DAY 9 AFTERNOON
14TH MARCH 2023 - AFTERNOON
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(The meeting resumed at 2.30 pm)
Your Honorable Speaker
Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. Honorable Members of Parliament. The National Assembly is still discussing the Supply Bill (2023) for the year 2023/2024. In order for us to examine and discuss the topics contained in the relevant Bill, I would like to adjourn this National Assembly meeting and reconvene at the Committee level.
(The meeting was adjourned) (The meeting continued as a Committee)
Your Honorable Speaker
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Honorable Members of Parliament. The meeting is now fully reconvened at the Committee level to consider the Supply Bill (2023) for the year 2023/2024 one by one.
At the Committee meeting held this morning, we began discussing the Ministry of Primary Industries and Tourism.
The Honorable Minister of Primary Industries and Tourism has completed the introduction on the preparation of the Budget for the Ministry of Primary Industries and Tourism for the Financial Year 2023/2024 in a clear and comprehensive manner. Here with me is still a rather long list.
Honorable Members of Parliament who would like to participate in discussing the topics under the Ministry of Primary Industries and Tourism. Now, I would like to invite Your Honorable Mr. Mohammad bin Abdullah @ Lim Swee Ann.
Your Honorable Mr. Mohammad bin Abdullah @ Lim Swee Ann
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
First and foremost, I would like to thank the Honorable Minister of Primary Industries and Tourism for the introduction.
I would like to request an explanation regarding Topic SH01A - Department of Primary Industries and Tourism. Regarding Topic SH06A - Department of Tourism Development.
I am pleased to touch on the assistance of funding, guidance, and training that can be provided by the Department of Tourism Development to help drive local tourism activities. I would like to know if there are any provisions and assistance provided for local tourism services consisting of village communities and upgrading existing tourist destinations. That's all, thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker, and thank you, Your Honorable Mr. Mohammad bin Abdullah @ Lim Swee Ann, for the question asked.
أ ْلح ْمدُ ِ هلِلAt this time, the Tourism Development Department has provided several initiatives to help develop the tourism industry in the country with the involvement of tourist service providers as follows.
Participation in exhibitions and expos, both domestically and internationally. The Tourism Development Department always offers free participation or provides subsidies to ease the expenses of tourist service providers to participate in overseas or domestic events.
In addition, the department conducts familiarization visits to community-based service providers and subsequently enables the Tourism Development Department to assess the products, i.e. product assessment, of places promoted by tourist service providers and to ensure the safety and comfort of visitors are always maintained and under the department's supervision from time to time.
Furthermore, involving and collaborating with tourist service providers in the publication of brochures and promotional materials for the Tourism Development Department to be marketed domestically and internationally.
In addition, the Tourism Development Department organizes programs and workshops, both domestically and internationally, for tourist service providers to help improve existing services and products as well as to enhance the skills and use of information and communication technology of tourist service providers. In other words, we sponsor participation in courses or workshops domestically and internationally.
In collaboration with IBTE, to enhance the capacity of local tour bus drivers, IBTE and the Tourism Development Department have provided support through workshops and courses for local tour guides.
In an effort to further expand knowledge of promoted areas and to help improve and upgrade infrastructure to support the services and products of tourist service providers, such as the installation of road signs in all four districts, interpretive signage in recreational parks, pedestrian bridges in Kampong Air and Hutan Luagan Lalak Recreational Park, and jetties.
The Tourism Development Department is also planning to build a small bridge to the Belulok and Teraja areas in Mukim Labi to facilitate visitors to visit the area while ensuring safety and comfort.
That is part of the support and assistance provided by the Tourism Department to tourism product providers. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
I now invite Your Honorable Haji Awang Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir.
Your Honorable Haji Awang Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. ِ ُالرحْ يم السَّال ُم عل ْي ُك ْم ورحْ مة ُهللا وبركاتُه َّ الرحْ َٰم ِن and greetings. All praise be to Allah, first and foremost, in this honorable chamber. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the enlightening speech delivered by Your Honorable Minister earlier this morning, regarding the efforts and plans for the progress, initiatives, and programs for the advancement of the agriculture, food, tourism, and economy sectors of the country, which are now in a more secure and better state.
Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members. I am pleased to address two matters under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, specifically under Title SH03A - Department of Fisheries, regarding fishing licenses.
As I have been informed, the ministry currently only provides licenses for fishing in the sea, and it is understood that this is one of the ways to control fishing in our waters due to depletion.
However, in this regard, I suggest that the government consider opening up fishing licenses in zone 1 to local fishermen and simplify the application process for obtaining fishing licenses, as I understand that the current online application process has been a challenge for fishermen, most of whom are not IT-savvy and 70% of whom are elderly.
Next, I would like to talk about Title SH06A - Tourism Development Department.
I convey the desire of the residents of Temburong District to establish a Tourism Development Plan for Temburong District called Eko Tourism based on the theme of Temburong Green Jewel.
Efforts and initiatives towards developing and advancing Temburong Eko Tourism by focusing on specific areas, as I will mention together for Your Honorable Minister's consideration.
The Tourism Development Plan for Temburong District, called Eko Tourism based on the theme of Temburong Green Jewel, which develops and advances Temburong Eko Tourism, has 7 parts, Your Honorable Speaker, namely bird watching, training or courses to become professional bird watching guides for young people.
Your Honorable, the task given here is to describe and identify the types of birds and their information. In section two, which is traditional medicine (nature tourism), we identify traditional medicines found in the Temburong District by training youths to study plants to be used as herbs. The second part explains the types of plants that can be used as a cure for all diseases.
In the third section, for wildlife tourism, we identify species of wild animals such as monkeys, deer, butterflies, various types of insects, and so on. Here, we also train and provide courses for youths in this field. The task is to conduct research, promote and provide information to foreign tourists who come.
In the fourth section, we improve the recreational system such as hiking. The main focus is on maintaining hiking trails, cleaning, and organizing.
In the fifth section, traditional food (culture tourism) such as wajid, ambuyat, tempoyak, kelupis, and so on. The main focus here is to promote it to both local and foreign tourists.
In the sixth section, traditional dances, music, and clothing are revived or developed. Each ethnic group in Temburong has its own unique dance, music, and clothing, such as the Murut, Iban, and Kedayan traditions. If these ethnic groups are combined in one performance, it will likely be more lively and become one of the attractions for foreign tourists. The youths are trained to be proficient in all types of ethnic dances to ensure that traditional dances remain relevant.
In the seventh section, handicrafts. There are two types of handicrafts, the first using natural products such as rattan and wood, and the second using plastic products. Here, the youths should be trained to further develop their skills.
That's all from me, I request enlightenment from Your Honorable Minister. Thank you.
Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker and also thank you to Your Honorable Haji Awang Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir.
There are two questions that have been asked.
The first question is about opening fishing licenses in zone 1. The ministry has taken note of the proposal to open fishing licenses in zone 1 for local fishermen's children.
Since 2008, licenses for this area have been issued for fishing in zone 1, which is between 0 to 3 nautical miles, due to overfishing in this area.
However, local fishermen who have licenses and registered before 2008 can still operate in zone 1.
Regarding the proposal to open zone 1, the Ministry of Primary Resources through the Fisheries Department has already carried out projects such as artificial reefs and fish aggregating devices to further enrich the fish stock in the area.
Therefore, in sha Allah, this proposal to open zone 1 will be reviewed and comprehensively studied. Once the review is completed, a decision will be made on whether zone 1 licenses will be issued or not للا in sha Allah in the near future.
Regarding the second question, which is about the establishment of eco-tourism based on the Temburong Green Jewel theme, Kaola welcomes the Honorable Member's proposal on this matter. Alhamdulillah.
Currently, the Tourism Development Department is drafting the Tourism Industry Roadmap, which certainly takes into account environmental initiatives such as eco-tourism, heritage and culture, and adventure as the focus of the tourism industry's direction in the country.
In sha Allah, this roadmap will be completed in the near future.
In line with the planning and programs to develop the fourth industry in all districts throughout the country, especially in the Temburong District, the Tourism Development Department, in collaboration with the Temburong District Development Authority (AKDT) in the Ministry of Finance and Economy, is developing the tourism industry in the district.
The Tourism Department has prepared and is preparing a comprehensive inventory database for tourism activities and products at the village and district levels in all four districts. This includes activities proposed by the Honorable Member such as bird watching, hiking, enjoying traditional food, and cultural performances.
With this comprehensive inventory, the Tourism Development Department will continue to work with major tourist agents in the country to provide more attractive tourism packages for sale in the domestic and international markets.
The target markets are Japan and Korea where the Tourism Development Department will assist tourism agents in this country to promote and market packages of this country to tourism expos in those countries.
In addition to the efforts mentioned above, the ministry is also carrying out several initiatives to support efforts to develop the tourism industry in the Temburong district.
The first is the capacity building of the Tourism Development Department in collaboration with relevant higher education, private and government institutions that continuously conduct various types of training programs to enhance capacity and encourage local children, including youth, to engage in the tourism industry.
One of the activities that has been conducted is the Local Host Guide training, which is a local tour guide initiative aimed at encouraging local children, especially youth in the Temburong district, to engage as local tour guides.
So far, the identified places are Mukim Batu Apoi and Mukim Amo where in 2022, 11 local children participated in the basic local host tourist guides course for Mukim Amo and Mukim Batu Apoi.
In addition, 30 people participated in the Bukit Patoi Forest Recreation Park recognition course. The implementation of this initiative will be extended to all four districts.
The second initiative is the installation of tourism signboards in the Temburong district where the Tourism Development Department is also planning to introduce several nature trails in all four districts for tourists, where the natural or historical features that are important to explain to visitors will be identified by tour guides.
The main focus in the Temburong district is the Ulu Temburong National Park and Bukit Patoi Park.
In addition, the third initiative is the PPP method, projects implemented by this method are such as the development of a restaurant project using the PPP Partnership method in the Bukit Patoi Forest Recreation Park in Temburong and upgrading and maintaining the accommodation complex in the National Park in Ulu Temburong.
Through this method, it will further enhance more attractive tourism activities in line with the latest tourism sector marketing needs. Generating business and job opportunities related to the tourism industry, especially for local children and companies.
That's all, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
Please proceed, Your Honorable Minister of Health.
Your Honorable Minister of Health
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم السالم عليكم ورحمة هللا وبركاته I would like to add on to the question regarding traditional medicine.
Here, I would like to convey that the Universiti Brunei Darussalam has conducted numerous studies on the plants found in Brunei Darussalam. If one visits the botany garden, there are tens or hundreds of plants that have been studied in Brunei, where they have ingredients or active substances that can be used as medicine.
Therefore, anyone who is interested in learning about traditional medicine or herbal medicine can visit the Universiti Brunei Darussalam, especially its botany section. From there, if we want to advance, we will know what plants have potential and we can expand our production. That's all, thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
I now invite Your Honorable Lau How Teck to speak.
Your Honorable Lau How Teck
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Greetings and good afternoon to Your Honorable Speaker and all Honorable Members present. I understand that efforts have been made to increase production and output of products, particularly in the agriculture, agri-food, fisheries, and livestock sectors, towards achieving self-sufficiency.
Congratulations on all achievements and efforts made by the MPRT towards realizing the goals of Wawasan Brunei 2035.
However, I would like to propose some issues and suggestions for the development and progress of the country through a Whole of Government Approach and Whole of Nation Approach, especially in the agriculture sector. Referring to Title SH04A Code 001/000 - Management and Administration.
I support the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism in developing the agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and other industries to increase productivity in line with the direction of supporting the digital economy.
Therefore, I suggest to alleviate the challenges faced by local entrepreneurs by creating a platform or website that can attract young people who want to join companies in the agriculture, forestry, livestock, and fisheries sectors.
Implementation of this website as a platform for reference by the Central Hub is proposed.
It is suggested that it contains complete information such as details related to the area and agricultural site, information on the amount or rate for starting capital and entering this field. Such initiatives are in line with the goals of Brunei Vision 2035, which is "High Quality of Life and Dynamic and Resilient Economy".
Furthermore, I would like to propose several things under Title SH04A, code 002-000 as follows: Referring to the Pilot Scheme introduced from 2016 to 2020, I understand that as many as 123 agricultural sites have been created by farmers involving an area of 976.46 hectares. 78% of the land brought in is for fruit crops, 8% for vegetable crops, and 14% for other crops.
Here, I would like to touch on the issue of uncleared land. The problem raised requires a large amount of capital to level and clean the land as site cleaning activities require high costs.
Therefore, the government should prepare the designated sites for cleaning first and provide facilities such as ditches, electricity, and water supply for farmers and breeders.
Furthermore, under the same Title with Account Code 004-000-Management of Plant, Livestock, and Agri-Food Industries. I suggest that the MPRT conduct immediate physical visits to the agricultural sector to identify all issues raised and faced by farmers can be addressed immediately, especially in flood-prone areas.
Usually, the MPRT is always there and strives to clean the ditches to reduce flood issues, especially during the rainy season. This flood issue in several areas and flood-prone areas has been faced by farmers, causing difficulties and problems in producing agriculture and affecting income and experiencing significant losses.
In addition, I also suggest that the MPRT encourage farmers to expand and develop green house infrastructure to increase agricultural production such as vegetables.
Apart from vegetable crops, I also encourage farmers to plant non-seasonal fruits such as guava, papaya, coconut, pandan, dragon fruits, and seasonal fruits such as rambutan, durian, and other local fruits as an alternative source of agricultural income.
Indirectly, this proposal practices the method and concept of mixed farming to enhance the productivity of the agricultural industry in Brunei, thus increasing the yield of crops while reducing the need for importing fruits and vegetables.
Your Honorable Speaker, the last point refers to Topic SH04A under Account Code 001-000. I would like to suggest a review of research and development in the agricultural sector.
This is crucial because without guidelines in the management and administration of agriculture, it will take a long time and be less organized.
Therefore, with the proposal to review research and development in agricultural management, it will be possible to improve the agricultural efforts of farmers to follow standard procedures according to the guidelines and procedures suggested by the MPRT, while also responding to the vision and mission of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism to achieve Brunei Vision 2035.
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker and thank you to Your Honorable Lau How Teck for the 5 questions or issues raised.
Before I answer Your Honorable Lau How Teck, I missed one answer to Your Honorable Haji Awang Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir regarding Fishing Licenses. Alhamdulillah, at this time there are two options for applying for a Fishing License:
For those who are proficient in online applications, they can renew their fishing license online.
In addition, there are counters in the four districts with Fisheries Branches where they can go to renew their fishing license.
Returning to the questions or issues raised by Your Honorable Lau How Teck.
Regarding the proposal to establish a website as a platform to attract young people involved in agriculture, livestock and fisheries.
For Your Honorable's information, websites for the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood have already been provided and are ready to be accessed by those interested in obtaining further information on fisheries and agriculture. These websites are regularly updated.
For Your Honorable's information, there are also several other efforts being actively implemented by the ministry to attract young people and the public to engage in agriculture, such as the exposure of potential youth programs to enter the high-tech field, which has so far implemented 7 series of programs that have successfully produced the participation of 116 young people.
Through this program, participants are exposed to Farm and Plant Management Techniques, agricultural technology, and visits to successful farmer's fields. The main objective of this program is to provide exposure to young people that the agricultural sector is a profitable enterprise and to encourage them to venture into agriculture using technology.
In addition, the ministry will continue to collaborate and support relevant parties such as the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports in conducting programs that involve and encourage youth participation in agricultural activities such as the Youth Rice Program and others.
For the Youth Rice Program, which started in 2015, currently 9 young people are involved in the rice industry.
The sites cultivated are in the Bebuloh Agricultural Development Area of 3 hectares, the Wasan Agricultural Development Area of 10 hectares, and the Batong Agricultural Development Area of 20 hectares for agricultural and farming exposure programs starting in 2019. At present, 5 young people are involved in hydroponic vegetable planting activities at the Youth Development Center, 2 young people at the Putat Agricultural Development Area in vegetable and fruit cultivation, and 3 young people at the Selangan Agricultural Development Area in Temburong.
The ministry also continuously implements awareness programs to attract youth interest, such as planting techniques and sharing information from successful farmers, through mass media such as Instagram, RTB, and Pelita Brunei. This includes continuous seminars, briefings, and training, as well as organizing seminars on Agriculture in conjunction with the celebration of Farmer's Day every year.
Regarding the proposal for the government to prepare agricultural sites that provide facilities such as irrigation, electricity, and water supply for farmers and breeders, especially young people. Basic facilities such as irrigation, electricity, and water supply have been provided by the government through allocations under the National Development Plan.
These facilities are usually provided for each Agricultural Development Area under the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood. However, these facilities are only provided for common areas and shared areas. For fields within the agricultural areas, the connection of water and electricity supply from the main supply is the responsibility of the farmers themselves.
Similarly, the ditches in the plantation area and also the connection to the main ditch are the responsibility of the farmers themselves. In encouraging more farming, the ministry understands that cleaning and leveling the offered land, providing water supply, electricity, and ditches require high capital preparation.
Realizing the challenges faced by new potential farmers, the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism has established the Agricultural Pilot Project Scheme, which offers areas starting from at least 2 hectares, which is expected to reduce the initial startup capital cost.
However, when the farmers advance, they are also given the opportunity to develop their farms through the expansion scheme to enable young farmers to grow and expand their businesses and increase their production.
The Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism also works closely with Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) and Bank Usahawan to enable farmers to access facilities such as grants or loans to enable young farmers to start their businesses. Alhamdulillah, so far the ministry has successfully helped 9 agricultural entrepreneurs to access the co-matching fund provided by DARe. Three (3) of them are young entrepreneurs.
Regarding the suggestion to conduct immediate physical visits in the field, especially in flood-prone agricultural areas. For Your Honorable's information, Kaola, together with the Permanent Secretary and Deputy Permanent Secretaries, as well as the Department Heads and relevant technical officers, often visit the farms, especially on Saturdays. Usually, if we are free, we go to these farms.
These farms are intended for Kaola and the others to see the development up close and also to hear firsthand any issues and problems faced by farmers. This includes providing advice and suggestions to farmers not only in terms of farm production but also in terms of cleanliness in the farm itself, including the maintenance of ditches and drains, and so on.
For your information, to ensure that the drainage system and main ditches provided by the government are always cleaned and maintained, the cleaning of ditches is carried out by the department on an annual contract basis to private parties for a period of every 2 years.
There are 27 Agricultural Development Areas involved in the annual contract, including KKP Bertumpu, KKP Sibongkok, KKP Limpaki, KKP Lumapas, and KKP Sinaut.
As a short-term measure, the department through the RKN Project has implemented and is implementing the construction of retention pond reservoirs involving several KKP areas that are often affected by floods, namely KKP Bertumpu, KKP Lumapas, KKP Sibongkok, and KKP Lotsangkuang. These ponds will not only serve as flood mitigation tools but also as a source of water during the dry season.
At the same time, farmers are expected to take responsibility for cleaning and maintaining the drainage systems in their respective farm areas to ensure that the existing drainage systems are not blocked to prevent flood problems.
Regarding the proposal to increase the use of green infrastructure to encourage maximum and efficient production, especially during the rainy season, this is an excellent proposal.
The Ministry through the Department of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry always advises farmers to upgrade their planting systems from conventional to high-tech technologies such as the use of Greenhouses, the Internet of Things, hydroponic systems, fertigation, and so on.
To assist farmers who cultivate vegetable crops, to reduce losses or crop damage caused by floods, the Department of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry has also introduced and recommended the use of easy and affordable plant technologies such as bench and hanging plant systems for fruit vegetables. Through the use of benches and hanging plant systems, flood effects on crop production can be reduced.
Regarding the proposal to implement the concept of mix farming, it is first explained that the definition of mix farming in this context is an integrated farming system between livestock and crops.
As we all know, the land area in this country is not as vast as in other countries that allow zoning of areas for separate farming and livestock activities.
Because the farm areas in this country are limited, both livestock and crop activities are close together and can become a source of pollution and disease transmission, as well as not meeting the biosecurity requirements of the farm. This will also be a barrier to exploring export markets.
Meanwhile, mix cropping is a farming system of planting various types of fruit, vegetables, and other plants in one field. The Ministry, through the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood, encourages such mix cropping systems to obtain cash crop income while waiting for the main crop's yield.
Regarding the proposal to review research and development in agricultural management, there are two aspects that can be explained. Firstly, it concerns agricultural management, where there are guidelines and standards for best practices in industries under the agricultural sector, such as Brunei Good Agriculture Practice, Good Animal Practice, Veterinary Inspection Logo, Brunei Standard for Organic Farming, and standards for plant commodities.
In addition, the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood has also published guidelines for planting, the use of fertilizers and pesticides, which can be downloaded from the department's website for farmers' reference.
Regarding agricultural research, it is currently being carried out in collaboration with higher education institutions such as IBTE, UNISSA, UBD, and foreign educational agencies such as the International Rice Research Institute, ASIAN Vegetable Research and Development Center, and Capacity Building Projects for Farmers Organization under the ASEAN Corporation Projects, which focus on productivity, including plant management in terms of fertilizers and plant pests.
Among the ongoing educational projects are studies on the suitability of rice varieties with Yuan Longping High Tech Agriculture Company Limited and the International Rice Research Institute. The Vertical Rice Farming Research Project with Universiti Teknologi Brunei, monitoring of fields using drones and satellites, studies on the effectiveness of plant pest poisons, and Ready to Eat Salad with Just Jen Zhu and local farmers.
This Ministry also collaborates as R&D collaborators under CREATES - Council for Research and Advancement in Technology and Science, Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC), which has identified several R&D projects related to industries under this Ministry.
The results of these studies are usually shared with relevant industry entrepreneurs through the respective industry sections and the agricultural development section of the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood.
Thank you Your Honorable Chairman.
Your Honorable Chairman
Your Honorable Members, I understand that the Honorable Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports wishes to add or provide an explanation regarding the matter raised. Your Honorable, please proceed.
Yang Berhormat Menteri Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. I would like to apologize for missing the opportunity earlier to add to the response to the question raised by the Honorable Haji Awang Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir from the Temburong District, for which I express my gratitude for the suggestion made by the Honorable Member.
Actually, this suggestion is well received. The suggestion is particularly related to traditional food, traditional dance, and also our cultural and artistic activities.
When we talk about tourism, it is inseparable from talking about our Bruneian culture and way of life. Culture is a lifelong companion for tourism or what is known in the West as best friend forever. Regarding the suggestion made by Your Honorable, it is in line with the program being organized by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports through the cultural journey that is being promoted to increase awareness among school children about our traditions and culture.
This includes aspects of dance art, cultural art, and also from the traditional games such as spinning tops, gambus, and so on. Every week during Bandarku Ceria, the Language and Literature Bureau invites children to showcase how to play traditional Bruneian instruments such as gambus, hand rolling, and so on.
I would like to share that in addition to the skills of playing these musical instruments, we are also arranging strategies to revive the heritage craft art of producing these musical instruments such as gambus.
In our country, there are no longer many people who produce gambus. The same goes for spinning tops. Not many people know or have the skills to produce spinning tops. Whereas at one time, many had the skills to produce spinning tops.
I would also like to share the strategy in our two-way relationship between Brunei Darussalam and other countries (outside) we also have a cultural exchange component. And when cultural exchange is one of the components to bring closer the relationship between Bruneians and people in neighboring countries, this is certainly a golden opportunity for us to attract more tourists to come to Brunei Darussalam and introduce our way of life in Brunei Darussalam, our traditions, our food, and of course Brunei Darussalam as a tourist destination.
So that's all that I can share for now, God willing more details will be shared later when it's the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports' turn.
Your Honorable Speaker
I now invite Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohamad Danial @ Tekpin bin Ya'akub.
Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohamad Danial @ Tekpin bin Ya'akub
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
Your Honorable, when speaking, please move closer to the microphone so that you can be heard clearly.
Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohamad Danial @ Tekpin bin Ya'akub
To start off, I would like to express my gratitude to the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism for the introduction regarding the planning for the National Expenditure 2023.
Praise be to God, I would like to raise three questions regarding the matter under Title SH02A - Forestry Department.
I would like to know from the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism regarding the permits for logging granted to logging companies. This matter is related to issues of road damage and destruction of forest ecosystems caused by logging activities.
Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, I would like to know what are the conditions that logging companies need to comply with, especially in preserving the natural environment, government property, and public property?
Are the enforcement agencies constantly monitoring their activities from time to time, and furthermore, I would like clarification regarding the logging zones allowed in the Tutong District.
That's all, Your Honorable Speaker. Thank you.
Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker, and also thank you to Your Honorable for those questions earlier. In answering the question about the conditions that logging companies need to comply with, especially in preserving the natural environment, government property, and public property, and whether the enforcement agencies are constantly monitoring their activities from time to time?
In answering the question about the destruction of forest ecosystems caused by logging activities, the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism through the Forestry Department always practices sustainable forest management.
To ensure that forest resources can be used and utilized continuously, to balance environmental, economic and social interests, for the well-being of the people and the nation of Brunei Darussalam.
To ensure that logging activities can balance these intended interests, several laws, policies, and guidelines have been established and implemented in carrying out logging activities, including the Forest Act Section 46.
The second is the Brunei Selective Felling System guideline, implemented since 1986, and the One Tree Four Planting policy implemented since 1993. For logging operations, the Brunei Selective Felling System emphasizes reducing the impact of logging on the environment, such as limiting the diameter and species of trees to be felled.
Ensuring the presence of mother trees for the next generation, carrying out one tree four planting work, and limiting the annual logging quota to 100,000 cubic meters per year. In addition, the forestry department also provides three sets of regulations according to the logging phase, namely before, during, and after logging.
The Forestry Department will conduct random inspections from time to time after logging to ensure that the laws, policies, and guidelines have been complied with by logging companies. If there are any violations, legal action will be taken under the current Acts, such as the Forest Act Section 46.
In response to questions regarding road damage issues, I would like to share that there are regulations for transporting logs from the forest and guidelines for logging trucks and load limits. To ensure that these regulations and guidelines are complied with by logging companies, the department always conducts patrols in logging areas from time to time to ensure that logging trucks do not carry more than the specified load limit.
If there are any violations, legal action will be taken under the current Acts, namely the Forest Act Section 46. Regarding main roads that are sometimes damaged, the Forestry Department always emphasizes that each logging company plays its role in repairing these roads as part of its corporate social responsibility.
Therefore, legal action will be taken according to the provisions of the offense under the effective Forestry Act, Section 46. Regarding the main road which is sometimes damaged, the Forestry Department always emphasizes to every logging company to carry out their respective roles in repairing the roads concerned as part of their corporate social responsibility. أ َ ْل َح ْم ُد ّ ٰلِل This matter has received support and cooperation from logging companies.
For example, from 2019 to 2021, the company has helped in repairing damaged roads at their own expense. The roads in question are along the road leading to Kampung Melilas.
Regarding the second question, the allowed area zones in Tutong District. Regarding this question, I would like to inform that the allowed logging area is in the inter-riverline zone RZ between the Belait River Valley and the Tutong River. These areas are specifically designated for the establishment of forest plantations.
The contained areas are forests in Mukim Rambai and Mukim Ukong. Usually, before the establishment of forest plantations can be carried out, the Forestry Department will harvest forest resources through companies that have been granted logging and forest product extraction licenses in the area.
That is the end of abiskaola's answer to the question from Your Honorable. Thank you.
Your Honorable Speaker
I now invite Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohd. Salleh bin Haji Othman.
Your Honorable Awang Haji Mohd. Salleh bin Haji Othman
علَ ْي ُك ْم َ سالَ ُم َّ ال ُ َو َرحْ َمةُ هللاّ َو َب َركَاتُهand greetings of peace. بسم للا الرحمن الرحي هم
أ َ ْل َح ْم ُد ّ ٰلِلFirst of all, I would like to express my gratitude for the introduction from Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism under the Title SH03A - Fisheries Department under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism.
I would like to touch on the question and monitoring to maintain the sustainability of rivers in Brunei Darussalam so that they are not polluted with illegal activities that can damage the natural ecosystem of the rivers concerned, such as catching fish using poisons and prohibited items, river encroachment, and so on.
For example, the Belait River, the longest river in the Belait District, is rich in river life and high-quality fish such as catfish, among other freshwater fish species. Catfish will start spawning in certain months.
It lays eggs between August and November, during the monsoon season. This tapah fish will only lay eggs in certain months, and if their natural habitat is polluted or disturbed, the special fish may decrease and face extinction, causing future generations to miss out on knowing or enjoying them.
Therefore, I would like to request clarification on whether there are strong acts to protect river ecosystems and what efforts and steps the government is taking to preserve rivers in Brunei Darussalam.
Furthermore, are there efforts towards breeding all species of fish, such as tapah fish and other quality species, as an initiative to prevent extinction and maintain food security, as well as to provide income for local residents? Have the fisheries departments ever conducted research on fish species found in rivers throughout our country that are facing extinction due to pollution and changing times?
Secondly, under the title SH04A - Department of Agriculture and Agrifood.
Regarding the Agriculture and Agrifood Incentive Scheme, a total of $500,000 will be provided to assist entrepreneurs and farmers in financing fertilizers, pesticides, equipment, and spray machines. In this regard, I would like to know how the financing distribution method is carried out and whether this assistance can be utilized by farmers consisting of villagers? It is stated that by December, the supply cannot be distributed anymore because it has run out.
For Kandol rice farmers, I am concerned about the local residents and would like an explanation regarding the process of soil spraying or rice planting pesticides, especially the method of disposing of the reservoir water that is channeled into the main river in Sungai Belait, ensuring that it will not pollute the river water as Sungai Belait is the main source of water supply for the Belait District. Does this process comply with the Health Safety Environment (HSE) safety standards?
Regarding the Singap Merangking Road, it is used by the KKP Merangking Companies for the progress of their respective farms. The road often experiences damage, especially during rain due to heavy vehicles carrying construction materials and agricultural equipment.
The problem of road damage makes it difficult for villagers to carry out daily routines such as working and sending their children to school. I suggest that action be taken to repair it if any damage occurs at any time by any relevant party.
Regarding the damaged roads caused by logging trucks, I would like to explain that the trucks carrying logs are not limited, meaning that this issue is not taken seriously because the goods carried exceed the load limit. This causes the roads to be damaged.
At the Merangking junction, a hut was built by the Forestry Department. It is unknown what the purpose of the hut was, but a height limit for vehicles carrying logs was set up. I thought it was for safety, but now it has been discarded to the side and the hut is no longer in use, only for people to rest. That's all. --- Thank you.
Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker and thank you, Your Honorable. There are 5 questions, but question 1 has 3 parts that Your Honorable has asked and I will answer them one by one.
- Regarding the sustainability of the Brunei Rivers and the extinction of fish species. Here, there are several acts or regulations under the jurisdiction of certain ministries related to the conservation of rivers and waters in this country. For example, the Environmental Protection and Management Act under SHENA, prevention of pollution of the sea order under MPABD.
Under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, the Fisheries Department has the Fisheries Act Order 2009 and related regulations. I will focus on the Fisheries Department Act. Under the Fisheries Act 2009, some tools that damage the ecosystem are not allowed to be used, such as fishing using explosives, poisons, or spray guns.
To maintain the sustainability of fisheries resources in the country's waters, including rivers, this law also provides that all tools used to catch fish must be licensed. This allows the Fisheries Department to limit the number and types of fishing gear, especially those that have a negative impact on fisheries resources such as kabat, tugu, kilung, and lintau.
The Fisheries Department also works closely with other government agencies such as the Marine Police and the Royal Customs and Excise Department to conduct joint patrols in our waters to ensure that these laws and regulations are complied with.
In addition to law enforcement efforts, the Fisheries Department also implements programs to increase the population of freshwater fish and shrimp species, which are currently known to be declining in numbers.
Specifically since the year 2000, the Department of Fisheries has implemented a restocking and release program for giant prawn seeds in an effort to increase the stock of giant prawns and enrich the high-value resources in the country's waters. The latest release of giant prawn seeds was carried out in July 2022 in the Temburong and Tutong Rivers.
This effort will also be extended to other fish and shrimp species, including the tapah fish found in the country's waters, especially the Brunei rivers that have the potential to be commercialized. In addition, the Department of Fisheries also monitors water quality such as reddish water, oxygen levels, pH, and salinity levels in rivers near fish farming areas.
Finally, regarding research on fish species in rivers that are almost extinct, at present, no research has been conducted to confirm the extinction of freshwater fish populations due to pollution. However, the Department of Fisheries is currently conducting a stock assessment survey through fishermen's catch tools in the bay and Brunei rivers to obtain information on fish species in the area. If the findings from the survey are completed, they will be shared with the relevant parties.
Therefore, the Department of Fisheries will conduct research with local and foreign research institutions on freshwater fish species that have the potential to be commercialized, which require more detailed research such as identifying breeding areas, breeding seasons, life cycles, and so on.
- Method of distributing assistance for the Agriculture and Agribusiness Incentive Scheme. Regarding the Agriculture and Agribusiness Incentive Scheme, this scheme is divided into 2 main categories, namely:
- Basic Needs Incentives, which are basic infrastructure such as main farm roads, main drainage, main electricity supply sources, and also main domestic water sources; and
- Special Needs Incentives for farms categorized as non-commercial such as fertilizers, pesticides, and farm machinery.
In helping to alleviate and balance the operating costs of farm production, farmers in these categories, including farmers consisting of villagers, can obtain SIPA assistance by applying through the Agricultural Development Unit in their respective districts.
Applications must meet the eligibility criteria set, for example, vegetable commodities, various plants and floriculture, paddy commodities not exceeding 5 hectares, and fruit commodities not exceeding 7 hectares.
Regarding the third question, the assurance of the cleanliness of Sungai Belait in the Kandol area was not compromised at the beginning of the paddy cultivation initiative in the Kandol Agricultural Development Area (KKP). The Highest Level Committee and Technical Committee were established with members from the Ministry of Finance and Economy, Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, and Ministry of Development.
The role of these committees is to oversee activities such as forest clearing, infrastructure preparation, land clearing, and paddy cultivation in accordance with standards to ensure the sustainability of the forest and the environment is taken into account and sustainable.
A Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted in 2011, and subsequently, an Environmental Monitoring and Management Program was implemented starting in 2019. Regarding soil fertilization in the Kandol Agricultural Development Area (KKP), PaddyCo Sdn. Bhd. worked closely with the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood on a soil fertilization program to ensure that the amount and timing of fertilizer application are appropriate for the crops and not excessive. The Department of Agriculture and Agrifood will periodically check the soil fertility level in the Kandol area.
In addition, before the water that is channeled to the fields is released into the river, it will be first collected in a silt trap pond to reduce sediment, and then released into the river.
The Kandol paddy cultivation project is also equipped with a water quality monitoring system by the Water Services Department to ensure that the project does not affect the water quality of Kuala Belait.
Regarding the fourth question, the complaint about the damaged small road in Merangking, it will be addressed to avoid inconvenience to the residents in the area.
Regarding the fifth question about the logging trucks damaging the road, as I mentioned earlier, the Forestry Department frequently conducts patrols and spot checks on these overloaded logging trucks, and appropriate action will be taken.
That is all, Your Honorable Speaker, regarding the questions raised by Your Honorable, thank you.
Your Honorable Speaker
Please proceed, Your Honorable Minister of Development.
Your Honorable Minister of Development
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Kaola, as additional information to the question raised earlier by Your Honorable Awang Haji Md. Salleh bin Haji Othman, regarding the enforcement acts to protect the river ecosystem from pollution.
Your Honorable, I would like to share that there is an environmental order under the authority of the Ministry of Development, which is the Environmental Protection and Management Order 2016, that has been gazetted and its enforcement is being carried out in stages by the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation as the responsible authority for the implementation of this order.
This order is basically to protect and manage the environment from any pollution, whether it is air, water, and soil pollution, including rivers, where it is the obligation of every individual in this country to take measures to ensure the protection and management of the environment to prevent any danger that may cause pollution or damage to the environment.
Referring to the earlier question, looking at the aspect of river conservation and monitoring in this country, one of the provisions in the aforementioned law is under Section 9. Any person who wants to carry out activities involving rivers must submit an application first and provide assurance of the necessary requirements so that any pollution that can damage the river ecosystem can be prevented, whether for agricultural, drainage, agricultural drainage, fisheries, logging, and also forest hazards purposes.
The earlier question mentioned about the prevention made in the infrastructure works that have been carried out in the commercial paddy land opening works made in the Kandol Area, which is a land area of 500 hectares in Phase 2 of the Belait District.
These works involve the provision of sediment ponds provided to control the flow before the water enters the main river, the Belait River. This is a preventive measure that has been made there in the design and construction structure of this commercial paddy cultivation area later. So, during construction, quality monitoring such as sampling and analysis in line with the requirements of this law has been made and constantly monitored. That is a little addition to the answer of Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism regarding the question raised. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
I think the problems raised by Your Honorable Awang Haji Md. Salleh bin Haji Othman are the problems faced by his village.
It is good to investigate this so it will not become worse although it seems trivial, for example the extinction of fish in a river but it will bring a deeper consequence if we do not investigate such things. So, I ask Your Honorable Members so that matters like this will also be investigated by the government agencies carefully.
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.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and greetings. Your Honorable Speaker, first of all, I would like to express my highest gratitude to Your Honorable Speaker for providing me with the opportunity to discuss the Allocation of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism.
Also, thanks to Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism who has given a comprehensive introduction to the budget for the Financial Year 2023/2024 for the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism and explained the direction of the ministry.
The Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam strongly encourages the production of Brunei Darussalam's products to penetrate regional and even international markets.
We are grateful to Allah SWT that one of these products, namely shrimp, has successfully been exported to countries such as Singapore, Japan, the United States, and others.
However, these entrepreneurs face challenges as it is understood that power supply interruptions have occurred repeatedly in the Shrimp Farming Ponds in Mentiri since last year. This has certainly caused enormous losses and resulted in the death of the shrimp being raised.
Therefore, shrimp production companies often face high risks and subsequently inconvenience the companies by affecting the delivery of shrimp production results for export.
If such incidents continue and result in significant losses, the companies may not be able to afford to export shrimp, and it would be even more unfortunate if they have to close their businesses.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Department of Fisheries and Basic Agricultural Industries (JPITA), Hjh Mariam Hj Morsidi, said that her department is studying all the issues raised by the companies concerned.
أ ْلح ْمدُ ِ هلِل The government has been able to restore electricity supply to those areas. However, to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future, I am pleased to request clarification from Your Honorable Minister on how to address this issue so that local entrepreneurs can be more confident, competitive, and sustainable in the future.
The second issue is also understood to be one of the programs of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism to contribute to the growth of tourist arrivals in the country.
The growth of tourism-related services in this country can also significantly contribute to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, as in other countries. It is undeniable that the tourism industry plays a role as one of the contributors to the country's income by significantly improving the country's socio-economic conditions, such as increasing job opportunities, expanding related industries and services, and expanding business opportunities among micro, small, and medium-sized entrepreneurs.
According to the Tourism Development Department's Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), the target number of air tourists to the country is very low, with 33,431 people for the year 2022/2023. It may also be for the year 2023/2024.
Similarly, if we refer to the allocation under Account Code 1104-0005 for Tourism Industry Development and tourism product companies for the Tourism Development Department, it has decreased from 670,000 people in 2022/2023 to 580,000 people in 2023/2024.
However, this ministry intends to further increase tourist arrivals in the country.
One of the challenges faced by the investment in this industry is declining. However, I would like to seek enlightenment from Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism on the more effective and highly efficient strategies and initiatives for this ministry in the short, medium, and long term to target more tourists, not only by air and land but also by sea (cruise ships).
Furthermore, several developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Singapore, and others invest abroad to enable the necessary products to be imported into the respective countries. These products are not only produced on a large scale but also have very low production costs and are cost-effective compared to producing the same products domestically.
What I would like to raise is that the good practices used by these countries can be used as an example in this country towards ensuring food safety, especially in rice production. It is undeniable that the government is continuously trying to cultivate paddy fields on a large scale, but the production of rice may not be able to meet 100% of the country's rice needs.
Therefore, I suggest that the government or LGC consider investing abroad in countries such as Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, and others that have stable political positions and fertile land suitable for large-scale rice cultivation and highly productive based on their experiences in those countries.
Production costs should be taken into account, which are very low, especially with a large workforce. This not only ensures the safety of production but also allows us to produce rice in this country. There is also a possibility that the rice produced from this investment can be exported to other countries that can guarantee the country's income.
Finally, I would like to address marketing. What is often faced by Micro and Small Entrepreneurs is marketing for their products. Most of them only have skills in producing certain products such as handicrafts, traditional food, and similar products. Challenges they often face in marketing. I would like to seek clarification if the relevant ministry has plans to establish an agency to promote local products or at least provide a strategic platform to assist in the marketing of local products.
With the existence of such marketing assistance, Kaola believes it is one of the incentives for those involved to produce even more large-scale products. That is what Kaola can suggest here and once again, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Your Honorable Speaker and end with, "Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. And with Allah's guidance and blessings."
Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker and also thank you to Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Yusuf for the questions that have been raised.
Regarding the way forward to overcome the problem of interrupted electricity supply for aquaculture areas in this country. It is acknowledged that for some areas, the real challenge faced by the Fisheries Department is the adequacy of electricity and water supplies.
In the introduction earlier, Kaola mentioned that the main priority is to further strengthen the provision of infrastructure to these areas such as in Mentiri, Alhamdulillah, mitigation measures have been taken.
There are also 2-3 places in Sungai Paku, where in collaboration with the Department of Electrical Services and the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, several interim measures have been taken to address the problem of electricity supply shortages.
But in the short and long term, to provide electricity supply under the National Development Plan (RKN) as a basic infrastructure material to ensure that all strategic areas such as in Mentiri, Sungai Paku, Keramut, which have many shrimp and fisheries entrepreneurs, will be able to enjoy sufficient electricity and water supply in their areas to enable them to maximize and optimize their production.
This is also the same for the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood. Agricultural development areas also face the same challenges, some areas have a shortage of electricity and water supply.
Praise be to Allah, the Department of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry and the Department of Electrical Services are working tirelessly to ensure that projects under the 11th Malaysia Plan will be implemented within this year, InshaAllah.
Regarding the main strategy to encourage more tourists, as Kaola mentioned earlier, the Tourism Development Department in collaboration with the Industry and Eco-Business Division (IBE) of the Ministry of Finance and Economy is preparing a roadmap to advance the tourism industry, the Industry Roadmap, which includes short, medium, and long-term strategies until 2035 to make the country known for its tourism industry. InshaAllah, with these strategic plans, programs, and projects, we will be able to further enhance our efforts to attract more tourists to our country.
One of the major backbones is currently found in the tourism activities being developed at the village, district, and state levels, where there is a gap between the tourism agents and the providers of tourism activities at the district, village, and state levels. With the strategy to match them between tourism agents and entrepreneurs, providers of tourism activities at the district, village, and state levels will be able to enrich the tourism packages available in the country, which are unique and different from neighboring countries, InshaAllah.
Regarding the possibility of government-linked companies (GLCs) to increase food security, especially rice, Praise be to Allah, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economy, we are now looking at the possibility of our GLCs investing together with suitable partners in neighboring countries to co-invest in rice cultivation not only in our country but also possibly abroad to increase the supply of secure rice for our country and to develop it as an investment, as suggested 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 earlier, for export abroad, InshaAllah, and is currently being researched by both ministries.
As for marketing issues, in fact, marketing problems are faced by Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, especially in the Agriculture and Primary Resources Division. Most of them are micro-businesses at home, and strategies are employed and prepared. The first simple strategy is the "Pasar Kitani" where "Pasar Kitani" activities are held on weekends, Saturday and Sunday, at the Rimba Horticulture Centre, where Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises can sell their products.
This is not only about plants and fruits, but also about agro-food and craft products made in 1Village 1Product. This is provided for small-scale businesses and in addition to that, for those who are more advanced, efforts are made to make business matching.
This means that business matching between entrepreneurs and buyer producers is made. At this time, Alhamdulillah, there is business matching between major agro-food companies and primary production producers who have succeeded, such as farmers and buyers like Gropoint. There are also Ghanim and agro-food entrepreneurs' companies for sale abroad, packaged and sold there.
With companies like Ghanim focusing on exports, I think this is another avenue where companies like those making shrimp and banana crackers can expand their markets. They are encouraged to work closely with Ghanim to help them in the marketing field. In addition to these three ways, the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism also encourages local entrepreneurs to promote their products abroad. So, if promoting abroad is brought to international expos, the ministry and its departments such as the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Fisheries also provide guidelines and assistance to ensure that these products comply with the import requirements of the companies and countries they will explore.
These are among the initiatives made by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism together with other agencies in an effort to market local products in this country.
If we look at it now, one of the challenges we have at the moment is the supply, as faced by Ghanim, the supply to be exported is insufficient. So, we need to strengthen the production capacity of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs as well. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Your Honorable Speaker
I 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.
Peace be upon you and may Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the prophets and messengers and the righteous servants of Allah.
Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to participate in this discussion.
Thanks also to the Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism for sharing the initiatives that have been undertaken and the focuses that will be implemented in the Financial Year 2023/2024.
I congratulate and applaud these initiatives. However, there are a few things that I would like to share, perhaps for enlightenment or as suggestions only.
I welcome the main performance indicators set by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism regarding the value of production from the Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry sectors.
I believe that more is better. I hope that it will be doubled so that the supply chain will be more guaranteed, and the country's export rate will increase. I also welcome the recent efforts of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism in opening 'Pasar Kitani' to market local products.
It is important to monitor it to ensure that 'Pasar Kitani' is truly owned, managed, and the sellers are our people. Hopefully, with more basic goods produced in this country, it will somewhat help to reduce the prices of these goods, God willing.
I think this is one of our steps to reduce the cost of living for basic necessities in the short and long term, as well as to respond to and uphold the command of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, especially regarding food security.
However, I hope that the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism will be able to assist entrepreneurs who are truly interested in developing their businesses for export by establishing strategic alliances with neighboring countries to enable our exports to penetrate those markets.
Your Honorable Speaker, during the discussion session with the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, we were informed about the efforts of young people who are engaged in modern farming in Kampung Tungku.
I hope that this effort can be further expanded, and assistance can be provided to market their products.
It is also important to socialize or extensively promote this effort to attract more interest from these young people to engage in modern farming.
Maybe a special segment needs to be created in RTB to showcase the efforts of these youths and PMKS as a whole in agriculture, fisheries, and any other businesses.
If it already exists, perhaps it needs to be updated not only to highlight the activities of PMKS but also to serve as a promotional tool for PMKS businesses.
Speaking of these young farmers, I also tend to suggest that extracurricular activities be reintroduced in schools that can tame and open the minds of students to venture into agriculture.
The perception that agriculture is a manual job, unprofitable, and does not generate substantial income for farmers needs to be changed.
Perhaps the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism can collaborate with the Ministry of Education to introduce this initiative.
Your Honorable Speaker, the second matter is regarding the ministry's target related to tourist arrivals. This matter has been extensively discussed by Your Honorable earlier. Therefore, I will only add a little to this matter. But I believe that the targets set at this time need to be revised upward. Countries in this region have targeted millions of tourists because they know that the arrival of these tourists will not only bring financial inflows to their countries but also stimulate economic growth, especially in the service industry, including hotels, restaurants, transportation, trade, retail, and others.
It can also open up more job opportunities for citizens and locals. As far as I can see, our efforts in promoting tourism are not aggressive enough. Our promotion is still at a basic level.
Your Honorable Speaker, the second matter is regarding the ministry's targets related to tourist arrivals. This matter has been extensively discussed by Your Honorable earlier. Therefore, I will only add a little to this matter. But I believe that the targets set at this time should be revised upward.
Countries in this region have already targeted millions of tourists because they know that the arrival of tourists will not only bring financial inflow to their country but also stimulate economic growth, especially in the service industry including hotels, restaurants, transportation, trade, retail, and others. It can also create more job opportunities for locals. As far as I can see, our efforts in promoting tourism are not aggressive enough. Our promotion is still at a moderate level.
In the context of Brunei Darussalam, we can still maintain a selective tourism strategy, but the tourism sector is very broad, such as in the fields of education, medicine, conferencing, sports tourism, and others. The important thing is coordination among these agencies to jointly market our products in an integrated manner.
Your Honorable Speaker, in this country, there are already boarding schools that have high standards. One of the best in this region, perhaps also internationally. The same goes for conference affairs, actually, we have the potential to become a conferencing center in this region because we have the charm and hospitality to host such activities.
The same goes for medical tourism, we already have sophisticated facilities and equipment that are not available in Borneo, and we also have sophisticated machines that are only owned by four or five countries in the world.
The opening of Gleneagles JPMC and the construction of the Specialist Center in Jerudong, for example, are not only aimed at providing specialist medical services to the people of this country but also intended to attract foreign patients who need these services to come to this country. That is why we collaborate or form strategic alliances with leading medical institutions in other countries. Your Honorable Speaker, أ ْلح ْمدُ ِ هلِل for the efforts of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism in organizing the 'December Celebration' which should be welcomed and congratulations on that initiative. It will certainly provide an opportunity for locals to get to know their own country and have fun domestically. This is a noble idea and should be continued, but overall, the tourism facilities in this country are still limited. I noticed that the allocation provided for the Tourism Development Department has not increased much. It seems to me that it is business as usual. I believe that to attract more tourists to this country, we will need to build more tourism infrastructure networks and multiply our efforts to promote this country to the world.
I note that in the development of tourism products and businesses, and in tourism promotion and marketing, the amount allocated is very small and insufficient. We need to invest more money to achieve the desired results, not only in financial terms but also in terms of spinoff and multiplier effects, especially in creating more job opportunities for local residents. I hope that in the upcoming National Development Plan, this sector will be given sufficient allocation so that it can attract more tourists to the country. I also see that there is a special project in the Ministry of Home Affairs, under the title Small 113-001 - Strengthening the Water Village Tourism Package Products with a planned budget of $6 million. I hope that this allocation can be utilized to help the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism.
I welcome the explanation from Your Honorable Minister that a roadmap will be provided to advance tourism. This proposal is a good one and I hope it will increase promotion, infrastructure development, and more aggressive targets to advance tourism in the country as a whole.
Your Honorable Minister also touched on PPP projects implemented in the tourism sector, especially in Temburong District. Congratulations, I hope that more and larger PPPs will be planned and established foreign investors in the tourism industry can build a stronger, more directed, controlled, and viable tourism network that can take advantage of the advantages and niches available in Brunei Darussalam. Thank you.
Your Honorable Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker, and thank you, Your Honorable, for the majority of the proposals on how to move forward.
أ ْلح ْمدُ ِ هلِلI think this ministry welcomes the proposals from Your Honorable earlier, especially in making sure that 'Pasar Kitani' is owned and managed by local residents, making strategic alliances with stakeholders outside the country for market access.
I think ان شاء هللاat this time, the ministry is currently collaborating with the Singapore government to further facilitate exports to Singapore. In addition, exports are not only to Singapore but also to the Middle East and China with close relationships with key stakeholders there. For young farmers, أ ْلح ْمدُ ِ هلِل it has become a target for the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism that their involvement will ensure and guarantee the progress of the primary resources and tourism industry because they will be the backbone and also as agents of change where this agriculture is not just present farming but more of agribusiness farming where there are many benefits in this agriculture besides just to support oneself, 'kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang'.
Regarding KPI and tourism, it is acknowledged that the current approach is conservative. ان شاء هللاthe Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism will re-examine this, especially with the relaxation of regulations for tourist entry into the country.
Regarding promotions, the current strategy is mainly online. The tourism promotion nowadays is mostly observed by the Department of Tourism Development that the greatest impact on promotion and tourist arrivals is through online platforms, such as mobile apps.
This is something that the ministry will closely collaborate on, not only with mobile app entrepreneurs in Brunei but also with companies like Booking.com, Tripadvisor, Expedia, and other similar apps to ensure that Brunei is not left behind in promoting itself as an attractive tourist destination in the region.
In terms of infrastructure, it is acknowledged that there is still much to be done. However, Alhamdulillah, efforts have been made under the provisions of RKN-11. As mentioned earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs has provided and improved basic tourism facilities in Kampung Air, such as building and upgrading pedestrian bridges and constructing a mini wharf in the Kampung Air Cultural and Tourism Gallery.
In addition, for the development in Temburong District, the Temburong District Development Authority has identified 3 focus areas for development, namely:
The Bangar area, which aims to strengthen Bangar Town as a center of attraction not only for the main administration but also for tourists to visit Bangar Town.
The focus area is the Labu area, where both projects, namely Labu Square, have been identified as a stopping place in Temburong District with mixed-use development such as recreational facilities and F&B.
The Batang Duri and Ulu Temburong areas, where as mentioned earlier, there is FDI from Singapore to develop Ulu-Ulu Temburong there. In addition, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports has a project to upgrade the Brunei Museum building. All praise be to Allah, this will be one of the major attractions that will add to the interesting places in the country. As mentioned by Your Honorable earlier, there is indeed a PPP project in Bukit Patoi. Insha Allah, the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, together with the privatization and PPP committee, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, will further enhance efforts to attract more PPPs that have a significant impact on the tourism industry.
In addition, we will collaborate with BEDB to attract more FDI for investment in international standard accommodation and also attractive locations to be developed in the country.
Thank you. That is all the argument presented by Your Honorable.
Your Honorable Speaker
Your Honorable Minister of Home Affairs.
Your Honorable Minister of Home Affairs
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. Thank you also to Your Honorable for the discussion on tourism.
For information, at the Ministry of Home Affairs, 65 countries are already in the Visa Waiver Program which allows them to enter Brunei Darussalam without a visa. Efforts to attract tourism or facilitate the entry of tourists into this country, such as the Immigration and National Registration Department providing an online E-Arrival Card, which makes it easier for foreign tourists to fill out online instead of queuing at international airports. In addition, with the upgrading of the Border Management System, the E-Gate system will be upgraded and this will facilitate the entry of tourists into this country.
So, without compromising safety, that is all I can add, Your Honorable Speaker.
Thank you.
Your Honorable Speaker
I invite Your Honorable Minister of Health.
Your Honorable Minister of Health
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.
Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.
I would like to add to the discussion on Medical Tourism. As everyone knows, the Ministry of Health has long identified Medical Tourism as one of the industries that has the potential to contribute to the country's economic development.
However, in most other countries, medical tourism is largely carried out through the private medical sector. In Brunei Darussalam, the Ministry of Health welcomes investment in the health sector not only through the private medical sector and government link companies in the country, but also welcomes investment from foreign private medical parties who can make Brunei Darussalam a regional hub in certain medical fields.
This is in line with the development of advanced medical services, infrastructure, and technology.
At this time, the implementation of medical tourism can be promoted by private medical institutions in the country. Meanwhile, the achievements of the private medical sector have received international recognition standards such as the Joint Commission International (JCI), which is capable of attracting patients from abroad and potentially making Brunei Darussalam one of the best destinations for medical tourism.
For example, heart transplant or organ transplant treatment facilities that will be introduced in Brunei Darussalam through cooperation between Jerudong Park Medical Centre and foreign medical institutions. This facility will make it the only Heart Organ Transplant Treatment Center in Borneo and provide convenience for local patients to undergo this procedure in the country. It is also understood that private medical institutions, especially Jerudong Park Medical Centre and Pantai Jerudong Specialist Centre (PJSC), are working to provide more holistic marketing strategies to promote medical services at the international level, as well as identifying suitable targets according to current markets towards creating a strong and competitive medical tourism ecosystem.
Among the efforts that have been implemented include participating in various international exhibitions to raise the JPMC and PJSC brands by highlighting various medical fields that are among the best in JPMC such as InVitro Fertilisation, Orthopedics Joint Replacement, Sports Medicine, and so on.
In addition, Alhamdulillah, Gleneagles JPMC is also one of the recognized private heart centers that offers a variety of heart and cardiovascular treatments that are on par with famous institutions in the region. Furthermore, PJSC through The Brunei Cancer Centre, Brunei Neuroscience Stroke and Rehabilitation Centre, Maxillofacial, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Centre also has the potential to contribute to the development of medical tourism. Cooperation with tourism agencies will also be explored to include the services provided by JPMC, PJSC in holiday packages and promote these medical centers as a tourist option for medical treatment besides other hospitals in the region. And cooperation through other ministries will also facilitate the process of attracting medical tourism in the country.
Thank you.
Your Honorable Speaker
I invite Your Honorable Minister of Education.
Your Honorable Minister of Education
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. ههبسمه للاه الرحمنه الرحيم Kaola would like to refer to the statement or suggestion made by Your Honorable regarding agricultural activities to be included in the school co-curriculum.
One of the roles of the STEP Center of the Ministry of Education through the Green School Gardening (GSG) program is to provide knowledge and skills to teachers to implement modern agriculture in schools and to expose their students to vegetable cultivation using hydroponic methods.
The STEP Center has collaborated with the Agro-Technology and Applied Sciences schools, IBTE Campus Agro-Technology, in providing consultancy services to schools interested in starting hydroponic farming. They will then undergo training and coaching sessions.
So far, 4 phases of the GSG program have been implemented from 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, involving 79 government schools, 149 teachers, and an estimated 1,938 students at the primary, secondary, and Form 6 levels.
Schools are given the freedom to carry out activities for selected students according to their suitability and ability.
Thank you.
Your Honorable Speaker
I invite Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department of Finance and Economy II.
Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department of Finance and Economy II
Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. In addition, Jerudong International School also plays a role in attracting students from abroad to stay in JIS dormitories, with 30 students from countries such as China and Korea.
Thank you.
Your Honorable Speaker
Thank you for the support of all parties. Honorable Members.
I think we have discussed enough on this topic. I suggest that we adjourn this Committee Meeting and reconvene in the National Assembly Meeting.
(The Committee Meeting is adjourned)
(The National Assembly Meeting reconvenes)
Your Honorable Speaker
Honorable Members, we are now in the National Assembly Meeting. I think we have talked enough for this afternoon. I suggest that we adjourn the National Assembly Meeting and ان شاء هللا we will reconvene tomorrow, Wednesday, 15th March 2023 as usual starting at 9.30 am.
That's all, Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.
ADJOURNED
(The Parliament session is adjourned)
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