DAY 5 MORNING
8TH MARCH 2023 - MORNING
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(The meeting began at 9.30 am)
Clerk
بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيمThe First Meeting of the Nineteenth Session of the National Assembly is held on this Wednesday, 15th of Syaaban 1444H, corresponding to 8th of March 2023M, preceded by a Prayer of Safety.
PRAYER OF SAFETY
The Prayer of Safety is recited by Your Honorable Begawan Pehin Khatib Dato Paduka Awang Haji Emran bin Haji Kunchang (Imam of Masjid Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien).
Your Honorable Speaker
ُالرحْ يم السَّال ُم عل ْي ُك ْم ورحْ مةُ هللاِ وبركاتُه الرحْ َٰم ِن ّٰللا ِبس ِْم ه ألح ْمدُ ِ هّلِلWe thank Allah for His mercy that we are able to gather here this morning on the fifth day of the First Meeting of the Nineteenth Session of the National Assembly.
May peace and blessings be upon our great leader "سيدنا محمد صلى هللا عليه وسلم", his family, companions, and followers who remain loyal until the end of time.
Your Honorable Members. The National Assembly is still discussing the Supply Bill (2023), 2023/2024 which was proposed by Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Minister of Finance and Economy II.
To enable us to examine the next topics in the Bill, I would like to adjourn the National Assembly and convene as a Committee.
(The National Assembly is adjourned)
(The meeting continues as a Committee)
Your Honorable Speaker
"بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم" Your Honorable Members, we are now convening as a Committee to consider the Supply Bill (2023), 2023/2024 one by one, which was proposed by Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Minister of Finance and Economy II.
At the meeting held yesterday evening, we began discussing some of the topics under the Prime Minister's Department, namely topics SA01A to SA07A.
Several of Your Honorable Members participated in the discussion of these topics. Before I open the floor for further discussion, I would like to give the floor to Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Minister of Defense II to make a statement to further explain some of the issues raised yesterday in this Committee Meeting. I invite Your Honorable Minister to speak.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
ِان ش َاء هللاGood morning and greetings to everyone present here today. I will try to answer the questions posed by Your Honorable Pehin, which I promised to do yesterday. The questions were asked by Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim, and among them was a question about the essence of JPM Program 002/000 Government Policy Management, where JPM implements digital transformation, an important program for strengthening public administration, avoiding inconsistencies in public services in making decisions, speeding up public processes, supporting sustainable and competitive economies. Your Honorable further asked:
What are the renewal programs that have been implemented, especially in the comprehensive transformation of public services?
How does JPA monitor and measure the effectiveness and impact on public services as a whole? What specific KPIs have been identified?;
Has a third-party assessment been conducted to obtain feedback on the programs implemented, especially the impact on the ground?;
Does this program involve human resource management, talent management, and succession planning?; and
Issues related to productivity in government organizations are closely related to the delivery system, and public service management addresses productivity issues. A transparent, accurate, and reliable program will create a conducive and pro-business environment to achieve Wawasan Brunei 2035 and overcome challenges. If the workforce is efficient and has integrity, it will help the country become resilient and competitive. What are the latest programs implemented to improve the productivity of public services?
These were some of the questions posed by Your Honorable Pehin yesterday, and I will try to provide answers that will enlighten and hopefully be beneficial.
Thank you, Your Honorable Pehin, for asking questions, and to other Honorable Members and attendees present in this august House.
As for the answer, among the main programs implemented and planned that aim to transform public services and subsequently support efforts to effectively deliver services to the public include the Public Sector Performance Grading Program (3PSA), Customer e-Care (EPP), Work System Transformation (TSK), and Prime Innovation Award (AIP).
Allow me to provide some insight into these programs, although I have made some additions to the introduction of the presentation.
The Public Sector Performance Grading Program (3PSA) is a method of measuring the level of performance of a government agency and at the same time enabling recognition or appreciation through the application of stars to government agencies that have tried and succeeded in implementing good governance.
Some of the positive impacts of 3PSA on public services are as follows:
It encourages a results-oriented approach and healthy competition among government agencies.
It is an effective check and balance method for assessing the level and quality of service delivery of agencies that can be used as a benchmark that needs to be maintained and improved from time to time.
Regarding Customer e-Care, EPP is a flagship system in the form of a web application to address the challenges of public service in implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. EPP will also become a mandatory M&E platform for government agencies. This program also supports, among others, government digitalization initiatives and the Brunei Darussalam Economic Blueprint, which is in line with the sixth aspiration of good governance and public service excellence.
Some of the benefits of the EPP system include promoting a monitoring culture in public services and enabling the setting of outcome-based, result-oriented targets, as well as improving interaction between the public and the government to support the implementation of government policies (regular public engagement) or public approach (RPA).
Transformasi Sistem Kerja (TSK) is a new program introduced by MSD that combines methods of improving service delivery systems such as Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Business Process Improvement (BPI), and Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS).
It aims to improve the current work system to a better, more effective and efficient work system to produce quality services and high impact by focusing on two main areas:i. Processing includes referred work procedures to find ways or directions that can facilitate work; and
ii. Customers include ways to simplify applications such as reducing supporting documents and repetitive filling and increasing customer satisfaction levels.
Next, regarding the Prime Innovation Award (AIP), which is a special award program to provide recognition and appreciation for ministries and government departments collectively and individually who have successfully implemented efforts to improve and innovate in public services in Brunei Darussalam. With this award, it will be able to accelerate innovation efforts towards achieving Brunei Vision 2035.
One of the positive impacts of the Anugerah Inovasi Perdana is:
Improving the delivery of public services through the application of infocomm technology and specific methods such as delivery approach, engineering, BPR work processes and procedures, and others; and
Enhancing integrity, transparency, accountability, and responsiveness in the management of public services.
As for the second question from Your Honorable Pehin regarding the role of JPA in monitoring and measuring the effectiveness and impact on public services as a whole, I would like to share that one of the approaches to improving public services is by building the capacity of public servants, especially at the leadership level.
Therefore, JPA has and will continue to implement the Civil Service Leadership Pipeline (CSLP) program, a leadership program to provide a leadership pool from among officers from Grade II and above to assist in strategic human resource planning in the public service.
So far, more than 968 officers from Grade II and above have been listed in the Leadership Pool (CSLP) since its introduction in 2016.
Based on feedback received from participants, these leadership programs have helped improve their own leadership, team, and organizational performance. The effectiveness of these CSLP development programs has also been measured through special evaluation forms submitted to the relevant departments to assess the performance improvement of officers after attending the programs, and this evaluation approach will be updated from time to time. The KPI identified in CSLP is the number of officers who have achieved high standards through excellent performance grades, which is 80% and above for the year 2022.
As for the third question from Your Honorable Pehin regarding third-party assessments to obtain feedback on the effectiveness of the programs, especially the impact on the ground, this is planned to be implemented through the EPP program as mentioned earlier by the speaker.
Regarding capacity-building programs, the Institute of Public Service has conducted an impact study on 21 programs selected for evaluation by participants and their supervisors after 6 to 9 months of participating in IPA programs. Findings from the CSLP leadership program, for example, showed that 62% of supervisors stated that their officers showed an increase in work productivity, and 58.6% showed an increase in work process efficiency in their department. IPA will continue to collaborate with other departments to obtain feedback to assess the effectiveness of the programs attended, including expanding the assessment scope to other programs under CSLP such as EDPSGO and EDPMMO.
At the same time, the suggestions of Your Honorable Pehin were well received by the Prime Minister's Department and, God willing, will be studied and appropriate action will be taken to ensure the effectiveness of the relevant programs. Fourthly, regarding questions related to programs involving Human Resource Management, talent management, and succession planning, it is pleased to inform that the scope of work of the 3PSA program includes related areas, namely:
- Strategy and implementation.
- Policy and implementation.
- Human resources.
- Customer care.
Regarding the fifth question, on the productivity of the public service, in addition to the programs that have been mentioned earlier such as 3PSA, e-Customer Care, in 2024 through the Public Service Institute under the 2021-2025 action plan, ASEAN Cooperation on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM) 2021-2025, the Public Service Institute will collaborate with ASEAN countries to develop a specific productivity measurement framework for the public sector. With the existence of specific standards and uniform measurement methods, it is hoped that productivity in the public sector can be measured or at least used as a guide and make comparisons among ASEAN countries.
That is all that Your Honorable Pehin can convey in providing some enlightenment to the suggestions and questions that have been expressed by Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim. Thank you, Your Honorable Pehin.
Your Honorable Speaker
Honorable Members, I also understand that Your Honorable Minister of Home Affairs, Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin, would like to provide some explanations or clarifications regarding some issues that were raised yesterday. I invite Your Honorable Minister to speak.
Your Honorable Minister of Home Affairs
Thank you, Your Honorable Pehin, بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم السَلم عليكم ورحمة هللا وبركاته and greetings.
I am pleased to respond to the questions and suggestions raised by Honorable Members yesterday, especially regarding opportunities for locals to fill job vacancies.
I am pleased to explain the role of the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Labour Department, which has collaborated with the Job Centre Brunei (JCB) by obtaining confirmation that job vacancies cannot be filled by locals before any application for foreign worker permits is considered or approved, specifically to provide opportunities for locals to fill job vacancies that have been identified as potentially suitable for locals.
In sha Allah, the Department of Labour will always cooperate with the Manpower Planning Employment Council Secretariat (MPEC) in formulating and implementing policies related to labor in this country to support Brunei Vision 2035.
That is all I can convey as a question, suggestion voiced by Your Honorables. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
Thank you, Your Honorable Minister of Home Affairs. I believe there are no more Members who wish to discuss this topic, so it is appropriate now to vote on Topics SA01A to SA07A.
Honorable Members who agree to pass these topics, please raise your hand.
(All Members raise their hands in agreement)
Thank you. It seems that all Members agree, so Topics SA01A to SA07A are passed.
Deputy Clerk
Topics SA01A to SA07A are included in the schedule of the Prime Minister's Department. Topics SA08A to SA16A.
Your Honorable Speaker
Honorable Members, now the committee is discussing some more topics under the Prime Minister's Department, namely Topics SA08A to SA16A.
Now these topics are open for discussion. There are some Honorable Members here who want to make statements or ask questions about these topics.
I now invite Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohamad Danial to start our discussion.
Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohamad Danial @ Tekpin bin Ya’akub
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم السَلم عليكم ورحمة هللا وبركاته
أ ْلح ْمدُ ِ هّلِلfirst of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks for the introduction given by Your Honorable regarding the Prime Minister's Department. Your Honorable Speaker, I am pleased to raise a question regarding SA14A Public Service Commission.
There have been several complaints received from the public regarding issues with job applications through the PSCR 2.0 portal, which sometimes does not function fully in uploading application data, causing the public to have to come to the SPA office but they also face the same problem. This situation will have a negative impact on the quality of services provided to the public.
Your Honorable Speaker, I would like to know if the SPA is aware of these issues and if there are alternative methods as a backup in case of any prolonged system down, and if any surveys are conducted to obtain feedback from the public regarding the effectiveness of the system as a guide towards improving services. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. I would also like to thank Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohamad Danial @ Tekpin bin Ya'kub for the question regarding the Public Service Commission earlier, namely about complaints from the public regarding the PSC Recruitment 2.0 portal. As an answer, among others, PSCR 2.0 went live on September 7, 2021.
It serves to replace the old PSCR 1.0 system. Among the objectives of building this new PSCR 2.0 system is to further enhance the ease of features in the system for the use of users, namely applicants and business users, so that the system is of higher quality and user-friendly, including in terms of completing applicant profiles for any job vacancy applications.
Regarding the ease of applicants completing their profiles, several improvements have been made during the construction of the new PSCR 2.0 system:
Higher hardware and software server specifications compared to the old PSCR system that can process applicant data faster and more efficiently.
The applicant profile module in PSCR 2.0 is designed so that applicants can fill in their information more easily, without affecting their chances of applying for any advertised job vacancies.
The document upload feature has also been improved by upgrading the server to make it faster for applicants to upload any documents.
Several notifications have been made to the public regarding the procedure for completing their profiles, including how to upload documents such as accepted file types and size limits.
For your information, regarding the backup system, all PSCR 2.0 data is stored in the One Government Private Cloud 3.0 or OGPC 3.0 server, which is maintained by EGNC and is understood to function as a hosting and backup as well as a natural disaster protector.
SPA continuously receives feedback from users regarding the effectiveness of PSCR 2.0, and the public always raises questions or complaints through various channels such as the PSCR 2.0 itself, by using my complaint space, the Whatsapp and Telegram contact lines, as well as PSC.BN, Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram social media.
Out of 44,833 questions or complaints received last year in 2022, 18,155 tickets were related to the PSCR 2.0 portal, including PSCR 2.0 procedures, document upload errors, and login or activation issues with the PSCR 2.0 profile.
All of the questions and complaints received have been resolved. From the feedback received, the office has launched several new features of PSCR 2.0, including push notifications to further facilitate users in getting updates on their job vacancy applications.
In addition, guides and tips are also provided for PSCR 2.0 users in the guide and frequently asked questions (FAQ) sections, as well as on the official SPA website www.spa.gov.bn and also on social media psc.bn, Instagram, and Facebook, which are updated daily. Starting from April 30th, 2022, SPA also provided a PSC Recruitment counter to provide assistance to the public who need it. This facility can be used as a self-service or with the help of available officers.
A special survey on the use of PSCR 2.0 at present is being planned to be conducted in the second quarter of 2023 to obtain user feedback and suggestions for improvements on the features of the portal. This is among the answers that I can provide, Your Honorable Speaker. Thank you.
Your Honorable Speaker
I now invite Your Honorable Awang Abdul Aziz bin Haji Hamdan.
Your Honorable Awang Abdul Aziz bin Haji Hamdan
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم السَلم عليكم ورحمة هللا وبركاته Kaola is pleased to touch on the topic of SA09A - Department of Information. As we are aware, Pelita Brunei has shown positive developments towards fulfilling its role as the official government media. Starting from conventional methods, readers can now access it through the department's website and social media pages. In addition, the public can also read Pelita Brunei through the sharing of digital copies of Pelita Brunei via WhatsApp. Kaola sees from a broader perspective that mobile apps are the best platform to move towards full digital accessibility. Based on an article by e-consultancy, a digital marketing and e-commerce expert, 85% of users prefer using mobile apps over mobile websites because they are fast, quick, and easy to navigate. Is there a plan to create a Pelita Brunei mobile app as an effort towards a smart nation? Thank you.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister of Defense
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker, and thank you also to Your Honorable Awang Abdul Aziz bin Haji Hamdan for the question regarding the direction of Pelita Brunei towards a smart nation. For the answer:- The InfoDeptBN application was launched on May 9, 2017, and is available in two languages, Malay and English. The content of the mobile application includes Pelita Brunei, headlines, prayer times, information about Brunei Darussalam, job vacancies, and much more. As of October 2022, there have been 12,750 downloads for Android and 8,480 for iOS. Since its introduction, the Department of Information has conducted several surveys to improve the software and technical aspects of the mobile application. The first and second phases of improvements were implemented in the Financial Year 2021/2022. Several findings have been formulated, and improvements will be implemented gradually, covering the software and technical aspects of the application to further enhance user-friendliness to make it easier for users to access information at their fingertips through the application.
Regarding e-Pelita Brunei, besides that, Pelita Brunei newspaper or e-paper was introduced on 18th June 2016 to allow the newspaper to be browsed and downloaded through the e-paper website, www.epaper.pelitabrunei.gov.bn, as well as to make it easier for Pelita Brunei to be read by the public.
The Information Department introduced this e-paper initiative in line with the increasing trend of mobile technology usage in the country, as well as to increase readership among the youth. Based on e-paper readership statistics for the period of October 2021 to October 2022, there were 54,002 readers.
Both of these online initiatives are to support the strategic plan of the Prime Minister's Department in providing information and government policies, and to support the country's aspiration towards a smart nation. The Information Department will also continuously provide these platforms through outreach programs that are implemented throughout the year.
Your Honorable Speaker, perhaps I can answer some of the questions asked by Your Honorable Abdul Aziz bin Haji Hamid earlier. Thank you.
Your Honorable Speaker
Thank you. I now invite Your Honorable Haji Salleh Bostaman bin Haji Zainal Abidin.
Your Honorable Haji Salleh Bostaman bin Haji Zainal Abidin
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker and Your Honorable Members. In the name of Allah, may peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad.
Kaola has two questions, Title SA01A - Prime Minister's Department and Title SA014A - Public Service Commission. Kaola will read both questions before giving the opportunity to answer them.
Title SA10A - Public Service Department CODE 001/000, kaola understands from the JPA description that the Human Resource Management Division is responsible for improving performance and meeting the requirements of the relevant parties. Since 80% of the total expenditure is on public servants' salaries, the effectiveness of public servants needs to be monitored.
Your Honorable Speaker, kaola's question is whether there are specific plans to ensure that government organizations or ministries conduct their own Organizational Structure Effectiveness Review to ensure that the current organizations are still relevant and able to achieve their respective missions and visions, and to make it part of their routine work to realize the goals of Wawasan 2035. Have any outdated routine work been identified and eliminated, and if there is new workload, is there a review to identify the necessary skills so that public servants can perform it perfectly?
Kaola's suggestion for JPA, if not yet implemented, is to assess the need to develop an Organizational Effectiveness Review plan and benchmark it against internationally recognized organizations that could be used as benchmarks.
Question two, Your Honorable Speaker, SA14A - Public Service Commission (SPA) Office in Code 002/001, the department's KPI shows a target of appointing 1,000 employees per year, while it is understood that there are 4,000 vacancies and 1,800 to 2,000 employees retire each year.
If the target is only to fill 1,000 vacancies per year, it means that many job vacancies will not be filled and will increase year by year. I would like to seek clarification on whether it is indeed a strategy to always have job vacancies, and if not, what is the plan to be more aggressive in filling these vacancies.
In this regard, I also seek clarification on the actual achievement in 2021/2022, where only 19% of the target was achieved that year. Perhaps there is already an assessment known as to why the target was not achieved, and improvement plans have been implemented to be more aggressive in achieving the next target.
As a suggestion, since SPA has personal data of every civil servant in employment, SPA should be able to know which officers will retire within the next 5 years and should already start conducting preliminary research to inform the ministries to take into account efforts to fill these positions and trigger succession planning within the ministry, and not wait until the last minute to look for vacancies. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. There are two questions from Your Honorable Awang Haji Salleh Bostaman bin Haji Zainal Abidin, and I thank Your Honorable for the questions regarding SPA and JPA as well. Regarding the first question, whether a reassessment or review of the structure or functions of this department has been advised and efforts have been made to conduct a review or re-examination of the practices that have been implemented so far, especially towards achieving a more effective and efficient organization from time to time.
Regarding the suggestion of Your Honorable to also receive advisory services from international organizations, it is a good suggestion. However, this matter is actually not overlooked and is being worked on and is a duty and KPI for JPM in particular. Thank you.
Regarding the second question, it also concerns the Public Service Commission (SPA) Office, where Your Honorable seeks clarification on the actual estimate of vacancies in the civil service last year.
Among others, the first answer is that the target set by SPA was indeed to fill 1,000 vacancies through new appointments. The statistics on the filling of vacant positions throughout 2022 show that a total of 2,104 vacancies have been filled, whether through new appointments, which amounted to 1,425 vacancies, promotions of 675 vacancies, or appointments after retirement of 22 vacancies.
The number of filled vacancies implemented by SPA is subject to the number of vacant positions received from the ministries. Throughout 2022, 1,122 vacant positions were submitted to SPA for advertisement, and SPA will continue to work closely with the ministries to further increase the number of advertised vacant positions.
SPA's efforts to obtain information on vacant positions include the trigger method for vacancies that will occur due to mandatory retirement through notification letters to the ministries and cooperation with JPA to obtain confirmation of vacancies due to mandatory retirement throughout 2022.
This trigger method for vacancies is also used for newly vacated positions due to promotions. Among the efforts to fill vacant positions, the first is the appointment of reserve candidates, where vacant positions are filled by reserve candidates without advertisement.
Throughout 2022, a total of 167 vacant positions have been filled by reserve candidates. Regarding the stopgap measure, the advertisement of Section I positions has allowed applicants who do not yet have two work papers to submit two work papers after being promoted. For 2022, 24 people were supported through the regular promotion method and also through the stopgap measure.
The talent pool initiative that is currently being designed is to advertise positions that are identified in clusters in Sections IV and V, which aims to accelerate the filling of vacant positions in those sections. The collection of the number of vacant positions to be made and the advertisement, certification, and examination will be done once.
Qualified candidates will be included in the talent pool list, and this initiative is still in the preparation stage at this time for Your Honorable Speaker's information.
Thus, a little enlightenment on the question of Your Honorable, although many of the questions can be answered as such. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
I now invite Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Suyoi bin Haji Osman.
Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Suyoi bin Haji Osman
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. السَلم عليكم ورحمة هللا وبركاتهand greetings. I would like to express my gratitude to Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense for yesterday's presentation on the Budget which covered several topics. I would like to touch on Topic SA10A - Public Service Department, which I believe needs to be examined to ensure that the ongoing transformation achieves its objectives.
I am very supportive of the public service as a whole because it is the government machinery that helps the government play its role in the well-being and welfare of the people and residents in general.
However, government plans and action plans will not succeed without strong support from all layers of public servants. Therefore, I believe that any weaknesses, shortcomings, and deficiencies must be quickly identified before they spread and weaken the government's administrative and management system.
Towards this end, I support the provision of additional funding when needed to improve, strengthen, and train public servants so that our public service members are always competent, committed, pragmatic in handling any problem, able to think outside the box, and disciplined. This is in line with our aspirations to achieve Vision 2035, where we need a strong, meaningful, and receptive public service to the changes that will be encountered when Vision 2035 is achieved.
Referring to the indicators under the Public Service Department, it is noted that in 2021/2022, 90% of government officials and employees have achieved a high standard level through continuous training and development. I believe this is a high and encouraging achievement and certainly has a high and positive impact on the public service because they will be more professional, competent, and efficient.
I would like to ask whether there are any policy impoverishment or new policies in achieving high standards in the public service because according to the indicators, only two were issued during the same year. Are existing policies generally sound enough that there is not much need for improvement? Can current policies support our efforts to achieve Vision 2035?
Maybe we need to examine the policies, regulations, and regulatory instruments that exist to facilitate any business dealings, more friendly, in line with the ease of doing business that can generate a healthy and conducive environment as a driving force for economic growth. I believe that to achieve Vision 2035, we need income from various angles without compromising our values as a Malay Islamic Monarchy.
Your Honorable Speaker. Next, I would like to turn to Topic SA14A - Public Service Commission, which my colleagues have also raised. I would like to ask why the process of hiring new employees handled by the Public Service Commission takes a long time from the start of the position being advertised until the successful candidate is appointed to the position, a process that takes a year or more.
What is the rationale for this weakness? Can't this process be shortened so that the successful candidate can fill the position immediately? In this way, there is no need for someone to hold the position for an extended period. For successful candidates who have to wait a long time before being offered a job, I think that in the government's efforts for public service transformation, agencies responsible for public service should also examine the hiring process that is being practiced and needs to be updated for more efficiency.
In some other ministries, they also face situations where someone holds a position for too long, up to 10 years. Can't the Public Service Commission (SPA) or the Public Service Department (JPA) overcome the problem of holding a position for so long that it causes someone to be demotivated and less confident because they are still holding the position?
That's all, Your Honorable Speaker, that I want to raise regarding the provisions under this Topic, thank you.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department
Your Honorable Speaker. It seems that the question from Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Suyoi bin Haji Osman is considered long, perhaps requiring some time to obtain accurate information and also to be delivered as an answer later.
Your Honorable Speaker
I invite Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Yusuf.
Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Yusuf, PSNB., DPMB., PHBS., PJK., PIKB., PKL
َ ص ُ ـَلة َّ بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم ال َح ْمدُ هلل َرب العَالَميْنَ َوال َ على أ َ ْش َ ـرف ال َ ْنب َيـاء َوال ُم ْر َسليْـن َ س َ ـَل ُم َّ َوال
Assalamualaikum and greetings. Your Honorable Speaker, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Your Honorable Speaker for giving me the opportunity to provide my views on this matter. This also relates to Your Honorable colleagues who have raised concerns about government positions.
I would like to touch on two issues here, namely promotion and job designation, and the Public Service Scheme, particularly in terms of professionalism. Academic achievements and educational qualifications have long been used as a measure of success for individuals.
Although we appreciate traditional practices in evaluation, we cannot be bound by them or make them obstacles. On the contrary, there is a need to recognize skills, competence, and experience.
This is especially evident in the workplace or industry where skills and experience are important in addition to academic qualifications. In specific job situations in a particular field, the need to identify the skills, experience, and expertise of a worker goes beyond academic qualifications.
This is particularly relevant if we look at the Ministry of Health, not just as an example, where we have many experts, for example, now we have kidney transplant experts. Where some patients have succeeded in kidney transplants because we have expertise not only as skilled doctors but also have teams such as nurses and other professional equipment.
We are proud that all have succeeded in providing this service among local children after attending courses and also receiving assistance from foreign experts including from Malaysia and Australia, but after some time, they have succeeded in performing this kidney transplant. This is just an example.
If we do not recognize and appreciate skills and expertise, the country will certainly lose individuals who are blessed, skilled, and experienced. Especially with the ability and efficiency required for the job. This is because each of us is given or bestowed by Allah Almighty with unique blessings in addition to the efforts and perseverance of an individual in nurturing their talents and expertise.
The Government of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam always takes care and concerns about the welfare and well-being of the people, including civil servants and employees.
In addition to our goal of improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and effectiveness of government services. It is understood that some executive positions, especially department heads, hold a position for more than 2 or 3 years because the position needs to be filled or has not been filled. As far as I remember, the appointment of a person to a position when holding it is about 6 months, if I am not mistaken. If I am wrong, it is expected to be corrected. The current procedure is understood, the procedure for appointing positions according to guidelines and characteristics that have been determined either through the Prime Minister's Department Circular or through regulations that are currently in force.
I believe that if it can be reviewed and considered appropriately to reduce the duration of appointments at the executive level. This is what some of them have noticed, feeling disincentives as has been conveyed by Your Honorable my colleague, to the point where they end their service early. In addition, what is important is that we must take into account the risks that I want to mention here:-
Can affect succession planning and promotion of subordinates;
Reduce experience for subordinates, especially Technical Departments to take over the positions of superiors held, especially at the Department Head level; and
Brain Drain and great loss if the officer concerned, as I mentioned earlier, has excellent performance, skills, credibility, and has quality characteristics in work ethics.
If they have held positions for so long, then disincentives and can affect work performance and productivity due to long appointments. The psychological effect may arise because it can reduce the credibility and level of confidence of individuals about the position they hold because they are not sure whether they will be appointed or not, or transferred to other positions.
In another issue that I want to touch on here, regarding the Service Scheme. Recently, His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam made an unscheduled visit to the Public Service Commission Department. In another issue that I want to touch on here, regarding the Service Scheme, recently, His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam made an unscheduled visit to the Public Service Commission Department.
Among other things, His Majesty stated that the Service Schemes for positions in the Public Service should be reviewed and improved to ensure that career opportunities are open and fair, taking into account the background and qualifications of various fields.
It is understood that several Service Schemes from other departments or ministries have already been presented to the Public Service Commission through the Public Service Department. The Service Schemes are certainly based on proficiency levels according to the level of expertise, which requires training or professional study courses according to their respective careers and work experience.
Sometimes, the process of requesting and collecting clearer information and "visiting from one department to another" related to the matter repeatedly takes time. For example, during my tenure as the Minister of Health, the Allied Health Professionals Service Scheme has been presented for more than 7 years, which has about 30 types of professional health jobs.
What I want to raise here is that the absence of Service Schemes that follow career development and professional levels and skills in a particular profession causes some to stop and be willing to sacrifice working abroad because the opportunities are brighter with lucrative salary offers.
This not only harms the country in terms of manpower but they are also assets of the country that we need to pay attention to in various fields. It is not only a loss to the country, but if we already have a shortage of skilled or expertise manpower, it certainly has the potential to expedite the process towards our common goal of achieving Vision 2035.
One of the characteristics to achieve that vision is to make the people highly educated and successful. For us to achieve the vision as soon as possible in 2035, it is better for us to arrange more efficient, better and effective strategies, including procedures for processing and evaluating Service Schemes according to the priorities and needs of the country. Lastly, I suggest that professional Service Schemes should be carefully prepared, especially by stakeholders who have expertise and skills in a particular professional field. Both parties concerned should call on experts and skilled personnel if they are not satisfied to obtain the desired information so that it can be more transparent, accurate and done professionally. Not only that, the methods of obtaining information through correspondence should be minimized and changed with a dialogue approach so that it can be understood and explained sincerely.
If necessary, the relevant parties can visit or conduct field visits as an example that we can follow, just like the way our King, His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam always pays attention, sometimes making surprise visits with departments or wherever His Majesty is present.
However, there may be more concrete and best methods or ways that can be considered solely to expedite the process related to this Service Scheme. This Service Scheme is essential for us to encourage and attract more local professionals. I believe that with the existence of this Service Scheme, it will provide further encouragement to those involved to enhance their expertise and skills with the specific scheme or career development provided.
What is important to note here is that jobs that require specific expertise or professionals must be handled or implemented by experts in that profession to produce quality, effective, efficient, and excellent services while avoiding any possible risks.
This is in line with the meaning of the hadith of Prophet Muhammad SAW narrated by Al Bukhari which means: "If trust is neglected, wait for destruction to occur. Then a companion asked, what is the meaning of neglecting trust, O Messenger of Allah? The Prophet replied, if the matter is entrusted to someone who is not an expert, then wait for its destruction."
Before I conclude what I have raised here, I hope that both of these issues will be thoroughly studied and examined and carefully considered as soon as possible.
In this opportunity, Your Honorable Speaker proposes a suggestion to implement job and qualification alignment. Here, I explain a little bit that aligning the salaries of new public servants in the same position based on the difference in academic qualifications held.
For example, I take note that there are specific positions, mostly positions in Section III, held by employees or applicants with different qualifications. For example, some have a Diploma qualification and some have a Bachelor's Degree qualification.
So when a position is offered and given to two different public servants with different qualifications, both will be given the same starting salary. For example, the salary rate in D9 starts at $1,910.00, so both applicants who get the same position even though their qualifications are different, will receive the same salary.
So in this matter, I propose that if this is considered or examined, to consider aligning the position or salary given based on the academic qualifications of those public servants.
For example, those with a Diploma will be given a minimum salary as offered in the advertisement because usually if we look at advertisements, it will explain the minimum qualifications for each position and in addition, in the advertisement, the minimum qualification requirement is usually a Diploma or equivalent. But it is also stated in the advertisement that a higher qualification is an advantage.
So, here I am proposing, maybe we can give an additional salary to those who have higher qualifications such as a Bachelor's Degree. They will be given the second level of salary, as I mentioned earlier. For those with a Diploma, the rate is the minimum rate but those with higher qualifications will be given the second level of salary.
This is to ensure that public servants receive payment according to their academic level even though they are in the same position. Similarly, for promotions to the next rank, skills and expertise are also taken into account. This is the first matter.
Then the second matter that Kaola wants to raise here is related to reserve candidates in filling vacant positions as stated earlier by Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense.
Therefore, Kaola understands that the approach of reserve candidates is one of the initiatives to expedite the provision of positions. Based on the information that Kaola has received and also based on past work experiences, sometimes these reserve candidates apply for the position that was initially applied for and they do not succeed in getting that position, but their score or assessment in the interview they received may make them the second or third candidate in the ranking and they are included in the reserve candidates.
When there is a vacant position at the same level but with different job responsibilities, the reserve candidate will automatically be considered or offered the next position. In this case, I suggest that the job responsibilities should also be reviewed before the next position is given, even though the candidate's performance in applying for the position and in the evaluation for the interview was good.
However, the original application was for a different job responsibility. Then, the second position given to the candidate has different job responsibilities. Therefore, sometimes the employee, when given the position, is unable to perform the duties and responsibilities as expected.
That's all from me. Once again, I express my utmost gratitude to Your Honorable Speaker.
"May Allah grant us success and guidance, peace be upon you and the mercy and blessings of Allah."
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker and thank you to Your Honorable.
Regarding the previous questions, which are not in line with academic qualifications, perhaps my colleague, Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Finance and Economy, is willing to provide further clarification as it is related to salary and so on. Please proceed.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Finance and Economy II
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker and thank you to Your Honorable Dayang Hajah Safiah binti Sheikh Haji Abd Salam for the question raised regarding employees who hold higher qualifications than required and are given higher salaries.
I would like to explain that in making decisions regarding salaries, we consider many factors.
Among the factors we consider are the qualifications obtained, work experience, roles performed, and abilities possessed by the individual.
I would like to explain that firstly, we do not base salaries solely on qualifications.
Secondly, we have a performance evaluation system given to employees holding certain positions.
Thirdly, we also have a salary group system, where we combine several qualifications into one group.
Your Honorable must also understand that advertising a position is specifically for that particular field of work with certain qualifications and so on. Therefore, the salary and other benefits are provided accordingly. If a candidate has a higher qualification, it will give them an advantage. We look at the job requirements and not just the qualifications of the worker. If the worker has the required qualification, they will be given the salary that is provided for the position.
If the qualification is higher, we also look at their performance and so on. If their performance is good, there is a chance for them to be promoted in the future. It is not necessary to pay the worker according to their qualification. We look at the minimum salary provided for the position and then evaluate their performance.
Even if the position requires an HND qualification, if the applicant has a PhD and we see their performance, it does not necessarily mean that they will be given a higher salary than their boss.
Therefore, we must evaluate these factors and most importantly, we must look at their performance, which is based on meritocracy. The salary given is not based on their qualification.
That is all my answer to the previous question. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
I now invite Your Honorable, Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim.
Your Honorable, Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Actually, I wanted to bring up two issues related to Topic SA10A - Public Service Department. However, since one of them, which is related to the Salary Committee and the Service Scheme, has already been extensively discussed by my fellow Honorable Members here.
Therefore, I will only touch on one issue in my intervention. As we all know, the National Service Program (PKBN) has proven to be able to improve the self-esteem and positive attitude of its participants. Congratulations.
I am thinking, since the impact is so significant and positive for the participants, has the government considered extending this program to newly appointed graduates in the public service sector?
It is not necessarily for a long period or the same curriculum as the National Service Programme (PKBN), but it needs to be modified to instill positive attitudes, teamwork, self-identity, leadership, cooperation, and networking among its participants.
The goal is to improve coordination among these new recruits and enable relevant agencies in the government to identify and assess the potential of these new officers as well.
It will assist middle management in researching, evaluating, and formulating any proposals in their respective ministries or departments. Perhaps this matter can be studied together with the Prime Minister's Department (JPM) as the lead agency, the Public Service Department (JPA), and agencies such as the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (KKBS) and any other relevant agencies.
I propose this suggestion considering the positive impact that we can achieve from this program for the officers involved in terms of enhancing resilience, networking, forward-looking, and working as a team.
I believe this is one of our efforts to provide a future workforce with a positive self-identity mindset, practicing coordination, teamwork, and strong networking among them to achieve the goals of Wawasan Brunei 2035. This is my suggestion, Your Honorable. Thank you.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister of Defense
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker, and thank you also to Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim for the suggestion regarding the building of self-identity and team spirit among new graduates and those who will hold positions in the government sector.
In summary, I believe this is a good suggestion and it can be further shared with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (KKBS) which is responsible for the National Service Programme (PKBN). However, at the same time, I am aware that besides the PKBN, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (KKBS) also has an Outward Bound school. This school, if used properly, can also be an option for efforts to build self-identity for future civil servants, God willing.
Nevertheless, this is a good suggestion and if permitted, and indeed at this time, the program is becoming more popular among young people and has increased its intake since the year it was not implemented due to COVID-19, it is a good sign to study its suitability and duration. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
Honorable Members. We have discussed Topics SA08A to SA16A, and some Honorable Members have participated in this discussion.
I think it is appropriate now to vote on these topics. Honorable Members who agree that Topics SA08A to SA16A be approved, please raise your hand.
(All Members raise their hands in agreement)
Your Honorable Speaker
Thank you. Everyone agrees and Topics SA08A to SA16A are approved.
Clerk
Topics SA08A to SA16A are included in the Schedule of the Prime Minister's Department. Topics SA18A to SA26A.
Your Honorable Speaker
Honorable Members. Before we continue with the next topics, I suggest we take a 15-minute break.
(The Meeting is adjourned)
(The Meeting is resumed)
Your Honorable Speaker
بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم Honorable Members. Now this Assembly is in full Committee to consider the Supply Bill (2023) 2023/2024 one by one, which has been proposed by Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and the Minister of Finance and Economy II.
At the Committee Meeting held earlier, we were still discussing some of the topics under the Prime Minister's Department.
Now the Committee Meeting moves on to Topics SA18A to SA26A - Departments under the Prime Minister's Department.
With me, I still have a list of Honorable Members who would like to discuss these topics.
I invite Honorable Awang Haji Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir to start.
Your Honorable Haji Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم السَلم عليكم ورحمة هللا وبركاته and greetings. Your Honorable Speaker. أ ْلح ْمدُ ِ هّلِل
First and foremost, in this honorable chamber, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the enlightenment that Your Honorable provided yesterday regarding the Public Service Institute under the Prime Minister's Department.
I have one thing that I would like to ask, which is under Topic SA26A - Public Service Institute. I would like clarification on the functions and roles of the Public Service Institute (IPA) towards providing services that lead to the initiatives and budget targets towards a Smart Nation through the Digital Economy Master Plan 2025 to improve the quality and work culture towards digital transformation as a whole.
What plans are being made to provide relevant training for digital technology needs to enhance the capabilities of the Civil Service? Thank you.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister of Defense
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Your Honorable Awang Haji Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir for the question regarding the plans made for training at the Institute of Public Service towards achieving a Smart Nation and Digital.
As we know, the Institute of Public Service is a government agency responsible for striving towards increasing the capacity of human resources in the civil service, playing a role in supporting the aspirations of Wawasan Brunei 2035.
Through the Strategic Plan of the Prime Minister's Department - Public Service Transformation, it aligns the learning program offerings with the country's needs as a Smart Nation by collaborating with AITI in the Brunei ICT Industry Competency Framework (BIICF), EGNC, and Cyber Security Brunei.
In addition, the Institute of Public Service incorporates elements from the Digital Economy Master Plan 2025 into its learning programs to increase the digital literacy rate among civil servants. Regional partnerships, such as the ASEAN platform, are also utilized in designing innovative programs and ICT initiatives based on the ASEAN Public Service Training Institute (PSTI Network) Future Skill Sets.
The Institute of Public Service also empowers its trainers in professional ICT skills to prepare for delivering ICT training programs.
Infrastructure, including the Innovation Lab, is also provided, and improvements to ICT laboratories are carried out to provide a more conducive learning experience.
The results of all the plans and initiatives implemented have resulted in a significant change in the Institute of Public Service's annual program list for the Financial Year 2023/2024, with 47% of programs being innovation and ICT-related.
That concludes my answer to the question posed by Your Honorable Haji Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
I now invite Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohd. Salleh bin Haji Othman.
Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohd. Salleh bin Haji Othman
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
سم هللا الرحمن الرحيم السالم عليكم ورحمة هللا وبركاته and Greetings. Your Honorable Pehin, I would like to raise a question regarding SA18A - the Legal Division or any related department under the Prime Minister's Department.
I am compelled to seek clarification regarding the issue of the public losing their assets due to court action for failing to repay loans. Some of them take out loans because they are forced or desperate, while others become victims of attractive loan offers without considering the risks that will occur in the future.
This matter is also related to the easy application process, loan agreements, and confusing terms of sale that do not prioritize the protection of consumer rights. For example, some loans only have one lot of land and are allowed to be mortgaged to the bank to obtain a loan.
My question is, is the government aware of this issue and is there any effort to ensure that consumer rights are always protected and prioritized before loan items are approved? Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Sincerely,
Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. Thank you also to Kaola for asking about the rights of consumers, including the use of their land, which is only one lot.
To answer Your Honorable's question, praise be to God, the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam is always aware and concerned in ensuring that the rights of consumers and the public are protected through existing laws by providing dispute resolution methods between conflicting parties.
Such examples can be resolved through litigation processes or institutions that handle informal dispute resolution such as referral to the Small Claims Tribunal, arbitration, or mediation.
It is also important to remind the public to ensure that agreements are studied and understood before entering into and signing the agreement to avoid disputes between the two parties.
Regarding banking and land issues, I would like to leave it to my fellow ministers in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Finance and Economy II and the Minister of Development for any additional comments on their respective issues.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Minister of Finance and Economy II
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Adding to the question asked earlier, it may be a personal agreement. If there is a loan to invest in projects or to build one's own house, for example, that is used as collateral for the loan. If it is not paid, that is one of the things between the individual and the financial institution.
The public needs to understand more about financial literacy. Under the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank, they often share or provide briefings on financial literacy so that the public can better understand before entering into agreements or using their property as collateral for their loans.
So, the risks must be considered. The government's efforts to further improve financial literacy, briefings on financial literacy for the public, in sha Allah. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
Your Honorable Minister of Development likes to provide clarification.
Your Honorable Minister of Development: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Responding to the question raised by Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohd. Salleh bin Haji Othman earlier regarding private land collateral for obtaining bank loans, is His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam aware and sensitive to this matter? The answer is yes, this matter is taken seriously at the Ministry of Development.
Among the processes is that the applicant who will present their land as collateral to the bank will first seek permission from the Land Department, which will present it through the Ministry of Development.
And the need to mortgage this land will be identified and considered. If the applicant is mortgaging their land to obtain financial assistance to build a house on that land, which is mostly the case, the basis of the application is usually approved.
And if the application is to mortgage to obtain financing without explaining the purpose of the financial source, if the land is the only land owned, such applications are usually not approved.
So, these are some of the considerations that are requirements before approving any application to mortgage land to a bank or financial institution. So, that is the answer that I can provide, Your Honorable Pehin. Thank you.
Your Honorable Speaker
Clear, thank you. I now turn to Your Honorable Dayang Hajah Rosmawatty binti Haji Abdul Mumin.
Your Honorable Dayang Hajah Rosmawatty binti Haji Abdul Mumin
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم. I would like to refer to the allocation of Progress under the Electricity Services Department amounting to $69,159,450.00.
Considering the large allocation, I would like to seek clarification if the Electricity Services Department has ensured the doability of the designed projects to ensure that the allocation given can be used optimally according to the plan? I would also like to know if these projects can increase work efficiency in the Electricity Services Department?
I would like to propose work efficiency to be included in the KPI of the Electricity Services Department. Thank you, Your Honorable Pehin.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister of Defense
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker and also thank you to Your Honorable Dayang Hajah Rosmawatty binti Haji Abdul Mumin.
أ ْلح ْمدُ ِ هّلِلin the implementation of major projects under the National Development Plan and also under the annual allocation until now, the country has achieved an electrification rate of around 99% with permanent electricity supply through the grid system network, which is also included in the previous statement. In addition, the country has successfully improved the reliability index position in terms of electricity supply significantly since 2014, which is at par with the best level in the ASEAN region.
This is the effort of the Electricity Services Department, the Prime Minister's Office in maintaining the country's guaranteed and reliable electricity supply system for the long term for the welfare of the people and taking into account the projected increase in electricity demand to support the economic and socio-economic growth of the country in line with the goals of Wawasan Brunei 2035.
The Electricity Services Department will always ensure that Progress projects are given priority and carried out as stipulated through several initiatives including ensuring an effective organization and ensuring the development of excellent human resources to lead related projects.
The involvement of technical experts such as consultant services and also ensuring experienced, capable and competent contractors, and strengthening the supply chain including adding maker bases and suppliers of major equipment needed to ensure the readiness of infrastructure projects under the National Development Plan of the Electricity Services Department. That is all, Your Honorable Speaker, a brief answer to the question asked by Your Honorable Dayang Hajah Rosmawatty binti Haji Abdul Mumin.
Your Honorable Speaker
I now invite Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Yusuf.
Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Yusuf
بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم
ُعلَ ْي ُك ْم َو َرحْ َمةُ هللاِ َو َب َركَاتُه َّ , and greetings. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker, for giving me the opportunity once again to raise and provide an explanation.
What I would like to raise here is the issue of bankruptcy or insolvency. This is often seen in newspapers and sometimes it is very worrying, especially since most of it involves the people and residents of Brunei Darussalam.
We need to evaluate this matter and also hope to identify the actual indicators. In this case, it may be categorized as corporate and individual, as well as MSMEs that are contained within, whether they file for bankruptcy or declare insolvency themselves.
What may happen is due to liabilities or debts through banking institutions or loans from individuals that are not paid to suppliers or in other matters.
In this matter, to enable us to avoid this from becoming widespread, it is also possible for the relevant parties to take note. In this meeting, I am pleased to request clarification and information on how the trend of insolvency compares to 5 to 10 years ago. Is it increasing, decreasing, or stagnant according to the category or corporate, namely Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and individuals?
Data like this, in my opinion, is very important, among other things, it can be a measure to assess or help the actual economic position of the country, not only success but we can also assess the causes of failure. It can also hinder economic development not only in general but in certain categories that I mentioned earlier, namely corporate and companies for MSMEs and individuals.
For MSMEs, we also need to identify the actual root cause of their bankruptcy or insolvency so that this will be a lesson to other MSMEs so that we can all avoid this from happening in the future.
If necessary and appropriate, how can we help them to recover for businesses and companies solely to enable them to sustain their livelihoods in the future? Whether they like it or not, perhaps they are seeking assistance from the government through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the Islamic Religious Council and other NGOs. It will further burden the government to assist them, especially in sustaining their livelihoods.
That is all that I can convey in this Assembly and once again I would like to thank Your Honorable Speaker for giving me the opportunity. Thank you.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense
Your Honorable Speaker. I will answer that question later after I have answered the previous questions from other Your Honorable members that I have not answered yet. There may also be new questions from Your Honorable on the same matter that I can answer while delivering my response.
Your Honorable Speaker
It seems that there are no more questions. Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Awang Haji Abd Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim, please proceed.
Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Awang Haji Abd Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim Haji Ibrahim: Thank you Your Honorable Speaker for giving me the opportunity to participate in this discussion for the second time.
السَّال ُم عل ْي ُك ْم ورحْ مةُ هللاِ وبركاتُهُ سم هللا الرحمن الرحيم and greetings. I will only discuss Topic SA24A - Electricity Services Department.
I noticed that the electricity revenue from 2022 to 2026 seems to be stagnant in the next 3 years, around $162,000,000.00 per year. So, I would like clarification on the reason for this.
I expect this amount to increase with the opening of new business buildings, construction of houses under the Relocation Scheme and private, apartments, warehouses and others. Does this mean that these users are becoming more efficient or that these premises users are not yet included in the Electricity Department's radar?
Thank you Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense
Your Honorable Speaker. Perhaps Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department is not yet ready to answer this question.
I request permission to provide answers to the previous questions to consider the answer to the last question. Thank you Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
ان شاء هللا
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. I will answer the question posed by Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Suyoi bin Haji Osman without repeating it as it is too long. I will proceed with the answer, which is related to the updating of existing policies and the formulation of new policies, as well as the formation and research of public service regulations.
This is not an easy process, but it is complex and requires research and involvement of stakeholders to ensure the formation of strong policies for the public. The policy research process involves several stakeholders such as the Public Service Department, the Prime Minister's Department, and the relevant Committee Meetings.
In an effort to improve government effectiveness through the quality of policy formulation and implementation, as well as the government's commitment to the policies introduced, the Prime Minister's Department continues to update Circulars involving public service policies and regulations. This research is carried out using a Whole of Nation Approach together with stakeholders to ensure the renewal and improvement of public services.
The formation of strong policies that meet the needs of the public. A total of 306 Circulars have been identified, requiring research, and all 306, which is 100% of the Circulars, have been discussed in the Meeting of Research Officers of Circulars in the Prime Minister's Department related to Public Service. As a way forward in an effort to expedite the process and resolution of Circulars research and ensure a whole of government approach, which has been researched for its relevance to the officer group, will be presented to the relevant ministries and departments to provide a suitable period for presenting views and further research on the relevant Circulars.
Through the relevant meetings, any Circulars that are still relevant for research and updating based on changes and current needs, especially in considering and improving Public Service, including policies related to human resource development, planning, and management, will be presented. A total of 306 Circulars have been identified, requiring research, and all 306, which is 100% of the Circulars, have been discussed in the Meeting of Research Officers of Circulars in the Prime Minister's Department related to Public Service.
At this time, several task forces have been actively preparing several regulations in the public service to be presented and approved. This includes the provision of comprehensive guidelines on human resource management, development, and planning in the public service that can be used holistically.
Last year, a total of eight papers were presented, one of which was related to the updating of circular letters and the rest were related to guidelines on the procedures for managing and recruiting human resources in the public service. Meanwhile, two guidelines have been drafted and approved this year for the recruitment of experts and professionals in the public service.
This has certainly exceeded the Public Service Department's KPI target, which is to approve two policy papers per year. The Public Service Department will continuously review and update public service policies from time to time. That concludes the answer to the question asked by Your Honorable.
Meanwhile, I also have an answer available for the question asked by Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Yusuf. This question is also lengthy for me to read again, Your Honorable, but the answer is as follows: first, regarding the tenure of executive positions and filling vacant positions, especially in Section One, it requires collective cooperation and continuous commitment from ministries to ensure that the promotion requirements are met in an effort to reduce prolonged acting appointments in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery and public service productivity.
Overall, as of February this year, there were 312 vacant positions in Section One, of which 276 were being acted upon. Several departmental initiatives have been implemented since 2015, including the following:
Efforts in implementing a replacement plan for each ministry, as well as providing guidebooks and replacement planning workshops that contain the implementation procedures.
Establishing the Civil Service Leadership Pipeline (CSLP) program in 2016 by organizing flagship leadership programs such as the Young Executive Program (YEP), Executive Development Program for Middle Management Officer (EDPMMO), and Executive Development Program for Senior Government Officer (EDPGSO) for officers identified as potential leaders.
Monitoring of vacant key positions in the public service began in 2018 until 2021 with the establishment of the Working Committee for Filling Key Positions Part One.
Implementation of guidelines for holding positions in Part One support for promotion or appointment in the public service began in May 2019.
Updating of the promotion criteria for the fast track promotion scheme Circular Letter of the Ministry of Service Department number: 12/2020 has been issued and enforced on November 4, 2020 to ensure the filling of vacant positions in Part One by officers categorized as outstanding, potential, quality, future ready and suitable based on merit.
Implementation of a stopgap measure, namely changes to the promotion criteria for the Chief Department Director/ Director-level positions and promotion from Part Two to Part One. The stopgap measure is a temporary measure to address the issue of vacant positions in the public service, namely changes to the promotion criteria for the Chief Department Director/ Director-level positions and promotion from Part Two to Part Three (Deputy/Assistant Chief Department Officer/Senior Officer).
Overall, the stopgap measure is seen as effective in filling Part One positions in the Superscale C salary range for Chief Department Director/Director positions, namely 78% (25 positions). Regarding the service scheme, it aims to create a more organized and stable career path and create updated job titles and salaries that are transparent and prioritize high-quality service delivery that is always competitive in line with current needs.
The duration for considering proposed service schemes for the committee's consideration and decision is subject to several factors, namely:
Consideration and decision on each service scheme slot is subject to the nature of the service scheme. For service schemes that have a significant impact on the public service, a long period is certainly required, as research on the service scheme requires detailed and comprehensive analysis, taking into account various aspects such as benchmarking, best practices, types of courses or training for capacity building of public servants, and others.
Complete information is very important to support the research, consideration, and decision-making process for service schemes, and this requires a long time. If the results of the committee's research on the proposal for the creation or alignment of the service scheme find that further information is needed for the relevant ministry or department, they are required to provide complete and comprehensive information before it is discussed again. For example, if the results of the committee's research on the proposal for the creation or alignment of the service scheme find that further information is needed for the relevant ministry or department, they are required to provide complete and comprehensive information before it is discussed again.
From time to time, the Public Service Department has been actively implementing improvements to expedite the process of application for service scheme working papers. However, the Public Service Department has made efforts to expedite the process by holding weekly meetings. For the year 2022, a total of 94 positions have been updated with their service schemes, namely positions that did not have a service scheme.
Regarding the Alert Health Profession (AHP) service scheme, the Ministry of Health proposed the Alert Health Profession (AHP) service scheme, which involves updating the job titles and salary grades of the service scheme as well as creating new job titles and salary grades for 19 AHP fields, including Audiology, Physiotherapy, Speech Language Therapy, Dietetic Clinical, Scientific Clinical, Scientific Services, Technology Maxillofacial, Dental Technology Clinic, Orthopedic, and Scientific Pharmacy.
These are some of the answers, and some are still being updated.
Your Honorable Speaker
Thank you for the answers and explanations provided by Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense.
Honorable Members, I think we have discussed this topic enough, and now it is time for me to propose that we vote on this topic. Members who agree that Topics SA18A to SA26A be approved or otherwise, please raise your hands. Thank you, everyone agrees that Topics SA18A to SA26A are approved.
Deputy Clerk
Topics SA18A to SA26A are included in the Schedule of the Prime Minister's Department. Topics SB01A and SB04A are under the Ministry of Defense.
Your Honorable Speaker
Honorable Members, the Committee Meeting now moves on to the Ministry of Defense for Topics SB01A to SB04A. It is understood that the Ministry of Defense is a closed ministry and therefore its budget does not need to be discussed openly.
However, Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense has kindly allowed for an introduction, especially regarding the preparation of the budget for the Ministry of Defense for the Financial Year 2023/2024. Therefore, I now invite Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense to make the presentation. Please proceed, Your Honorable.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم
Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members whom I respect.
أ ْلح ْمدُ ِ هّلِلI express my gratitude to the Almighty هللا سبحانه وتعالىfor His permission, mercy, and grace that we are able to meet again in this honorable Parliament in a peaceful and safe country, and we are able to live our lives in a new normal amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that has been ongoing for the past 3 years.
On this occasion, I, on behalf of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, all levels of leadership and personnel of the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, humbly present our highest respect to His Majesty the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, for graciously consenting to provide a number of allocations to the Ministry of Defense and its subordinate departments for the Financial Year 2023/2024. The allocations provided to the Ministry of Defense and its subordinate departments are certainly highly appreciated and, God willing, will be implemented prudently and frugally according to priorities.
In the previous National Assembly session, we had the opportunity to present and highlight the priorities that form the basis for the effectiveness of the administration and management of each ministry with the allocations provided, taking into account the country's economic situation, regional and global environment, and current developments in line with the country's vision, namely Wawasan Brunei 2035.
Geopolitical changes, threats to national sovereignty, economic fragility crises, climate change, and terrorism and extremism are expected to continue to shape and influence our security environment, much of which will depend on various driving factors such as globalization, digitization, automation, and migration.
The mission of the Ministry of Defense will continue to be to defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and uphold the country's philosophy of Malay Islamic Monarchy. Towards this end, it is important for the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces in particular to maintain a high level of combat capability and readiness at all times and to demonstrate a credible defense image.
As one of the main pillars in ensuring the safety and sovereignty of the country, the Ministry of Defense and Royal Brunei Armed Forces will continue to be committed in ensuring the country's defense remains strong and prepared to handle any form of threat, whether traditional or non-traditional, from within or outside the country. Priority will be given to efforts towards modernization and upgrading of capability assets and enhancing the capacity of human resources that are truly professional and trained to maintain the sovereignty and safety of the beloved country in line with its vision of A Formidable Armed Forces and Reliable Partner.
With the launch of the Defense White Paper 2021 with the theme Defending the Nation Sovereignty, A Secure and Resilient Future on May 31, 2021, comprehensive planning towards further enhancing the effectiveness and capability of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces is more focused through the introduction of new capability platforms that emphasize joint-reliance capability gap filling and development of capability based on Defense Line of Development (DLODs) as well as the utilization of modern technology and innovation that covers all Operating Domains.
As one of the main pillars in ensuring the safety and sovereignty of the country, the Ministry of Defense and Royal Brunei Armed Forces will continue to be committed in ensuring the country's defense remains strong and prepared to handle any form of threat, whether traditional or non-traditional, from within or outside the country. Priority will be given to efforts towards modernization and upgrading of capability assets and enhancing the capacity of human resources that are truly professional and trained to maintain the sovereignty and safety of the beloved country in line with its vision of A Formidable Armed Forces and Reliable Partner.
The Defense White Paper 2021, which was launched, also emphasizes on 3 defense strategy cores which I have often elaborated in this august House during the previous parliamentary sessions, which are still relevant:
i. Deterrence; ii. Defense Diplomacy; and iii. Holistic Defense.
The need for the enhancement of assets and weaponry capability, especially in maintaining the readiness and preparedness level of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, cannot be taken lightly as the priority to maintain the country's safety cannot be compromised.
Therefore, to achieve this priority, it should not only be placed solely on the capability of the Ministry of Defense and Royal Brunei Armed Forces, but it requires a collective approach through the whole of nation and the involvement of every layer of society in this country.
It should be emphasized here that the value of security cannot be measured by any form of currency, but instead, more expenses will arise without security and safety. The development and progress of a country depend on a peaceful and safe environment.
Monitoring and determining Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members. In order to achieve the goal of United Empowerment Towards National Defense, the Ministry of Defense and Royal Brunei Armed Forces have identified several priorities as directions and benchmarks so that any planned actions can be achieved more realistically and directed as follows:
Any plans and visions contained in the Defense White Paper 2021 to be realized and implemented, that is through checks and balances.
Strengthening and enhancing defense diplomacy relations with friendly countries.
Ensuring that all acquisition strategies, capabilities, and military assets of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces are in line with the Defense White Paper 2021, Force 2035, and Force Structure Review (FSR) which aim to identify existing capability gaps.
Ensuring that financial allocations for each Financial Year are utilized and spent prudently based on primary needs, not just wants.
Ensuring the welfare of officers and every member of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and civilians of the Ministry of Defense are always taken care of.
Ensuring that every succession plan for key positions in the Ministry of Defense and Royal Brunei Armed Forces is carefully and effectively planned.
The monitoring of the achievement of the Defense White Paper 2021 is carried out systematically through the Defense White Paper 2021 Delivery Plan and Tracking which is currently in the implementation stage. The management of strategy and performance aspects will continue to be given special attention in monitoring and reporting progress for each defense strategy and planning implementation through the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPI).
Defense diplomacy is an important instrument and it cannot be denied that it can not only guarantee relationships but also maintain defense cooperation relationships that have been established for so long with friendly countries based on trust and mutual belief in ensuring regional and international security and stability will continue to be maintained.
In addition, it can also contribute to cost savings, that is through sharing best practices and interoperability with friendly countries. The Ministry of Defense and Royal Brunei Armed Forces will continue to ensure that all planning, development, and improvement of military asset capabilities can be realized in further enhancing the readiness of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces in facing dynamic, fast, and cross-border global threats.
Therefore, efforts towards the acquisition of new and modern defense assets and weaponry are crucial and should be given priority to reduce the capability gap required to fulfill assigned tasks and responsibilities. For example, the Ministry of Defense has signed a contract for the acquisition of the Airbus C-295 Air Transporter, which will enhance the capabilities and abilities of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces in carrying out various missions, not only as an air transport but also for strategic purposes such as humanitarian aid and disaster relief, as well as search and rescue missions when needed.
Defense capabilities can only be sustained with quality defense infrastructure. Towards this end, the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces will also focus on the construction of new infrastructure and the maintenance and upgrading of existing facilities for the placement of major assets in all branches of the Armed Forces, namely the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Joint Headquarters of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, which will require significant expenditure.
In addition, the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces are also advancing information technology systems and infrastructure with the initiative to publish a digital defense strategy framework that is in line with national needs and efforts to make Brunei Darussalam a smart nation.
The importance of cyber threat control has also been given priority with the establishment of the Cyber Defense Unit, which will undoubtedly add value to the existing security circle in the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.
One of the challenges faced not only by the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces but also by other departments or agencies is the issue of obsolescence or the aging of asset capabilities, equipment, machinery, and infrastructure, some of which are already critical.
This certainly requires short, medium, and long-term improvement or replacement planning, especially in reducing the existing capability gap. Towards this end, the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces are currently formulating a more efficient and effective disposal and write-off policy specifically for the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.
In addition, the publication of documents such as Force 2035 and Force Structure Review (FSR) is intended as a blueprint for any planning of new capability asset acquisitions for all branches of the armed forces, based on updated and logical timelines, taking into account the availability of existing resources.
For example, the acquisition of Intelligent Surveillance Target Acquisition and Recognition (ISTR) equipment has increased the effectiveness of monitoring in operational areas and has successfully assisted the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and other security agencies in ensuring the continued safety and security of the country's borders, land, maritime, and airspace.
Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members. It is also stated that in an effort to reduce unemployment and increase membership in all branches of the armed forces, the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces have updated their recruitment and training policies by shortening the recruit training period at the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Institute to 14 weeks, with the remaining 3 months spent undergoing Specialty Service (STS) training in military units according to the designated field.
This change will not affect the level of competence of each individual.
Through this new policy, the intake of male and female recruits is expected to reach 960 people per year, compared to only 540 previously.
Furthermore, additional recruitment is planned to be obtained through the reservice scheme, including the involvement of members of the Royal Brunei Malay Reserve Force. It is hoped that these efforts will help the government to overcome and reduce the unemployment rate in the country.
The Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces are also actively developing strategies to ensure that the allocated funds are spent regularly and prudently, prioritizing acquisitions and projects that are truly needed and recognized as critical. In addition, the introduction of cultural changes such as careful planning and initiatives that can reduce future expenses will continue to be implemented.
For example, by developing local expertise in the maintenance of defense machinery that is comparable to the expertise of foreign engineers, as well as introducing the check and balance method in all procurement bids.
This is to ensure that the acquisition cost or project cost is accurate and all plans are thoroughly examined before any expenditure can be implemented.
I would like to emphasize that the implementation of asset replacement projects, capacity upgrades, and the like is not simply carried out on a business-as-usual basis, but is based on careful assessment and prioritization of an organization, in line with changes in technology trends and global security.
The implementation of these projects also takes into account the return on investment, especially in supporting the whole-of-nation approach in joint efforts with agencies that are important in strengthening the resilience and sustainability of national security.
The production of skilled labor is a high investment or the ultimate investment. This is because skilled, committed, and adaptable labor can bring success to an organization, but an equally important issue that needs special attention is welfare issues that relate to basic needs such as housing.
With a high number of applications for housing and the condition of military housing that is quite old and almost obsolete, short-term plans by the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces will continue to carry out minimal maintenance and repair work on military housing in all services of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, including repairing rental houses under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense using existing funds.
However, medium and long-term plans for the construction of military housing in the form of apartments or flats are being actively planned, involving construction in all camps except Lumut Camp. This project will be planned to be implemented in phases, which will certainly require significant expenditure.
In addition, the formation of spiritual values is also emphasized for each individual, as all efforts to develop human capital must be based on the core values of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, namely loyalty, courage, piety, and professionalism.
The Department of Religious Affairs of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (JAMA'AT) will continue to double its efforts in fostering spiritual resilience through religious initiatives in the souls of every member and citizen of the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces through the application of the principles and values of Maqasid Syariah.
The success of any organization depends on the quality and character of the human resources within it. In this matter, succession planning is an important factor in preparing leadership layers for the future.
The Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces has been and is systematically planning for the replacement of all leadership levels, especially top leadership positions, towards effective continuity and truly qualified future leaders.
In addition, the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces is currently studying existing plans and policies as an effort to further enhance the effectiveness of systematic career development and transparency, including the public service framework aimed at addressing the issue of decreasing workforce numbers and the need for specific competencies so that the responsibilities of the accountable organization can continue to be fulfilled.
Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members. Multi-dimensional challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic demand changes to the scope of the national defense concept. The defense entity needs to be adaptable, flexible, and evolve in line with the needs of the country, which also requires us to think more creatively and be sensitive to current developments.
May our young nation's children continue to rise as guardians of the defense fortress with a spirit of patriotism, dedication, and fearlessness as defenders of the sovereignty of the king, religion, country, and nation.
Insha Allah, the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, with the available military capabilities and equipment, will strive to fulfill its role in defending the sovereignty of the king, the sanctity of Islam, the stability of the economy, and the prosperity of the country, as well as the welfare of the people and inhabitants of the State of Brunei Darussalam, moving together to achieve the goals of Wawasan Brunei 2035.
Without security and stability, the desired progress cannot be realized. Therefore, I emphasize that the strength of national defense also depends on the cooperation, assistance, and participation of all layers of the population and society, including us Honorable Members in this noble Parliament.
With that, let us unite towards strengthening the defense of the country and with a joint prayer, may the country we love continue to be safe, prosperous, and under the reign of His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and may the royal family continue to be blessed with longevity, well-being, and the ability to rule on the throne.
That concludes the preamble from the Ministry of Defense for the allocation provided to the Ministry of Defense of Brunei Darussalam in the Financial Year 2023/2024. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker, for concluding with "Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. With Allah's guidance and blessings."
Your Honorable Speaker
Honorable Members. I believe the preamble presented by Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Defense is clear enough and does not need further discussion.
So, I now propose this topic for voting. Honorable Members who agree, please raise your hands. Thank you. All Members agree, and therefore, the Ministry of Defense is approved.
(All Members raise their hands to signify agreement)
Clerk
Topic SB01A - Topic SB04A is included in the Schedule for the Ministry of Defense.
Your Honorable Speaker
Honorable Members. I think it is best to adjourn this Committee Meeting and reconvene in the National Assembly Meeting.
(The Committee Meeting is adjourned)
(The National Assembly reconvenes)
Your Honorable Speaker
Honorable Members. We have had discussions throughout this morning. Therefore, I think it is appropriate for us to adjourn this National Assembly Meeting for a midday break.
In sha Allah, we will reconvene this afternoon as usual, starting from 2.30 pm.
That's all. "Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. With Allah's guidance and blessings."
ADJOURNED
(The National Assembly is adjourned)
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