeluarkan kad OKU kepada golongan OKU yang telah disahkan dan didaftarkan dalam Pendaftaran Kebangsaan berkenaan.

Bagi tujuan pengesahan identiti OKU serta akses kepada perkhidmatan-perkhidmatan tertentu, manakala dengan penguatkuasaan perintah Akta Pencen Umur Tua Dan Kurang Upaya Pindaan 2021 setakat bulan Disember 2022 seramai 4,755 OKU telah diluluskan untuk menerima Elaun Kurang Upaya. D aripada jumlah itu, seramai 434 orang juga penerima kedua-dua Pencen Umur Tua Dan Elaun Kurang Upaya.

Di samping itu, sebanyak 315 pemohon telah diluluskan untuk menerima Elaun Penyelia Penjagaan mengikut kriteria yang telah ditetapkan. Untuk meringankan beban golongan-golongan tertentu di samping menggalakkan penerima-penerima untuk terus berusaha dan berdikari peruntukan sejumlah $12.6 juta di bawah Jabatan Pembangunan Masyarakat akan terus disediakan bagi membolehkan Bantuan Kebajikan Bulanan dihulurkan.

From the aspect of controlling the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has allocated a total of $798 million so far to deal with the spread of COVID-19 in this country. Among them to finance the purchase of medical equipment such as Respiratory Machines and ICU Ventilators, testing equipment including RT-PCR Kits and Viral RNA Extraction Kits, vaccine supplies and the addition of BruHealth system capacity, consumable goods and other needs.

Priority will continue to be given to strengthen and further strengthen the country's health system to be more resilient, efficient, effective and able to provide high quality services including ensuring the development of the workforce in various health professional disciplines and skilled health workers. Always enough with the current situation.

Today, several initiatives have been implemented to support efforts to further strengthen the country's health system including the Ministry of Health together with the EVYD Technology Company has launched an intelligence hub that will place the Epidemic Intelligence and Response Unit as part of efforts to strengthen the resilience of the health care ecosystem in this country. The same effort has involved an investment of $51 million including for the establishment of the Intelligence Hub and the development of the BruHealth application.

The establishment of Jerudong Park Medical Centre Collage of Health Sciences (JCHS) by Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC) together with Far Eastern University from the Philippines. The establishment of the college aims to produce local residents who are professional and highly skilled in the health sector to meet the needs of the country.

Allow kaola to share the development of Jerudong Park Medical Centre Colle ge of Health Sciences (JCHS) in terms of student enrollment and local labor. A total of 61 students have already followed the foundation program for the first intake for the 2022/2023 Academic Year which began in October 2022.

Meanwhile, for the next intake which is for the 2023/2024 Academic Year which will begin in August 2023, a total of 140 students are expected to follow both the foundation and degree programs. In terms of employment opportunities, especially non-academic positions at Jerudong Park Medical Centre Colle ge of Health Sciences (JCHS), 12 positions have been filled by local labor and the number is expected to increase in the coming years.

Some allocations will also be provided under the Health Sector related to medical services and treatment:

  1. An amount of $ 3 million with a Planned Price of $ 39.8 million will continue to be provided under RKN-11 in providing health infrastructure and facilities in the areas.;

  2. An amount of $ 55 million for the purchase of medicines and $ 45 million for Medical Supplies and Services.;

  3. An amount of $ 30 million is provided to finance Medical Treatment Services at JPMC, Brunei Cancer Center and Brunei Neuroscience, Stroke and Rehabilitation Center.; and

  4. An amount of $ 50 million will continue to be provided specifically to deal with infectious disease outbreaks.

Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members. To overcome the issue of climate change, ّ َ ّ لِل ُ الْحَمْد Brunei Darussalam has played an active role in jointly implementing the Brunei Darussalam Climate Change Policy.

In order to shape the country's direction towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy, the government is very committed and 'on-track' to achieve the commitment targets under the Paris Agreement, namely reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2030.

For the year 2022, the country has successfully reduced greenhouse gas emissions to 11.4 million tons of CO2 compared to the target of 15.82 million tons of CO2. As a mitigation measure, various activities have been carried out in 2022, including tree planting of 42,928 trees, reduction of waste disposal, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial sector, increased renewable energy through the construction of solar projects and reduction of greenhouse gas production from generation and use of energy.

This year, focus will be given to efforts to address climate change issues by implementing adaptation measures through the formulation of the National Adaptation Plan, establishing a carbon pricing framework, the Domestic Voluntary Carbon Offset (DVCO) framework and the Carbon Bill Draft and strengthening the transparency of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory through the National Forest Resource Inventory Project and Directive.

Therefore, all stakeholders should play an active role in shaping the country's direction into a sustainable low-carbon and climate-resilient country, in line with the country's commitment to zero net emissions by 2050.

In addition, several efforts have been undertaken to support the desire and commitment including the establishment of the ASEAN Climate Change Centre (ASEAN Climate Change Centre) in Brunei Darussalam which will function as a body of thinking, knowledge, strategic coordinator and integrator of initiatives and activities of climate action in the ASEAN region.

About $700 thousand a year with a planned price of about $2.1 million was provided to finance the first phase of the establishment of this center. The launch of the first Retail Rapid Charging Station at IBA Oil Station, Lambak by Brunei Shell Marketing Company Limited which can charge electric vehicles in about 30 minutes.

Several provisions have also been provided to deal with natural disasters, including to deal with the risk of natural disasters amounting to $596 thousand with a planned price of $52.8 million provided under the RKN. A sum of $25 million was also provided under the Ministry of Finance and Economy for the management of natural disasters to enable government agencies to work together in dealing with any natural disasters such as flooding, landslides and so on.

Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members of Parliament. The second budget priority is Supporting Inclusive and Resilient Recovery. The government will give priority to efforts to help the development and growth of the private sector by increasing national productivity in the economy sectors that have been identified through local businesses and efforts to attract FDI so that the spillover effects of the activities of the respective companies will be able to offer more business opportunities to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

GLCs and FDIs also play an important role in helping the government make significant investments to develop the country's economy through the provision of employment opportunities to local children, increasing economic activity, contributing to export value and thus supporting this second focus.

Allow me to share the latest developments of several FDI projects that have been operating under priority sectors:

  1. Syarikat Anson International Sendirian Berhad is a joint venture company between Dana Stategic Development Capital with a local company and several international companies, established on 25th of June 2022M. The establishment of the company aims to build and operate a maintenance facility for ships and decommissioning yards.;

  2. Collaboration between Muara Port Company, Ben Line Agencies (B) and Regional Container Lines Pte. Ltd. has launched a new service called Regional East Malaysia Services between East Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore using a container feeder vessel with a capacity of 930 Teu’ s.

    This collaboration will enable Muara Port to develop further as a transshipment destination and strengthen more shipping lanes to Muara Port and subsequently make shipping and logistics costs more competitive.;

  3. Maritime and Port Authority Brunei Darussalam (MPABD) has signed an agreement with Amarco Group Sendirian Berhad for the management and control of Brunei Bay Southern Anchorage on 29th of September 2022M. The facility is expected to begin operating in June 2023. The project will open up job opportunities especially to local residents and subsequently enhance skills in the marine and technical fields in the industry.

PROJECT SYARIKAT HENGYI BRUNEI FERTILIZER INDUSTRIES SENDIRIAN BERHAD

  1. Tawaran Projek ini telah dibuat oleh Syarikat Hengyi Sendirian Berhad (Syarikat Hengyi) kepada Kementerian Kewangan (Kementerian) bagi membina, mengendali dan mengendalikan loji pengeluaran urea di Pulau Muara Besar, Negara Brunei Darussalam (Projek).

  2. Projek tersebut merupakan projek pengeluaran urea pertama di Negara Brunei Darussalam, yang akan menggunakan teknologi pengeluaran urea yang terkini dan paling mesra alam yang akan menghasilkan urea berkualiti tinggi, bersih dan mesra alam.

  3. Projek berkenaan juga dijangka akan dapat menjana peluang ekonomis spin-off kepada syarikat-syarikat tempatan seperti perkhidmatan pilotage, oil supplier, food supply, tank cleaning, pest control, medical services, perkhidmatan tempat tinggal, training courses, garbage and water disposal, repairs and maintenance works on vessels, pengurusan fasiliti dan sebagainya.

  4. Syarikat Hengyi Sendirian Berhad sedang meneliti feasibility studies dan skop pelaksanaan bagi projek fasa kedua yang akan meningkatkan kapasiti penghasilan daripada 8 juta tan matirk setahun kepada 10 juta tan matrik setahun bersamaan dengan 475 ribu tong sehari. Projek bagi kedua-dua fasa tersebut dijangka akan memberi kira-kira sebanyak 3,900 peluang pekerjaan.

  5. Loji Syarikat Brunei Fertilizer Indsutries (BFI) Sendirian Berhad yang telah pun dilancarkan secara rasmi oleh Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam pada 25hb. Februari 2023M telah berjaya menghasilkan lebih daripada 631 ribu tan metrik baja urea semenjak bulan Januari 2022.

By February 2023, BFI has successfully exported 556 thousand tons of steel urea with a revenue of USD322 million to countries in Southeast Asia, East Asia, Australia, East Africa, the United States, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand and Japan.

During the Official Opening Ceremony of the First Meeting of the Nineteenth Session of the State Legislative Council on 2nd March 2023, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has stated that the role of MSMEs is very important in driving national activities taking into account MSMEs forming 97.2% of the total active in this country in 2020.

Therefore, as an effort to develop MSMEs so that they can operate sustainably and competitively, the government through Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) will continue to provide relevant infrastructure and support programs including providing advice to MSMEs. Since 2016, about 15,000 entrepreneurs have been helped through entrepreneurial training, start-up establishment, training on standards to obtain International Standards Certification, co-matching schemes and so on.

In addition, DARe also provides and manages as many as 27 industrial sites and 4 ready-made factories in all four districts to facilitate the way of MSME and FDI companies conducting manufacturing activities.

In implementing the Industrial Road Maps under the Brunei Darussalam Economic Blueprint, the government through the Brunei Economic Development Board is currently negotiating with several Foreign Direct Investment companies and domestic companies to assess and improve some project proposals received to date including proposals related to the Oil and Gas Downstream Sector, Food and Logistics.

In addition, towards generating continuous and sustainable investment channels or investment pipelines, the government is also actively improving efforts to promote investment opportunities through various platforms as well as through Targeted Promotion Programs or through regional and international exhibitions.

To encourage the growth of the private sector or industries to contribute to economic diversification, some provisions will continue to be provided including:

  1. $6.3 million under the control of AKDT (Temburong District Development Authority) for development projects in Temburong District is expected to facilitate and increase investment and generate some spin-off activities that can help MSMEs and also generate opportunities for work in the area; and

  2. To help and encourage entrepreneurs and farmers to further develop and improve the agricultural and agri-food industry, an allocation of $500,000 will continue to be provided under the Agricultural and Agri-food Incentive Scheme, especially to finance expenditures including the purchase of steel, pesticides, equipment and machinery.

Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members. As we have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, our country is no exception from facing the challenges of rising prices of goods driven by increased transportation and logistics costs, rising prices of raw materials and export restrictions from producer countries which certainly affect global supply.

Therefore, taking into account the fact that this country imports about 70% of goods, especially food from abroad, the government will continue to give priority to efforts to further increase domestic production, especially from the Agricultural, Fisheries and Livestock Sectors.This is important to ensure that the country's food supplies are always guaranteed and will not affect the recovery of the economy and the well-being of the people in the face of rising cost of living. To support efforts to increase productivity and production in the agricultural and fisheries sectors, several efforts have been carried out, including:

  1. Syarikat Paddy Co Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary under Darussalam Assets Sdn. Bhd., was established on 25th. July 2019M to manage the Large Scale Paddy Planting Project in the Kandol Agricultural Development Area (KKP), Labi, Kuala Belait. Since the first planting in 2019, the paddy planting area in the Kandol Agricultural Development Area (KKP) has increased from 8.23 hectares to 68.23 hectares in July 2022M. The paddy planting area is expected to increase to 173.23 hectares by mid-2023.

  2. The signing of the contract agreement for the Design, Supply, Install, Testing and Commissioning of New Rice Mill, Paddy Dryer and Storage for Wasan Rice Processing Complex was held on 10 August 2022. The facility is expected to be completed by June 2023 and is expected to be able to improve the quality and quantity of paddy storage and allow for paddy milling and rice packaging more efficiently. ;

  3. Barramundi Group (B) Sdn. Bhd. has already achieved its target for 2022 for the farming of 100 metric tons of Barramundi fish in this country and has begun exporting to the Republic of Singapore starting in the third quarter of 2022 and some of them have also been sold in the domestic market. ;

  4. Gropoint Sdn. Bhd. is a company that produces high-tech fishery products and has a production capacity of 3,500 to 5,000 metric tons per year. The company is expected to build its factory in the first quarter of 2023; and

  5. ُ أَلْحَمْد ّٰ لِل, Negara Brunei Darussalam through Golden Chick Livestock Sdn. Bhd., has successfully exported around 300,000 eggs to the Republic of Singapore for the first time. In this regard, the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism will continue to work with foreign authorities and entrepreneurs to coordinate, plan and prepare accordingly to export fresh chicken and meat-based products and agricultural and fishery products to be exported to the Republic of Singapore and other countries.

In line with these efforts, the following allocations will be provided in order to achieve rapid and sustainable growth in agricultural and fisheries output as well as food security:

  1. To further increase rice production, an allocation of $9.3 million will be provided under the Rice Buy-Back Scheme as well as for the purchase of hybrid rice seeds to be distributed to paddy farmers;

  2. An allocation of $6 million with an estimated cost of $36 million under RKN-11 for the Commercial Paddy Planting Area Development in the Kandol area, Belait District;

  3. An allocation of $4.5 million with an estimated cost of $26 million under RKN-11 for the Livestock Industry Development Project to increase production including the provision of electricity in the Merangking Agricultural Development Phase 1 area, Belait District and the Livestock Disease Research, Analysis and Reference Programme Laboratory; and

  4. An allocation of $118 thousand with an estimated cost of $15 million under RKN-11 for the development and opening of aquaculture industrial sites including the provision of basic infrastructure.

While this is happening, the government will continue to prioritize providing access to high-quality and safe digital infrastructure, encourage innovation and create ecosystems and offer training to improve skills to ensure that the country is ready to take advantage of digital technology.

In support of the country's aspirations to become a smart nation, the Digital Economy Master Plan 2025 launched by the Digital Economy Council in June 2020, has provided a framework for developing plans to support the development of the Digital Economy through a Whole of Nation Approach. The master plan has identified three key flagship projects that will be the main pillars in realizing overall digital transformation. The latest developments for the three flagship projects are as follows:

  1. Under the National Information Hub (NIH) project that acts as a general data repository has been launched and has been in use since June 2021. So far, 10 Data Providers and 11 Data Users consisting of relevant government agencies have used the platform. In 2023, there are 16 government and non-government agencies including financial institutions that are expected to join it.

  2. Under the Digital Identity Project, which is an improvement of the existing e-Darussalam system at this time and is expected to be implemented and used this year. This project will use digital identity verification for login purposes for several government services. The service will also be extended to the business sector through integration with the National Business Services Platform to enable the business sector to process business transactions digitally.; and

  3. The Digital Payment Hub Project is the provision of a platform that allows the integration of various existing payment systems and will enable users to make digital payments more easily and quickly. This project is expected to be implemented and used at the end of this year subject to acceptance or adoption by local banks.

In order to accelerate the digitalisation efforts under the Digital Economy Master Plan 2025, the Digital Economy Council through the Smart Nation Office is currently implementing action plans to support the development of four main strategic pillars under the Master Plan, namely Government Digitization, Industry Digitalization, Thriving ICT Industry and Manpower and Talent Development which includes the development of several initiatives, programs and projects until 2025 and Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) to handle and measure their efficiency and effectiveness as a whole.

Selain itu, beberapa inisiatif telah dilaksanakan ke arah mendukung usaha-usaha di bawah keutamaan kedua iaitu:

  1. Sistem Operasi Marin (Marine-M) yang dilancarkan oleh Darussalam Pilotage Services Sdn Bhd (DPS) adalah sistem pengendalian marin secara digital dengan menggunakan prosedur teras, operasi dan penyatamelalui teknologi mudah alih sistem digital. ;

  2. Pelancaran projek Unified Smart Metering System (USMS) secara komersial bagi kedua-dua Meter Elektrik Pintar dan Meter Air Pintar dengan sasaran bilangan lebih daripada 250 ribu meter di seluruh negara termasuk kedai-kedai dan gedung-gedung perniagaan dalam tempoh lima tahun. Ia bertujuan menggalakkan dan memacu bekalan dan penggunaan utiliti yang lebih cekap dan mesra pelanggan.; dan

  3. Pihak Unified National Networks Sdn. Bhd. atau UNN bersama beberapa syarikat telekomunikasi antarabangsa telah menandatangani perjanjian untuk melabur bersama dalam sebuah sistem kabel dasar laut di Asia Tenggara yang bernilai USD300 juta. Ini untuk meningkatkan kapasiti data di rantau Asia Tenggara dan menaikkan taraf kapasiti tempatan yang mana dijangka siap menjelang suku ketiga tahun 2025.

To enable the relevant agencies to support the efforts under this priority, some provisions will continue to be provided:

  1. A total of $ 1.9 million with a Planned Price of $ 15 million under RKN-11 for the Government Data Center and Cloud Infrastructure, namely to upgrade and develop the government data center infrastructure to accommodate the needs of computing resources for applications and online services of ministries and government departments;

  2. A total of $ 2 million with a Planned Price of $ 4 million under RKN-11 for the National Education Management System including the provision of the Central Admission System and database for managing the entry of students to all institutions of higher education under the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs digitally;

  3. To support the transformation and research of digital health care, some provisions will be provided under the Ministry of Health, namely a total of $ 18 million to finance the BruHealth System Phase II and II I and a total of $ 3.4 million for Bru-HIMS Level 1, 2 & 3 Support and Maintenance Service.; and

The amount of $127.8 million for the Information Technology allocation under the Recurring Expenditure of the Ministries in its entirety including for the purpose of funding the IT Central Procurement (ITCP) project and software licenses for all ministries and government departments.

Your Honour the Speaker and Honorable Members. At the global level, the government will also continue to intensify efforts in economic cooperation which includes trade and investment with international partners. This is aimed at opening up more market access and export market networks to help local businesses export to overseas markets. In addition, it is also hoped that it will improve the image of Negara Brunei Darussalam as a more attractive and competitive investment destination.

Towards that direction, several efforts have been implemented through the signing of agreements that have been and will be signed such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP); Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF); and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

In this case, I urge local MSMEs to explore and utilize facilities under existing agreements and subsequently join regional and global value chains.

In addition, several MOUs have been signed with several strategic partner countries including the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the Republic of Singapore covering cooperation to enhance economic growth, trade, tourism, investment, agriculture, energy, training, education, medicine, nutrition, transportation and others.

Through these strategic agreements, it is hoped that close relations can be established with these countries, especially in the fields of cooperation expertise and sources that can be utilized such as from the aspects of higher education, tourism, science and technology and others.

The public service also plays an important role in driving economic activities and supporting the country's economic recovery. Therefore, government agencies are advised to examine the suitability of exploring certain renewal initiatives to improve the level and quality of services in a more efficient manner.

Such steps will directly improve public sector productivity and further ensure public service can move forward more innovatively and creatively to lead development agendas through a whole-of-nation approach to achieve the goals of Brunei Vision 2035.

Towards that end, a sum of $500 thousand with a Projected Cost of $50 million under RKN-11 will be provided to expand the capabilities of the Bru-HIMS 2.0 System by introducing key features namely the Intelligent Electronic Medical Record (EMR) System, Intelligent Care Plan and Clinical Pathway Recommendation as well as a structured data system.

The system will be able to provide health risk assessment, predict diagnosis and Personal Care Plan formation, collect data in a structured manner to improve data quality and diversify the capabilities of other application systems.

In addition, a sum of $148 thousand with a Projected Cost of $5 million under RKN-11 will be provided for the ‘MOD Integrated Platform’ project to improve coordination among departments under the Ministry of Development, strengthen operational and process structures towards the efficient delivery of public services.

Scope of work includes the provision of Land Registration System that is able to contribute data to the National Data Warehouse, especially ‘Land Hub’. In addition, the system will allow the public to make payments online or online payment.

Selain itu, sejumlah $400 ribu dengan Harga Rancangan $5.8 juta di bawah RKN-11 akan terus disediakan bagi projek Sistem Aset dan Infrastruktur Kerajaan bagi membangunkan sebuah sistem pengurusan aset yang merangkumi penyimpanan data bagi aset kerajaan dan modul-modul logistik yang menyeluruh.

Manakala, sejumlah $406 ribu dengan Harga Rancangan $12.3 juta di bawah RKN-11 untuk menyediakan platform bagi National Registration System dan Biometric Border Control System.Ia akan menggantikan Sistem Pengeluaran Kad Pengenalan Pintar, Smart-ID System; Birth, Death and Adoption System; dan diintegrasikan dengan sistemVisa dan Pass.

Manakala bagi membangun keupayaan dan kapasiti perkhidmatan awam ke arah penyampaian perkhidmatan yang cemerlang, peruntu kan sejumlah $41.3 juta akan terus disediakan di bawah peruntukan Peningkatan K emahiran dan Kapasiti di kementerian-kementerian.

Your Honorable Speaker dan Ahli-Ahli Your Honorable.

Fokus belanjawan yang ketiga i alah Pembangunan Modal Insan yang Dinamik, Proaktif dan Inovatif. Kerajaan akan terus memberikan keutamaan terhadap usaha-usaha untuk meningkatkan prestasi dan kualiti sistem pendidikan, mengukuhkan pendidikan teknikal dan vokasional termasuk peningkatan dari aspek keupayaan tenaga pengajar, serta latihan profesional, dengan matlamat untuk meningkatkan kecekapan serta melahirkan tenaga kerja yang berkemahiran, profesional dan berkeupayaan tinggi.

Ini bagi memastikan penyesuaian berterusan terhadap perubahan persekitaran ekonomi serta penyelarasan modal insan dengan keperluan pasaran pekerjaan di negara ini.

Bagi men yejajarkan perancangan tenaga manusia denganmarketability dan employability anak tempatan untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan yang sustainable dan gainful, Manpower Industry Steering Committee (MISC) telah ditubuhkan sebagai satu platform untuk mendukung visiManpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC ).MISC juga akan menyelaras antara industri, institusi pendidikan dan institusi latihan ke arah memenuhi permintaan industri serta memastikan bekalan sumber manusia yang mencukupi pada waktu yang tepat.

The private sector involvement through 71 companies that have been appointed as member of MISC Working Groups for the sectors of energy, construction, ICT, hospitality and tourism, and transport and logistics, plays an important role in providing feedback on the needs of labor and training according to the perspective of each industry.

Apart from providing skills development initiatives, MPEC has also introduced the Program Jati Diri (PJD) to strengthen the resilience, integrity, discipline and responsibility of the local youth so that they are more ready to enter the world of work or job-ready.

This program is compulsory for all local youth who follow the iSkills program in the field of welding, scaffolding, rigging, mark and fitting as well as blasting-painting as these jobs will require a high level of resilience, discipline and work commitment.

MPEC also provides Salary Guideline in the private sector as an important step to ensure job seekers and local workers receive salaries that are appropriate according to their skills and productivity at each level of the career ladder.

The guidelines serve to assist the private sector in creating a competitive and attractive salary package to enable the locals to obtain meaningful and maintainable employment. This will further enhance the individual's career in the profession they are pursuing. The private sector Salary Guideline contains 22 job families, which is based on the main demand of the industry.

Several special initiatives to enhance the employability of local job seekers, including those with low qualifications, have also been introduced. These initiatives are like Skills training programs, iLeap and TVET Scheme that have been provided for the group concerned to enhance skills especially in technical fields and further become added value in the relevant sector.

The Industry Learn And Excel Apprenticeship or iLEAP program was launched in August 2022, which was jointly organized by MPEC and the Energy MISC-Working Group in collaboration with the Lifelong Learning Centre and the Brunei Technical Education Institute (IBTE) to provide opportunities to existing local workers in the energy sector to enhance skills by obtaining recognized qualifications in technical fields.

In August 2020, the SkillsHub was launched by the Energy MISC-Working Group, the Lifelong Learning Centre and the relevant industries to provide a platform that gathers training supply from operators and local industrial companies. It aspires to provide lifelong learning opportunities for local workforce.

Brunei ICT Industry Competency Framework (BIICF) was launched in August 2020 by the ICT MISC-Working Group which aims to ensure that local ICT professionals have relevant ICT competencies to carry out their tasks and guide them with the required skills that are in line with the industry's requirements.

The framework also aims to provide competency standards to higher education institutions and training providers, which will be a reference in planning their respective curriculum and training programs.

For the provision of local workers with specialised skills, especially in the engineering field, Hengyi Industries Sdn.Bhd. has offered scholarship programs including industrial training to 802 students as follows:

  1. 167 students from UBD were awarded scholarships in the field of Process Engineering and Chemistry in collaboration with UBD and Zhejiang University, where the program also included industrial training at the Zhejiang Hengyi Petrochemical Co. Ltd. petrochemical plant in the People's Republic of China for 6 months. 91 graduates from UBD have begun working for the company.;

  2. 211 students from the Brunei Technical Education Institute (IBTE) were awarded scholarships in the field of Chemical Engineering in collaboration with the Lanzhou Petrochemical Polytechnic College, People's Republic of China. 30 IBTE graduates have begun working for the company and 31 students have received a Conditional Offer of Employment.; and

  3. Meanwhile, 424 students are pursuing a Level 5 Diploma at the Brunei Polytechnic, a collaboration program between the Brunei Polytechnic and the Lanzhou Petrochemical Polytechnic College (LPP). 254 students have been awarded a Conditional Offer of Employment.

In addition, Politeknik Brunei has collaborated with the Ministry of Health to offer a Level 5 Diploma in Diabetes Nurse Educator (DNE) Program to further enhance the knowledge and skills of nurses.

In order to increase research activities in this country, the Bio-inspiration Science and Technology Laboratory between UBD and Virginia Tech, United States has been launched to enable researchers from both sides to take advantage of the country's rich bio-diversity, in promoting more advanced or advanced bio-inspired engineering and digital technology.

In addition, the Ministry of Health and EVYD Technology have signed an MoU with the National University of Singapore, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health as a collaboration to strengthen the health system including health policies, academic and scientific activities.

As an effort to improve skills and business growth for MSMEs, especially for local youth, the Youth Business Pitch 2022 Program which has been launched by Youth Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Community and Outreach. The program aims to provide opportunities for youth to be active in the field of entrepreneurship and businesses that have the potential to be developed and strengthened towards supporting the youth entrepreneurship ecosystem in this country.

In addition, the traders under the One Village One Product (1K1P) program will also be given courses and skills training, especially in business matters to give them exposure and develop the competencies of traders in managing their respective businesses. The courses and training will be able to support the development of 1K1P product income, branding and marketing not only in the domestic market but also for export opportunities abroad.

In addition, Universiti Brunei Darussalam through the School of Business and Economics has succeeded in being accepted as a member of the Babson Collaborative for Entrepreneurship Education. This will help improve teaching methods, research and consulting capabilities, especially in entrepreneurship education.

Therefore, I urge youth in this country to seize these opportunities to increase skills through various platforms that have been provided by the government or the private sector and various relevant agencies.

To strengthen the access to education, the total allocation of $19.8 million with the projected cost of $195.4 million under the RKN-11 will continue to be provided for the provision of infrastructure for primary, secondary and religious schools as well as higher education institutions including the Campus of Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) in Temburong District, Ikas Bandung Polytechnic Campus.

To improve employability and capacity building as well as skills training towards strengthening quality and quality achievement of national education, a total of $42.8 million will continue to be provided for the control of scholarships in the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to provide opportunities for students to pursue higher education at top institutions in the world.

In addition, a total of $44.7 million will be provided for Educational Services under the Ministry of Education specifically to finance the recruitment of teachers and teachers including Centre for British Teachers or CFBT to improve student achievement levels throughout the country.

In an effort to provide equal opportunities for education in the country and to ensure that all students have access to education and avoid dropouts, an allocation of $1.9 million will be provided under the control of the Ministry of Finance and Economy, specifically for the provision of School Allowance for Special Needs Students to Students with Special Needs to ensure that they receive more comprehensive care and education in certain private special schools.

In addition, an allocation of $1.5 million will continue to be provided to administer the ناجاه ميفتاهون سکيم to ease the burden of parents and guardians who are less able to buy the needs of students' schooling.

Towards efforts to provide advanced local labor force in line with the needs of the current and future job and industry fields, an allocation of $20 million will be provided under the MPEC, Prime Minister's Department for the control of i-Ready, Skillsplus, SPIN and Tradeskills programs.

In line with the efforts to promote research and development activities as well as to encourage creative ideas and innovation, a sum of $ 2.3 million will continue to be provided under the Ministry of Education to fund the cost of research to be carried out by public higher education institutions.

In addition to the allocations I just shared, the government also provides an allocation of $ 27.5 million under the Focus Project specifically to fund programs or projects that are aimed at supporting the focus of the national budget.

That's what I share about the priorities, developments and achievements as well as the allocations that will be provided under the three budget focuses towards supporting the theme of the budget for the 2023/2024 Financial Year, which is "Bersatu Membina Masa Depan Yang Lebih Makmur" or "Building A Prosperous Future Together".

Right Honorable Speaker and Right Honorable Members. Although the global economic climate is still uncertain throughout 2023, the government will continue to improve efforts to ensure a sustainable economy and development in the long term.

I hope that this budget will be able to help the public and private sectors in overcoming the current global economic challenges, especially in generating more job opportunities for our children.

However, all parties must realize that the government's ability to continue with development projects and programs depends on the country's ability to obtain more sustainable sources of income in the medium and long term.

Therefore, I once again urge the public and private sectors to continue to work together to further diversify economic activities, further implement projects under the Public-Private Partnership, and increase efforts to attract more Foreign Direct Investment, in order to increase the country's productivity and open up more job opportunities for our children.

Hard work and cooperation from all parties are needed to maintain the well-being and prosperity of the country so that it can be enjoyed continuously by future generations.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Honorable Speaker and honorable members. Before I end this presentation, let us together pray that our country will always be progressive, safe and prosperous under the leadership of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Negara Brunei Darussalam, and with the permission of Allah SWT, will always be a country of remembrance with full blessings under His protection, آمّ يّن.

I propose that the Bill presented before us be supported to be made into "Satu Undang-Undang Perbekalan Negara Yang Dikeluarkan Dari Peruntukan Kumpulanwang Yang Disatukan bagi maksud-maksud yang tertentu", for the Financial Year 2023/2024.

That is all, وبالله التوفيق والهدا ُية. و السَّلام ُ عليْكُم ْ ورحْ مة ُ الله ِ وبركاتُه

Your Honorable Speaker​

Honorable Members. We have already heard the presentation made by the honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II specifically on the Supply Bill he has presented, which he has made with full dedication, in detail and carefully.

Before we talk about this law, I'd like to hear from anyone who supports the law.

Your Honorable Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Pertahanan II​

Your Honorable Speaker dan Ahli-Ahli Your Honorable. Kaola menyokong sepenuhnya akan cadangan daripada Your Honorable Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Ekonomi II. Terima kasih Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Ahli-Ahli Your Honorable. Rang Undang-Undang yang bergelar; “Suatu Akta untuk membekalkan sejumlah wang dari Kumpulanwang Yang Disatukan bagi Perkhidmatan Tahun Kewangan 2023/2024 dan untuk memperuntukkan wang yang tersebut itu bagi maksud-maksud yang tertentu”, telah sebagaimana saya nyatakan selesai dibentangkan dengan komprehensif dan panjang lebar dan penuh teliti oleh Your Honorable Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Ekonomi II, yang telah mendapat sokongan daripada Your Honorable Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Pertahanan II.Ahli-Ahli Your Honorable. Bagi membolehkan peluang kepada Ahli-Ahli Your Honorable mengkaji inti pati kenyataan yang telah disampaikan oleh Your Honorable Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan dan Ekonomi II, saya kira berpatutan sekarang bagi kita untuk menangguhkan mesyuarat kita ini dan kita akan bersidang semula pada keesokkan harinya, Selasa, 7 hb. Mac 2023M seperti biasa mulai daripada pukul 9.30 pagi, sekian.

ADJOURNED​

(The meeting adjourned)

info

The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only. While we strive to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.

Through this website, you may be able to link to other websites which are not under our control. We have no control over the nature, content, and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.

Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, we take no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.