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DAY 12 MORNING

For Informational Purposes Only

18TH MARCH 2023 - MORNING​

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PRAYER OF SAFETY​

The prayer of safety is recited by the Honorable Begawan Pehin Khatib Dato Paduka Awang Haji Emran bin Haji Kunchang. (Imam of Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Mosque).

Your Honorable Speaker​

We thank ‫سبْحانهُ وتعال َٰى‬ ِ‫أ ه‬ ُ ‫ّلل‬ for His grace, mercy, and permission that we are able to gather here this morning for the twelfth day of the First Meeting of the Nineteenth Session of the National Assembly. May blessings and peace be upon our Great Prophet ‫نبي محمد صل للاه‬ ‫ عليه وسالم‬and his family, companions, and followers who remain loyal until the end of time.

Honorable Members. The National Assembly is still discussing the proposed Supply (2023) Bill, 2023/2024 by the Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and the Second Minister of Finance and Economy.

To allow us to continue discussing and examining the topics in this Bill, I would like to adjourn this National Assembly meeting and convene at the Committee level.

(The National Assembly is adjourned)

(The meeting continues as a Committee)

Your Honorable Speaker​

Honorable Members. The meeting is now fully convened at the Committee level to further consider and discuss the Supply (2023) Bill, 2023/2024 one by one.

Honorable Members. ‫أ َ ال َح ْمدُ ّ ٰلِل‬ until today, the twelfth day of our meeting. The Committee has examined and approved several ministries for this Bill, namely the Prime Minister's Department and its subordinate departments, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism. I hope that in the following days, we will be able to examine and approve more ministries more efficiently and effectively to pass this Bill.

Honorable Members. The Committee is still examining and discussing the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Before I reopen this topic for discussion, I have been informed that the Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs wishes to make a statement first regarding some questions from the appointed Honorable Members that have not been answered regarding the Ministry of Religious Affairs in the previous meeting.

Therefore, I would like to give way and invite the Honorable Minister to make his statement. Please proceed, Your Honorable.

Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs​

Praise be to Allah. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. I would like to refer to the matters raised by some of the appointed members that I have not yet fully responded to or have only responded to in a general manner lacking necessary details. Therefore, I am pleased to add to my previous statement with statements like these.

  1. Your Honorable Dayang Hajah Rosmawatty binti Haji Abdul Mumin raised the issue of the ministry's strategic plan, which is to reduce Shariah crime cases by 3% every year. So, what measures will the ministry take to ensure this reduction is achieved?; and

  2. What are the categories of offenses that have been convicted?

    1. I would like to state, Your Honorable Speaker, that there are two levels of initiatives, namely after the mid-term review, which are:

    2. Conducting Shariah crime education programs from the perspective of Islamic law. Conducting public awareness programs in collaboration among leading agencies and accountability regarding Shariah Law, namely collaboration with the Islamic Legislative Unit, Shariah Enforcement Division, and Law Enforcement Division.

    3. Increasing the knowledge of this enforcement, which is usually led by the Religious Enforcement Division; and

    4. Conducting religious counseling programs led by the PDI, another unit under the ministry, called KAFA, which means counseling and rehabilitation unit in terms of religious understanding, including not only understanding of practices that are considered confusing, deviant, and so on, but also tendencies towards extremism.

This is under KAFA, which provides a draft for proposed amendments to the law. If there are any log holds and as far as the law is concerned, that is what is raised to the Islamic Religious Council for consideration. This matter is implemented by the Islamic Legislative Unit. Although the Islamic Legislative Unit is under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, its officers in this unit collaborate with officers in the Attorney General's Office in its implementation.

Initiatives before the mid-term review and after the mid-term review;

  1. Previously, by conducting education and awareness programs for various layers;

  2. Enhancing collaboration and teaching efforts among related government agencies;

  3. Enhancing enforcement monitoring patrols; and

  4. Conducting religious counseling programs.

Regarding the second matter, which is the categories of offenses that have been convicted. The convicted offenses include khalwat (close proximity), extramarital sex, pregnancy out of wedlock, attempted adultery, drinking and possessing alcohol, insulting or causing contempt towards Islam, family law offenses such as divorce outside of court without court permission, failure to report divorce outside of court to the court within seven days after the divorce, and getting married outside of the country without permission from the Registrar of the Syariah Court Marriage.

Although it may seem that all three matters, Your Honorable Chairperson, are legal matters, meaning to what extent a husband has validly divorced his wife. The law can refer to those who know, but in terms of the law, this matter must be examined. It has implications for family relations, implications regarding property division, and so on, or cemani. There are many implications, and the laws covering such matters become offenses if not reported. The punishments provided and imposed are imprisonment, fines, and there is also the punishment of caning.

I am pleased to report that the number of cases that have been discussed in 2022 is 326 cases, and in the previous year, there were 168 cases. This does not indicate a real increase. In 2021, the court was unable to hold hearings for several months due to the COVID-19 situation.

So, in 2021, the court did not have any trials for 4 months. So, no trials were held, as if there were no cases mentioned. That is the response to Your Honorable Dayang Hajah Rosmawatty binti Haji Abdul Mumin.

Furthermore, Your Honorable Chairperson, I would like to respond that I have already mentioned it, but in a non-concise manner, as if people were passing by, and I feel that the relevant ministries would feel unfair if not answered clearly. To Your Honorable Awang Amran bin Haji Maidin, who questioned the violation of the halal label certificate application that has been revoked, can it be presented?

  1. The proposal is to take proactive action to remind companies to renew their halal certificates. Further explanation or clarification is that several initiatives have been implemented to address the issue of displaying revoked halal certificates, including SMS messages and letters issued by the Department of Islamic Religious Council when they receive halal certificates to renew them within 3 months before the revocation date. In addition, consistent monitoring is also carried out through patrols, complaints, and integrated efforts to ensure that monitoring companies comply with laws and certification regulations.

    That which I mentioned regarding this question a few days ago, I expressed some concern because of the number that needs to be monitored. Is it the responsibility of Your Honorable Speaker or not? That's all, as a layman, the public greatly appreciates Your Honorable Speaker for providing information to the relevant parties to act promptly.

  2. The relevant section in the process regarding the certification of halal food control is currently IT-friendly, but there is already an allocation for its improvement. In its implementation, if I am not mistaken, it will be implemented with an allocation of $1 million, coordinated by the IT authorities alone. So, God willing, if a system has been built, such as the system currently in place, such as BruHealth, and so on, regarding the presence of that system, God willing, it will be more easily implemented, more digitally friendly.

    From the Honorable Member, the process of obtaining halal certification requires a long checklist, which causes it to take a long time.

    The suggestion is to be reviewed and simplified. The TPOR response time for applications is 45 days, for smooth applications, with complete forms and information, there is no problem. So, after it is received, the processes can be completed within 45 days, which may be less than 45 days, but if the application is incomplete, it will take more than 45 days because the certification process is done in stages.

    For applications that are not smooth, companies are required to comply with laws and regulations. As mentioned before, it should be made easier so that they can use it, such as for food in restaurants, which are products recognized as halal by MABIMS in Malaysia or abroad. If it has been recognized, it will be easier for us to do so.

    In the past, these companies requested assistance from an independent body to fill out forms, manage applications, and so on. However, I have heard less about this matter now. If it can be continued, it will be easier for the relevant parties to work together to provide the necessary things for the Halal Food Control Division.

To the Honorable Pengiran Haji Isa bin Pengiran Haji Aliuddin. His question is whether chicken curry from Malaysia, corned beef from Brazil and China require halal inspection, and if halal stamps from foreign countries such as Malaysia are sufficient for imported processed meat. Has the ministry researched and evaluated the risks of processed meat in cans from infectious diseases?

Enlightenment given by Your Honorable Speaker. The Ministry does play a role in the entry of food products, especially raw meat. Although the provisions of the Halal Meat Act focus more on raw meat, applications for entry of meat products, especially processed frozen meat products such as sausages, nuggets, and meat patties, are processed similarly to raw meat, including the dispatch of observing officers to product centers that export.

In addition, the Department is still monitoring the position of processed frozen meat products in terms of safety control, whether the frozen meat products take into account health risks. There are specific regulations and laws by certain boards, as explained by Your Honorable Minister of Health previously.

Furthermore, the Department is still studying the position of canned meat products and the practicality of the regulations and importation rules, and will certainly collaborate with the food authority that has been established at this time.

For Halal certification applications from the Brunei Islamic Religious Council, companies are required to use ingredients that have been certified by the halal department and halal bodies recognized by MABIMS, as mentioned earlier by Your Honorable.

Kaola would like to add an explanation regarding the suggestion from Your Honorable Dayang Hajah Safiah binti Sheikh Haji Abd Salam regarding small-scale farming that involves small-scale slaughter. Your Honorable suggested the issuance of slaughter certificates by small-scale entrepreneurs. Kaola has stated that this matter can be considered to some extent, but for a clearer and more convincing explanation, not only for Your Honorable but also for this Council, it is based on Section 5(2) of the Halal Meat Act, as mentioned in previous meetings, that the slaughter of animals for public consumption must have a slaughter certificate, and currently, slaughter certificates are only issued to slaughterers at slaughter centers. However, Your Honorable requested for more ways to accommodate small-scale slaughter by small-scale entrepreneurs.

Therefore, the Department of Sharia Affairs, which oversees the halal food section, is actively conducting research on the issuance of slaughter certificates to be made available to the public, taking into account the regulations of related agencies, including welfare regulations and regulations regarding recognized centers. Not only is the halal aspect recognized in terms of its suitability, healthiness, and so on.

So, I would like to emphasize that this matter should be taken seriously, not to hinder, but to move towards ways that do not violate existing regulations. It would be good to take further action together with small business owners who intend to be recognized as small private slaughterers, to meet with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and negotiate with them. This will determine how many of them are involved, estimates, and several alternatives that can be done. In terms of practicality, immediate steps can be taken. Furthermore, regarding the use of mosque funds to cover the expenses of breaking the fast in the mosque. The request is for the mosque fund to be allowed.

So, I would like to state here that it is up to the discretion, wisdom of the imam and also the mosque committee on how they use it to the best of their ability for the purpose of organizing breaking fast events, iftar in their respective mosques or suggestions for allocation. This can be stated as unnecessary allocation because this matter is more of a charity. So let us develop the spirit of charity, especially in this Ramadan season. The wisdom of the mosque committee and its imam to promote charitable efforts among its congregation and the community to accommodate the needs of breaking the fast. From Your Honorable Haji Awang Sulaiman bin Haji Nasir in response to the previous question.

As for the second question, it is related to the process of obtaining halal certification in Brunei, which is very expensive. Indeed, if it is said to import from recognized halal slaughter centers from Australia, for example, New Zealand or Malaysia.

Laws and regulations require that an observer be sent first to confirm that the center is given halal recognition. So after the company concerned knows that the proposed center has been recognized, during the process of exporting meat that is slaughtered at the center, it is sent again by an observer. This observer observes the process.

Firstly, what is stipulated in the halal certificate, is it being complied with and hence, how is the slaughtering process carried out, how is it separated, packaged, put into containers and then sealed with signs of approval from the observer.

Upon arrival at the port, the container is inspected at its seal. The seal is inspected at the slaughterhouse. With that being said, it certainly requires expenses. At this time, I am pleased to announce that efforts are underway to consider how to reduce these expenses.

In addition to the efforts of the Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism as well as the Ministry of Finance and Economy, ‫ ان شاء للا‬if there are any explanations, they can be further considered. But one thing that I have experienced in managing this matter is that the companies themselves individually only want the slaughterhouses that they want. So they do not want other companies, even though the company is recognized by the Islamic Religious Council. So even if it is recognized with the expenses of company 'A'.

So I advise that if a company has been recognized with the expenses of company 'A', negotiate on how they can use the recognition of the Islamic Religious Council that is funded by them, together for business. So far, each is trying to find slaughterhouses and each will be served to meet the needs of importing meat into our country. So that is what I can add to my previous statement, whether there was a response before or not, and this is my response, Your Honorable Speaker. Thank you.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Thank you, Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs. Now, I invite the Honorable Minister of Education to make his statement.

Your Honorable Minister of Education​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. ‫بسم للا الرحمن الرحيم‬ ‫ السالم عليكم ورحمة للا وبركاته‬and greetings. Your Honorable Speaker, Honorable Members.

Thank you for the opportunity given to me to share about the proposal and suggestion made by Your Honorable Dayang Hajah Safiah binti Sheikh Haji Abd Salam, on Wednesday afternoon, 22nd of Sha'ban 1444H corresponding to 15th of March 2023M, regarding archery sports, which the suggestion was addressed to the Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs.

The Ministry of Education always welcomes schools to diversify their co-curricular activities to support the implementation of the student development program as stated in the introduction of the Ministry of Education's allocation presentation last Saturday. Regarding archery activities, according to data from the Curriculum Development Department, so far, 5 schools have conducted this activity in collaboration with the Ar-RafiAFI Archery Sports Academy (PASMA). Meanwhile, 2 schools have recently expressed their intention to establish a school archery club in collaboration with PASMA.

In addition, PASMA has recently opened a special opportunity for year 4, 5 and 6 students in government and private primary schools throughout the country, which the Curriculum Development Department has shared with the schools.

At the higher education institution, the Islamic University of Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) through the Center for Knowledge and Language Training has organized an archery workshop as one of the co-curricular module options and made it one of UNISSA's annual sports events for academic and support staff as well as students.

This Archery Sports Art Workshop is offered to revive the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, as well as to hone the potential and talent of students in the field of sports, and is expected to become a representative of UNISSA and the country in domestic and international sports competitions. Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) also has an archery club as one of the co-curricular activity options at the university.

In addition, the Chancellor Trophy, which offers various sports events between public and private higher education institutions, has also highlighted archery as one of the sports events contested.

That's all Your Honorable Speaker that I can convey. Thank you.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Thank you, Your Honorable Minister of Education. Now I will reopen this topic for discussion and it seems that there are 4 Honorable Appointed Members who would like to ask questions and I invite Honorable Awang Zainol bin Haji Mohamed to start.

Honorable Awang Zainol bin Haji Mohamed​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and greetings.

First of all, I would like to express my congratulations and thanks for the introduction by Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs regarding efforts to enhance the spread of Islam in Brunei Darussalam. I will not speak at length as the need for enlightenment has already been addressed by my fellow Honorable Members. Such as the issue of Hajj mining, Hajj management, and mosques that are full at certain times. Here, I will be straight to the point and specific.

Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs, please provide information to the residents around if there are plans by the Ministry of Religious Affairs to build a new mosque to accommodate the needs of the congregation in the Kampong Katimahar, Lugu, and National Housing Scheme Lugu areas.

For the information of Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs, "kaola" refers to the National Budget and Financial Plan book for the year 2023/2024 under Account Code 1116-003. There is a certain allocation provided for the construction of a new mosque in the National Housing Scheme Lugu, but we do not know its progress, whether it is still following the original plan timeline. That's all, thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. The plan for a new mosque around the National Housing Scheme Lugu, Katimahar catchment area. If Kampung Katimahar already has a mosque. The National Housing Scheme Lugu does not have one yet, but it is in the plan as mentioned by Your Honorable Awang Zainol bin Haji Mohamed earlier.

There is a plan to build it, and at the implementation stage, there are already works, designs, and so on, and the budget is already available. However, when the desired price for building the mosque in the National Housing Scheme Lugu is found to have increased, it is postponed for re-evaluation, that's all.

But if I may add, Your Honorable Speaker, there are also plans in the Katimahar catchment area, including Tanjong Nangka. Tanjong Nangka also has a plan to use mosque fund allocations to build a mosque in the respective village. That's all I can say, thank you.

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.

‫بسم للا الرحمن الرحيم السالم عليكم ورحمة للا وبركاته‬ and greetings. Your Honorable Speaker, kaola expresses gratitude to Allah SWT and extends the highest appreciation to Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs for delivering the introduction regarding the Ministry of Religious Affairs' plan calmly, clearly, and informatively.

Your Honorable Speaker, kaola would like to touch on the welfare of our new brothers and sisters, especially in maintaining their faith with religious knowledge to become a true Muslim, God willing. In this regard, it is essential for the relevant parties to provide religious guidance classes that are easily accessible to our new brothers and sisters wherever they are through a whole-of-nation approach.

The Muallaf guidance class plays a role in guiding new brothers and sisters in understanding, learning, internalizing, and subsequently practicing Islam to the best of their abilities. This guidance class should cover fardhu ain, muqaddam, and Al-Quran taught by teachers who have been appointed and recognized by the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

In this regard, I would like to know if, in addition to the guidance classes provided by the government, the ministry can list the guidance classes provided by NGOs, namely religious bodies and associations authorized by the Ministry of Religious Affairs in all districts as a guide for new brothers and sisters who want to know about authorized religious bodies and associations, and what forms of assistance are provided by the government to ensure that these guidance classes continue to operate and function perfectly.

Kaola's next question is what efforts are being and will be implemented by the ministry for the elderly, especially new brothers and sisters who live in remote areas and are still unable to read the Quran, where Kaola is more interested in the concept of face-to-face outreach that can be used without them having to attend guidance classes.

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker and thank you to Your Honorable Mr. Haji Mohamad Danial @ Terkpin bin Ya'akub.

Indeed, da'wah efforts, especially those involving new brothers and sisters, require support from these NGOs. And NGOs play a very important role, such as Bank Islam through a special project with the Islamic Propagation Department collaborating with Muallaf Entrepreneurs to increase the capabilities of muallafs to do small businesses and hopefully will be expanded. This is an effort.

At the same time, the ministry is aware of efforts such as the Tamhid Al-Quran Program run by Nadi Quranic, a private organization that has implemented this project for 50 new muallafs throughout the country, to follow the method introduced by Nadi Quranik, namely 'tap-tap'. This method is also a technique of Tamhid, which is a wooden knock to make it easier for new muallafs to read the Quran. By using a certain rhythm of wooden knocks, even those who are slow to recognize letters will be able to read the Quran.

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

There is another program called Hidayah Class organized by Belia Mualaf As-Syahadah with more than 30 participants who are young converts. This program provides understanding to the converts, especially the youth, about the knowledge of Fardhu Ain and introduction to the Quran.

To support these organizations, Pusat Dakwah provides facilities, logistics, and catering for the training courses. So far, there has been no specific allocation of funds, but the allocation used for the converts' affairs is from Zakat Asnaf Mualaf. Therefore, allocations can be considered for future efforts to develop activities outside of Pusat Dakwah.

Pusat Dakwah has records of visits to new converts in rural and urban areas. The total number of visits is more than 500 times in all four districts. These visits include teaching and training.

In the next phase of training after the new converts, there are training programs from basic to advanced levels at Pusat Dakwah and their own places.

‫In sha Allah‬, the spirit to improve the quality of Islam among new converts is more evident now as they emerge as a force together with Pusat Dakwah Islamiah under the name of Belia As-Syahadah. When funding is needed, it is obtained from Pusat Dakwah.

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. Your Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Suyoi bin Haji Osman:

‫Bismillahirrahmanirrahim‬.

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Thank you to Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs for the presentation on Topic SJ01A - Ministry of Religious Affairs and the clarification on issues raised by the Honorable Members earlier.

I will not make a lengthy intervention, only two or three points that I would like to raise.

  1. Under Account Code 002/002 - there is an allocation of $3,690,362.00 for mosque maintenance. I would like to ask if this allocation can be used to support activities in mosque management. This is also related to my next question about the use of mosque funds, which was just explained by Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs, that it is allowed to be used for internal events such as religious gatherings. It is also hoped that the funds from the mosque can be used for small works such as cleaning the mosque area, upgrading the restroom, repairing minor damages in the mosque, buying mosque equipment, adding storage space, or storeroom.

    There have been instances where mosque properties were borrowed without permission and were not returned. It is hoped that this can be avoided in the future. However, the permission to use funds from this fund can be explained to the imams as some imams are reluctant to use the finances from this fund.

  2. I would like to raise the issue of halal and haram once again. What I want to touch on is the response time to halal issues such as viral news about food products being labeled as haram. Sometimes, these products are labeled as haram in Malaysia but are still sold in Brunei. There is doubt whether these products labeled as haram in Malaysia are also haram in Brunei.

    Can the relevant department issue a statement immediately so that this doubt does not linger? I take note of the explanation made by Your Honorable Minister of Health that the process of detecting what is contained in a food product uses a sophisticated and sensitive machine that takes time. However, I would like to ask if there is cooperation between Brunei and Malaysia, for example, to recognize halal or haram certificates or provisions between the two countries. If Malaysia confirms that a product is haram, then we will recognize it as haram and vice versa. With that, we do not have to wait for information from the authorities here.

  3. The next issue I want to touch on is zakat. I will not add to what has been discussed in detail with the enlightenment made by Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs, but I will summarize this zakat issue in 4P:

    1. Understanding and awareness of the obligation to pay zakat (when and what types of zakat);

    2. Facilitate those who want to pay zakat (friendly payment methods);

    3. Increase zakat collection through various methods; and

    4. Implement more efficient zakat distribution to eligible poor and needy recipients and ensure that it is given promptly.

    It is hoped that the Ministry of Religious Affairs will examine if there are procedures that can be used to provide a wider understanding of zakat and further strengthen the collection and distribution of zakat in the country. Perhaps this topic and other religious topics can be systematically delegated in mosques or suraus and informed to the congregation on Fridays so that many will know when it is held.

  4. Finally, I would like to extend my highest congratulations to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs for the achievements of the students in their religious studies. Obtaining the Mumtaz level in religious studies not only brings pride to the students' parents but also to grandmothers like myself. Therefore, in this matter, I hope that religious education can be further improved and strengthened to produce a community that is not only knowledgeable in religious knowledge but also practices Islamic teachings in all aspects of their daily lives.

That is all, Your Honorable Speaker. "Peace be upon you, and may Allah's guidance and blessings be with you."

Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs​

"Peace be upon you, and may Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you." Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

When asked by Your Honorable about the allocation of $3 million for mosque maintenance in the mentioned topic, Kaola briefly answered that the $3 million is not solely for mosque maintenance programs. In the sense of takmir, it includes all other expenses such as paying a substitute imam at a fixed rate of $20 per day and $10 for a bilal.

These kinds of expenses are generally useful for mosque maintenance, and from time to time, mosques need to request expenses to carry out specific programs. That is when this allocation is used. That is what is provided in the budget.

At the same time, as Kaola mentioned earlier, the spirit of charity and good deeds should also be developed in this mosque because the mosque's donation box must be used first for the mosque's benefits, including activities in the mosque.

Kaola also heard that some imams were reluctant to use it because they were afraid of not being allowed, but it was clear that their needs were requested by the Department of Mosque Affairs to review them. As mentioned earlier, spending on 'bersungkai' in the mosque during Ramadan is allowed from the mosque's donation box, not from the government's annual allocation. That is all, Your Honorable Speaker.

As far as Kaola understands, mosque maintenance does not include repairing damages or maintaining the mosque. At present, it is done in stages. If the damage is significant, it involves not only a large allocation but also expertise such as roofs and so on. So the allocation is provided by the government and implemented on a term contract basis.

When this term contract is implemented, the Department of Mosque Affairs divides the mosques into 10 zones throughout the country. Each of these 10 zones is allocated $50,000, that's how it works. So if the mosque needs more, then the expenses are borne by the government and if deemed appropriate, it can be taken from the Mosque Construction Fund as it is also included for the expenses of maintaining mosque construction. Mosques built by the Fund, but other existing mosques.

The allocation set for maintenance work, mosque damage in terms of the mosque fund, is determined by Your Honorable Speaker, which is 10% of the income to be set aside for this purpose. The term used is separated or provided because the amount is significant, "God willing", it can greatly reduce the pressure on the government's fiscal situation in this matter.

Furthermore, as Kaola mentioned earlier, since 2015 until now, the collection of the Mosque Fund has reached $28.5 million and the expenditure so far is only over $7 million, and currently running is $21 million for future mosque construction.

"God willing", all of this will be taken care of and "thank God" if Kaola may mention here a high appreciation to public servants including the Royal Brunei Armed Forces for their contributions of between $150,000 to $200,000 per month. So it is very significant in the collection besides the collections from mosques and so on.

The issue of halal and haram regarding response time immediately regarding the issue that went viral. The response time is:

i. The Halal Food Control Division, when finding such a thing, Your Honorable Speaker, if it is viral and related to abroad, especially Malaysia, immediately checks with the relevant party about whether it is valid or not, true or not. So information obtained, among others, this matter was 3 years ago, has to be reproduced again, so the sound is shocking. So if so, then a statement is issued.

ii. If the statement is true and this matter is under investigation, then we will immediately do it, isolate the goods that are from sale in halal places, places that are suspected to be doubtful in terms of Shariah. So when it has been moved to another place, it means that it has been announced to the public so that they are careful so that they no longer take the matter.

Your Honorable Speaker, it is difficult to state the exact timeframe regarding the issue of halal certification. However, it is true that the public was slow to be informed and they continued to speculate based on the first viral message that was quoted.

If the doubtful status has been confirmed, then it will be immediately removed from the usual selling places that are consumed by Muslims.

Is there any cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and other countries such as Malaysia in the recognition of halal certification? In terms of MABIMS countries, Your Honorable Speaker, there has been a decision to mutually recognize halal certification for several years, but the decision has not been formalized at the highest level.

There have been several attempts, but for now, we are not wasting time without doing anything. Therefore, we informally agreed to recognize halal certification on a case-by-case basis. This is very helpful, as mentioned earlier, to facilitate halal certification applicants, they must use halal-certified materials, including those from Malaysia by JAKIM. With this, ‫للا‬ ‫ ان شاء ه‬it will be easy. This means that we will recognize it, even though there has not been a formal agreement between MABIMS countries, we have been working towards it.

Regarding zakat, these are inputs that are not only heard as complaints but are highly welcomed as suggestions, namely any input from fellow parliamentarians over there.

For example, zakat fitrah for all elderly people, zakat on wealth, knowing its type, nisab, how much should be paid, and so on, and the most important thing is to know the procedures.

So, in terms of awareness of zakat laws, it has been done a lot, but understanding how these things can be implemented is acknowledged that the ministry is looking for ways for muzakki or those who are obliged to pay zakat, to fulfill their obligations regularly according to safe and sharia-compliant rules, which is important.

So, these rules are being formulated and sought. ‫للا‬‫هانه شاءه ه‬with the formulation, the inputs obtained today and a few days ago, ‫هانه شاءهللا‬this matter will be able to become material for the Ministry of Religious Affairs to be improved. Thank you for your congratulations, Your Honorable Speaker.

Just as in the presentation, Islamic Education is actually the desire of the late Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien in 1966, when at that time, Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien commanded as the ruling king to establish Arabic Schools and Religious Schools.

It is not only to produce people who will serve in religious fields but also to produce a generation who are knowledgeable in religion as well as in professional fields, hence the existence of the general stream.

So the proposal of Your Honorable Speaker to enhance it, that is what I mentioned earlier. I realize that Religious Education not only needs improvement in terms of teachers, students' abilities, and school capabilities, but its foundation needs to be reviewed to move towards the future of education, which is expected to be very dynamic and progressive in the field of education.

Therefore, in line with the desire of the late Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien for such schools to be established, such as secondary religious schools and Arabic secondary schools, it has been achieved at this time. In fact, graduates from the Arabic stream are not many, but it can be said that because they have reached the secondary level and the general stream, for example.

So, when they have potential, some become dentists, some serve in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, some serve in education in other fields. ‫أ َ ْل َح ْم ْدُ ّ ٰلِل‬, educated generations in religion have existed for 2 generations, as a result of the existence of Religious Education.

nd efforts to improve it, thank you if there are any specific inputs from those who know more practical educational knowledge than what abiskoala in the Ministry of Religious Affairs can master. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Next, I invite Your Honorable Pengiran Haji Isa bin Pengiran Haji Aliuddin.

Your Honorable Pengiran Haji Isa bin Pengiran Haji Aliuddin​

Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker. ‫بسمهللاهالرحمنهالرحيم‬

‫السالمهعليكمهورحمةهللاهوبركاته‬, Your Honorable Speaker and wise Honorable Members.

I would like to propose something that I think is very beneficial in terms of the welfare of the public in general and especially for the preparation of Hajj or Umrah.

There have been complaints from the public regarding the increasing prices of Hajj or Umrah packages every year. We are aware that the cost of Hajj or Umrah and other goods such as food items are becoming more expensive due to inflation and the increase in the prices of goods.

A study was conducted as follows: In 1999, the price of the Umrah package was $1,700.00, which was equivalent to 137.32 grams of gold, which is $1,700.00 divided by $12.38 per gram.

In 1999, the world price of gold was USD 279.00 per ounce. If converted to Brunei dollars, the price of gold was $12.38 per gram, which is USD 279.00 divided by 31.1 grams x 1.38 exchange rate USD - Brunei Dollar.

There are 2 situations, either we save $1,700.00 or 137.32 grams of gold to perform Umrah in 2023, as follows:

  1. Saving $1,700.00 for 24 years, starting from this year. Even with a maximum dividend of 1%, the total savings would be $2,158.00, while the average cost of the Umrah package in 2023 is $4,900.00. This is not yet deducted from the zakat that is sufficient for haul and nisab.

  2. Now let's focus on the situation of saving gold. The world price of gold yesterday, March 17, 2023, was $85.00 per gram. The 137.32-gram gold savings that were saved in 1999 multiplied by the price of gold in BND $85.00 per gram, which is a total value of $11,672.00, which is 137.32 x $85.00.

This proves two things, that the gold savings are sufficient to finance the Umrah cost in 2023 of $4,900.00. Moreover, it is more than enough and can accommodate 2 people to perform Umrah, which is $9,800.00. There is still extra money to spend from that $9,800.00, which can buy the brand 'sharqia'. Your Honorable Speaker, the suggestion is as follows: The Ministry of Religious Affairs encourages the public, especially prospective Hajj or Umrah pilgrims, to save gold to address the problem of rising Hajj or Umrah package costs.

Gold is Anti-Inflation. If not mistaken, it is under the authority of the Ministry of Finance and Economy, which is also related to the welfare of the people, to abolish the tax on gold, which is excise duty of 15%.

This is for investment-grade precious metal gold, which is 999-grade gold and 916-grade gold. This is in line with Malaysia and Singapore.

We are aware that gold is the currency of Islam. Gold money should not be subject to tax, which is in line with any currency in the world brought into Brunei Darussalam, which is not subject to excise duty. Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.

Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs​

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, thank you Your Honorable Speaker. In brief, I would like to state that it is clear from the issues raised and the suggestions made towards its clarification have already been elaborated by Your Honorable.

The suggestion to encourage the storage of gold aimed at the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Looking at it, the ministry has no objection to the suggestion to promote or socialize it if it is proven to bring excessive benefits, especially in terms of saving for Hajj or Umrah. There is a Hajj savings scheme made by TAIB Corporation.

If the money is converted into gold, the result is considered good. The Ministry of Religious Affairs will discuss and refer to experts in investment fields.

However, I will take the initiative if it is deemed to be a good thing and viewed from a religious perspective, not only can it be implemented in terms of economics and investment.

Regarding the second suggestion, a 15% tax on investment-grade gold. I would like to request my colleague from the Ministry of Finance and Economy to provide an explanation on this matter, thank you.

Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Minister of Finance and Economy II​

Thank you Your Honorable Speaker. One suggestion is to abolish the tax on gold investment. This matter needs to be examined by the Ministry of Finance and Economy first.

It is true that gold is considered anti-inflation, but it should be understood that there are several factors that will affect the price of gold in the market.

If we look at its history, before the early 2000s or in 2002, 2003, the price of gold was only around USD200 per ounce. Even after the global financial crisis in 2008 with low-interest rates, the price of gold continued to rise. That is due to demand and supply.

Recently, we have also seen the price of gold increase by $200.00 per ounce in the past few months. At this time, it is around $1,900.00 per ounce, almost $2,000.00 per ounce.

There are factors that cause inflation. Indeed, over a long period of time. It is an asset for anti-inflation, but if we look at the period from 2013 to 2019, the price did not rise as much as we have seen in the past few months.

If they have been storing gold from 2013 to 2019, the price did not increase significantly. If it is used to address the issue of the rising cost of Hajj packages, the objective may not be achieved. We see that gold may have a longer horizon.

That is all I can share. Thank you, Your Honorable Speaker.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Thank you, Your Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Minister of Finance and Economy II. We also express our gratitude to Your Honorable Minister of Religious Affairs who has answered the questions raised by the Honorable Members with thoroughness and clarity.

Therefore, I think it is sufficient for us to discuss the topic of the Ministry of Religious Affairs Budget and it is time for us to vote on this topic. Those who agree with the relevant topic, namely the Ministry of Religious Affairs Budget, please raise your hand.

All Members raise their hands in agreement.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Thank you, everyone agrees. Therefore, the Ministry of Religious Affairs Budget is approved.

Deputy Clerk​

Title SJ01A - Ministry of Religious Affairs is included in the Schedule. Titles SK01A to SK08A are for the Ministry of Development.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Honorable Members. Now we will begin discussing the topic of the Ministry of Development and its departments.

As usual, I would like to give the floor to the Honorable Minister of Development to deliver his opening remarks regarding the direction in safeguarding the Ministry of Development Budget and its departments for the Financial Year 2023/2024.

I invite the Honorable Minister of Development to speak.

The Honorable Minister of Development​

Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh and greetings.

First, I would like to join my colleagues in this Council to congratulate Your Honorable Speaker on his reappointment as the Speaker of the National Assembly by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

I would like to express my gratitude to Allah SWT and offer my highest respect to His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, for allocating the Development Ministry Budget for the Financial Year 2023/2024 amounting to $334,918,862.00, which is broken down as follows:-

  1. $115,181,970.00 million for Employee Salaries

  2. $109,937,590.00 million for Recurring Expenditures

  3. $119,799,302.00 million for projects under the 11th National Development Plan that are currently being implemented and will be implemented at a planned cost of $1,492,174,136.00 billion.

The focus of the Ministry of Development for 2023/2024 is to achieve the second goal of Brunei Vision 2035, which is to provide a high quality of life for the people and residents of the country. The Ministry of Development is committed to providing public infrastructure facilities to support the socio-economic needs of the country. Towards this end, the expenditure for the Financial Year 2023/2024 will focus on:

  1. To improve asset maintenance for equipment and facilities under the control of departments under the Ministry of Development.

  2. To carry out construction of houses in line with planning and to improve the maintenance of housing that requires repairs, including transit terrace houses under the National Housing Program and the Improvement of Apartments under the Kg Lambak Kanan National Housing Scheme.

  3. To improve the maintenance of water service assets to ensure a continuous supply of clean water.

  4. To prepare infrastructure to address the impact of climate change and sea level rise, especially in flood mitigation and coastal protection.

  5. To provide and open up government land with potential for mixed development.

  6. To manage a clean and sustainable environment for water and land, including cleaning the Brunei River and managing parks and landscapes.

Towards the goal of improving public welfare by providing safe, quality, and affordable housing, the ministry emphasizes the management and implementation of projects for the development of housing and basic infrastructure facilities that are planned according to existing standards.

For this purpose, the management of aesthetic and asset maintenance, totaling $3,066,320.00 million, has been allocated for this year. Since its introduction in 1984, a total of 30,296 houses and land lots have been granted under the National Housing Program and the Native Customary Land Grant Scheme, covering a total area of 5,525 hectares in all four districts.

Through the 11th National Development Plan (RKN 11), two housing projects are in the implementation stage:

  1. Kg. Lugu National Housing Phase 2, which consists of 1,000 terrace houses that are currently under construction and expected to be completed before the end of 2023. This project started in January 2021 and has experienced a delay of 7 months, which should have been completed by January 2023.

  2. Among the contributing factors are the affected working period, travel restrictions causing a shortage of workers during self-isolation and lockdown in the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic to contain the spread of this outbreak. Alhamdulillah, the project progress is now on track and, InshaAllah, expected to be completed before the end of this year.

  3. The National Housing at Kg. Tanah Jambu Phase 7, consisting of 950 terrace houses, is expected to be completed in January 2025.

  4. Through the Rampaian allocation, a total of 140 units of terrace houses in the National Housing at Kg. Rimba have been completed in September 2022. These houses will be allocated to eligible applicants this year.

  5. For the National Housing at Kg. Lambak Kanan, the H40 Contract apartments, a total of 270 units out of 300 units have been allocated, and the remaining 30 units will be allocated to eligible applicants this year.

  6. Meanwhile, regarding the issue of damaged houses in the National Housing at Kg. Panchor Mengkubau, out of a total of 4,000 units of houses in the area, 3,409 units have been allocated to applicants. A total of 591 units of houses are still vacant and have not been allocated because these houses are damaged.

    So far, out of the 3,409 units of houses that have been allocated, the Housing Development Department has received 291 complaints from homeowners who have experienced damage, and the number of complaints is expected to increase from time to time.

The Ministry, through the Housing Development Department, has undertaken several initiatives, including:

  1. Repairing 39 units of damaged houses outside the affected area.

  2. Offering 41 homeowners who have been found to have damage to move to better-conditioned houses, namely 24 owners of damaged houses moved to replacement houses in the National Housing at Kg. Panchor Mengkubau; 4 owners of damaged houses were temporarily relocated to transit houses in the National Housing at Kg. Lambak Kanan, while 13 owners of damaged houses have not yet moved for certain reasons.

  3. The Housing Development Department has repaired several infrastructure damages such as collapsed and broken drains in six locations, while damaged roads such as sinkhole incidents have been repaired with the assistance of the Public Works Department.

  4. Planning to repair 60 more units of damaged houses, upgrade the drainage system to prevent flooding, repair damaged roads, and address land issues.

Regarding the National Housing Area in Kampong Panaga, Belait District, the issue faced is the sewage system which is often complained about by the local residents due to blockages and overflowing sewage from the main hole, requiring maintenance work from time to time.

Since the housing area was handed over to the Ministry of Development, the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) has not been able to deliver the existing sewage system as it cannot function as a vacuum system as intended. BEDB is still working to convert from a vacuum system to a gravity system for Precinct 5 and Precinct 6 while maintaining the vacuum system in Precinct 1, Precinct 2, Precinct 3, and Precinct 4.

In this regard, repair work is difficult to carry out in some areas due to the enclosed manholes and vacuum chambers within the modified and expanded residential areas, which can obstruct access for maintenance work.

Therefore, BEDB is seeking a solution to continue repair work before the sewage system can be handed over to the Drainage and Sewerage Department, Public Works Department for maintenance purposes.

Meanwhile, for the National Housing Area in Kampong Bukit Beruang, Tutong District, the issue faced is flooding on Bukit Bilid Road and Paya Namurai Road, involving a number of houses in Zone 3, which includes 56 units of houses, and Zone 5, which includes 6 units of houses, especially during heavy rain.

Flood incidents still occur in the area, and the Housing Development Department is still monitoring this matter.

The result of the investigation by the Drainage and Sewerage Department, Public Works Department found that the internal drainage system in the area cannot accommodate high-intensity rainwater runoff, causing flooding in the area.

Therefore, a redesign and appropriate drainage system arrangement are needed to upgrade the drainage system in the area. This matter requires further repair allocation, which will be applied for later.

At the same time, the Housing Development Department will carry out routine and periodic maintenance work on cleaning the drains through a term contract, especially during the rainy season.

In an effort to provide continuous and sufficient clean water supply, the Ministry of Development through the Department of Water Services will focus on initiatives to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and reliability of water treatment plants such as the replacement of equipment at the Bukit Barun Water Treatment Plant which was completed last year. Among the efforts that will be continued are:

  1. Increasing planned maintenance work at treatment plants to prevent or reduce unexpected damages.

  2. Cleaning water tanks according to a schedule to reduce incidents of muddy or yellowish water.

  3. Further improving the effectiveness of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in responding to public complaints about water supply disruptions, pipe bursts, or asset damages to ensure a quick response to minimize disruptions to clean water supply.

  4. Disseminating information about repair work that may cause disruptions to water supply through social media so that affected parties can make necessary preparations. In addition, several areas that frequently experience water supply problems or low pressure have been addressed, including:

    i. RPN Lambak Kanan areas such as Jalan 77 and Jalan 49, with efforts to replace water pipes, clean water tanks, and connect alternative pipes from the coastal system to RPN Lambak Kanan which has improved water pressure and quality.

    ii. Kampung Lumapas area with several repairs such as the installation of water booster pumps and the re-operation of the Sungai Kebun tank which has improved water pressure and quality, as confirmed by the residents of the area; and

    iii. Some areas in Kampung Limau Manis (Spg 96), Kampung Sungai Akar (Spg 40-57), Kampung Madang (Spg 84), Kg Bunut (Spg 11-55 and Spg 698), Kampung Jerudong (Spg 396-54), and Kampung Tungku (Spg 367) where improvement measures and replacement of new water pipes in several problem areas have been addressed.

    Therefore, through the allocation provided this year, continuous efforts in other areas will be implemented according to priority.

In terms of long-term planning, the construction project for the expansion of the Bukit Barun Water Treatment Plant, namely Bukit Barun Stage 8, is currently underway. This project aims to increase the capacity of clean water production for the Brunei Muara District by 120 million liters per day and is expected to be completed in 2025. The expansion of this plant will enable more effective treatment of murky water due to high organic matter from the Tutong River. With the completion of this project, it will further improve the effectiveness and reliability of the water supply system.

In carrying out the monitoring of water wastage caused by pipe leaks, this ministry would like to express gratitude to the public for their cooperation in providing information on pipe leak cases through social media and the Darussalam 123 hotline. The ministry appreciates the patience of the public in facing difficulties in water supply disruptions during the restoration works.

One of the ongoing efforts is the installation of USMS smart meters, a joint project with the Ministry of Finance and Economy and DST Networks Sdn Bhd.

Since October 2022, a total of 2,659 out of the targeted 125,000 smart water meters have been installed. The plan is to fully replace the old meters with smart meters.

With this system, each customer will be able to monitor their water usage online. The public is requested to cooperate with the relevant parties to enable the smooth installation of these smart meters in premises and houses as planned.

Your Honorable Speaker and Honorable Members. In addressing floods. As a result of rapid development activities and the impact of climate change, flood issues are being addressed through the planning of drainage projects.

As of 2022, a total of 145 flood-prone hotspots throughout the country have been identified, with 65 hotspots in the Brunei Muara District, 35 hotspots in the Tutong District, 25 hotspots in the Belait District, and 20 hotspots in the Temburong District.

In addressing this matter, with the implementation of flood impact control strategies, the reduction of flood-prone areas has been achieved from 465 square kilometers to 289 square kilometers through the preparation of several flood prevention projects in several districts as follows:

  1. In the Brunei Muara District, for the areas of Kampung Jerudong (Spg 316 to Spg 396-54-12 Jerudong Road) and Kampung Tanjong Bunut Kanan (Spg 20 Tanjung Bunut Kanan Road) through upgrading of drainage in those areas.

  2. Meanwhile, in the Tutong District, through the construction of the Tutong Flood Retention Pond Phase 1 project, which was completed on December 7, 2022, and is expected to benefit 13 villages in the downstream area of the pond, namely: Kampung Bukit Nibong, Kampung Penulud, Kampung Tanjong Maya, Kampung Sibakit, Kampung Bukit Udal, Kg. Liulon, Kampung Lubuk Pulau, Kampung Bangunggos, Kampung Pemadang, Kampung Sungai Damit Pemadang, Kampung Penapar, and Kampung Bukit, by reducing the flood level in those areas.

  3. In the Belait District, upgrading works on the drainage system from Spg 71 to Spg 455 Kg Sg Bakong have been completed through the Sungai Utama and Anak-Anak Sungai - Lumut Catchment Area Upgrading Project.

In addition, several projects are currently being implemented, such as dredging and widening works on the Brunei River, Kedayan River and Damuan River, construction of retention ponds in the Tutong River catchment, upgrading of drains in the Akar River and Hanching River areas, and contracts for maintenance works on the drainage system and ponds in all four districts, which are expected to reduce the risk of flooding and flood-prone areas.

With the addition of three retention ponds in the Tutong District, there are now a total of 19 existing retention ponds, with nine in the Brunei-Muara District, five in the Tutong District, four in the Belait District, and one in the Temburong District.

Alhamdulillah, the positive impact of these developments can be seen in the reduction of floods. However, the impact of climate change is expected to pose challenges, as unpredictable rainfall can result in flash floods in low-lying areas.

So far, 44% of the country's coastline has been protected with coastal erosion barriers. Efforts to maintain the coastline are ongoing with the implementation of coastal control projects along the Kg Danau Beach and flood mitigation projects using the construction of retaining walls and upgrading of the drainage system to protect river erosion and the coastline.

With the allocation for the Financial Year 2023/2024, this ministry will continue to prepare flood mitigation projects, including ensuring that water pumps in strategic areas operate optimally.

Dredging and widening works on the Brunei River, Kedayan River and Damuan River, construction of retention ponds in the Tutong River catchment, upgrading of drains in the Akar River and Hanching River areas will continue, in addition to maintenance works through contracts in all four districts to reduce the risk of flooding in flood-prone areas.

Regarding sanitation, efforts will continue in the Financial Year 2023/2024 to increase the sanitation rate to 94% of the population through the improvement of the sewerage system, including the upgrading of the Gadong Sewage Treatment Plant (Phase II), Malim Gate, Sewage Pumping Stations, as well as increasing centralized sewerage connections in Kampung Menglait, Kampung Batu Bersurat and Pengkalan Gadong.

Expansion of the centralized sewerage system from houses to sewage treatment plants is being carried out to prevent sewage from homes from flowing into the drainage system and rivers, in order to control and ensure the cleanliness of river water quality.

Meanwhile, the upgrading project of the sewerage pipeline system in the Kuala Belait and Seria urban areas is to replace old pipes and improve the resilience and capacity of the existing sewerage system to accommodate rapid development in the area.

Regarding road infrastructure, efforts to improve road infrastructure management are ongoing, taking into account the increasing use of roads, heavy machinery, and traffic congestion. Continuous efforts are being made to ensure comfortable, safe, and reliable road infrastructure.

Completed projects in the Fiscal Year 2022/2023 include:

  1. Resurfacing of 55.6 km of highway;

  2. Repair and resurfacing of 34 km of main roads;

  3. Repair of 6.3 km of Jalan Tutong (old road);

  4. Upgrading of 27 junctions (10.18 km) from gravel to asphalt;

  5. Repair of 5.5 km of rural roads; and

  6. Opening of bridges on the Muara-Tutong and Lugu highways on 20 February 2022.

Sectional repair works on Jalan Tanjong Maya-Penapar were implemented since September 2022. Meanwhile, pothole repairs on Jalan Rasau were made in January 2023.

Planned repair works will continue to be implemented in the National Development Plan projects, including the programme to repair and resurface main roads.

The construction of the Jalan Penghubung Tanah Jambu to Jalan Utama Mentiri bridge, which was halted in 2021, will be resumed and is planned to be fully completed at the beginning of 2024.

This project is intended to provide a shortcut for road users to travel to Temburong District from the Muara-Tutong Highway via Jalan Utama Tanah Jambu, Jalan Utama Mentiri, Jalan Kota Batu, and the Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Bridge. This is among the implementation efforts to further improve connectivity by connecting roads in the country safely.

Regarding vacant government buildings, a Technical Committee to Address Empty Government Buildings has been established to address issues related to vacant government buildings. This committee is chaired jointly by the Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Second Minister of Finance and Economy, and the Minister of Development.

The objective of this committee is to implement effective action plans to address the issue of vacant buildings for optimal use. The Public Works Department, as the Secretariat of this committee, has updated the inventory of government buildings registered under the Public Works Department.

So far, a total of 5638 government buildings have been registered. Out of this number, 594 buildings have been demolished and 271 are still being examined and researched to determine whether they are still intact for restoration or demolition.

Of these, 39% of empty buildings are in the Belait District, 30% in the Tutong District, 28% in the Brunei Muara District, and 3% are in the Temburong District. For buildings that are still in good condition, they will be offered to interested and needy agencies.

Among the empty government buildings that have been reused is a Royal Bungalow on Jalan Berakas which has been used as the Headquarters of the WARGAMAS Organization since April 2022.

Meanwhile, several old buildings have been planned for renovation, such as the former Telbru building at the Old Airport to be reused by government departments, and 10 barek units on Jalan Paduka Tuan and Jalan Bolkiah in the Belait District under the control of the Public Works Department, Survey Department, and District Office have been renovated and handed over to the Department of Community Development as a place of residence for those in need.

Meanwhile, the Technical Committee for Handling Government Buildings, chaired jointly by the Honorable Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister of Finance and Economy, and the Minister of Development, will continue to strive to implement effective action plans to address the issue of empty buildings for full utilization and to avoid wastage.

Regarding land use and planning sector, updated policies on urban and rural land and planning are as follows:

  1. The Temporary Occupancy License (LTS) Land Takeover Application aims to allow conditional LTS lands with residential houses still on them and still occupied to be taken over by applicants consisting of family members of the LTS holder who reside in the relevant house, provided that the applicant does not own other land and does not participate in the National Housing Scheme or the Native Land Grant Scheme.

  2. A total of 125 LTS lots for the Tutong District and 84 LTS lots for the Belait District were granted Temporary Occupancy License Land Grants to landowners in 2022 by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam during the Completion Ceremony of the Temporary Occupancy License Land Grant Scheme on July 7, 2022.

A total of 183 temporary shared licenses for the Brunei Muara District and 35 temporary shared licenses for the Temburong District have been approved and will be granted to eligible applicants who occupy the respective lands.

  1. To expedite the process of applications for special land conditions to Public Housing to less than 1 month; and

  2. In 2022, the Ministry of Development through the Land Department has received a total of 473 applications to mortgage land with banks.

For this purpose, the conditions allowed to mortgage land are applications submitted by landowners to the Land Department to pledge their land to banks or financial institutions.

This application to mortgage land is governed by Chapter 23 of the Land Code (Chapter 40), which will be presented to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam for approval at the Council of Cabinet Ministers meeting. This law is among others to control landowners from arbitrarily mortgaging their lands.

The policy required to approve their application to mortgage their land is only for valid and limited reasons. Among them are to obtain bank loans to:

  1. Buy a house and land to be mortgaged.
  2. Buy other houses and lands within or outside the country.
  3. Expand business, build or enlarge houses.
  4. Settle previous debts with banks.
  5. Finance the cost of children's education abroad.
  6. Business investment.
  7. Reasonable purposes that can be considered.

The Land Office also received 479 applications to exchange land conditions and 99 applications to renew land leases in 2022. Among the efforts of the Town and Country Planning Department under study is to review the progress guidelines such as business guidelines, provide new guidelines such as for hotel and agriculture development.

Through the Land Use Planning Council, a study is being conducted and is still ongoing in researching corporate lands for investment purposes that can support economic activities that are still under evaluation. A total of 26 government land sites have been identified for this purpose.

Mixed development under the Government Land Lease program. Finalization of these studies is expected to be completed this year.

Regarding the sustainable environment to ensure the cleanliness of rivers, especially the Brunei River, through the allocation approval in the Financial Year 2023/2024, the Ministry of Development through the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation will carry out more efficient and effective efforts to clean up the Brunei River using the latest methods and technologies such as boat skimmers, barges, and trash booms.

This includes infrastructure work such as installing trash traps at drainage outlets to prevent land-based waste from entering the river.

To ensure cleanliness on land, the management of waste disposal operations and maintenance of waste disposal sites are also given special attention, especially the management of waste transfer stations from Sungai Akar and Tapak Pelupusan Sungai Paku.

The Tapak Pelupusan Sungai Paku, which covers an area of 104 hectares and receives 90% of the total waste generated in the country, is expected to reach its capacity limit by 2030.

Therefore, towards more resilient and effective solid waste management that requires a much smaller land area, the ministry's plan is to carry out the initial phase of preparing Request for Proposal documentation for the construction of a Waste-to-Energy Incinerator Plant that is capable of processing 800 to 1,000 metric tons of waste per day and at the same time can generate electricity.

Issues such as odor and leachate, which are usually associated with landfilling methods, can be avoided. With the implementation of the latest solid waste management technology, pollution issues such as gas emissions from the incinerator plant can be handled optimally.

This method is also assessed to ensure more efficient waste management over the next 20 years.

The management and maintenance of parks under the supervision of JASTRe are also given attention in this year's allocation, including the Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas, which has had its landscape maintenance management handed over to JASTRe since November last year 2022.

The role of JASTRe is to take over the maintenance of Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas regarding landscape maintenance only. Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas remains under the ownership of the Bandar Seri Begawan Municipal Board according to existing laws.

Praise be to Allah for the effectiveness of efforts to promote public awareness of the importance of maintaining the cleanliness of the environment, and the increasing involvement of the public, government agencies, and the private sector voluntarily.

Praise be to Allah for the effectiveness of efforts to promote public awareness of the importance of maintaining the cleanliness of the environment, and the increasing involvement of the public, government agencies, and the private sector voluntarily.

Alhamdulillah, we hope that efforts to increase awareness of cleanliness will continue.

In the construction industry, the Ministry of Development plays a leading role in the Manpower Industry Steering Committee (MISC) for the construction sector. Since its establishment in 2020, several programs with strong support from academic institutions, agencies, and related authorities have been implemented to enhance the skills and competency of local job seekers and graduates with relevant qualifications in the construction industry.

These programs aim to increase employment opportunities for local workers.

The committee has identified 11 Critical Occupations that can be taken over by local children, namely:

  1. Resident Technical Officer;
  2. Clerks of Works;
  3. Construction Site Representative;
  4. Draughtsperson or Sketcher;
  5. Coordinator of HSE (Health, Safety and Environment);
  6. Class II and 5 Heavy Goods Vehicle Driver;
  7. Carpenter;
  8. Scaffolder for construction;
  9. Building Electrician;
  10. Air Conditioning Technician; and
  11. Pipe Fitter.

In addition, the need for positions such as Quantity Surveyor, Technician in Quantity Surveying, real estate agents and appraisers, Land Surveyor, and Machine Operator can also be filled by local graduates, as there is still a shortage of these positions held by local children.

Through the involvement of the Ministry of Development, through the MISC department, several programs have been implemented in collaboration with stakeholders, including:

  1. Collaborating with the private sector to provide training programs for two cohorts of technical graduates registered with i-Ready to participate in the Architect - Mechanical & Electrical - Civil & Structural (ARMECS) program.

    This program aims to gain experience and knowledge in technical fields such as Site Supervisors and Resident Technical Officers.

  2. Collaborating with the Brunei Technical Education Institute (IBTE), where through the Dual Technical and Vocational Education Training Program (TVET) - for Level HNTEC in Construction and Draughting, a total of 199 students in two intakes have taken the course starting in July 2021 and August 2022 for the second intake. The course is conducted for two years at IBTE, and students from the first intake will complete the course in October/November 2023.

    Together with IBTE, the Main Power Industries Steering Committee and Energy have updated the IBTE IGC 03 Module on Health Safety Security and Environment, which has been approved and recognized by BDANC equivalent to IOSH in September 2021 towards fulfilling some of the requirements of the Workforce Safety and Health Coordinator.

    The "HSE Competency Apprenticeship Programme" was also launched on June 18, 2022. Since its introduction, the program has received a total of 80 participants for 3 intakes until January 2023, consisting of companies in the energy and construction sectors. Out of these 80 participants, 36 participants took the IOSH course and 44 participants took the NEBOSH course. Alhamdulillah, out of these 3 intakes, 13 out of 36 participants have completed the IOSH course and 4 out of 44 participants have completed the NEBOSH course, while the rest are still undergoing the relevant courses.

    These programs are designed to enable trainers to meet the requirements of the Worksite Safety And Health, Work Force Safety, Workplace Safety And Health Officers Regulations 2014 S036 CI.3 & Second Schedule for the position of Workplace Safety & Health (WSH) Coordinator and to meet the requirements of the WSH (Construction) Regulations 2014 for the position of Workplace Safety & Health Officer who meets the requirements of SHENA for Work Place Safety and Health Officer 2014.

    This initiative is aimed at equipping participants with the necessary skills required by the construction industry and making them more marketable and employable to the industry when these regulations and laws are fully enforced.

    In terms of the control of assessors and real estate agents (BOVEA), in terms of the control of assessors and real estate agents, through the Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents, a total of 19 registered practitioners, 3 of whom are valuers and 16 are registered estate agents.

In 2019, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Ministry of Development and the Brunei Technical Education Institute (IBTE). This collaborative effort successfully trained 28 students to qualify as real estate agents. Six IBTE graduates in the HNTec Real Estate Management and Agency course have successfully secured job opportunities under the supervision of Qualified Practitioners registered under BOVEA.

This achievement is a step forward, although small in number, ‫ان شاء للا‬, towards the success of supporting the aspiration of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's government towards "workforce localization".

In terms of enforcement focus, the Ministry of Development through its departments continues to implement and enhance enforcement efforts in line with policies and laws, including:

  1. A total of 228 individuals and 117 companies have been fined under the Miscellaneous Offences Act 2021 for littering in public places, including the successful capture of illegal dumping cases through CCTV surveillance for hotspot areas.

  2. Through the Town and Country Planning Department (TCP), a total of 27 Compound Warrants under the Town and Country Planning Act 2015 under Minor Offences Regulations have been issued with a fine of $6750.00. The compound is for unauthorized activities that obstruct pathways, driveways, parking spaces, and involve building lines or landscapes.

  3. ABCi has also taken action on violations of the Building Control Order 2014 by issuing:

    1. A total of 354 Warning/Letter of Warning/Reprimand letters have been issued;

    2. A total of 17 First Enforcement Notices and 11 Final Enforcement Notices; and

    3. Since November 2021, under Section 57 Compounding Regulation, a total of 35 fines for unauthorized advertising/signage and 3 fines for unauthorized construction work have been issued.

With these enforcement efforts, the Ministry of Development believes that it will further increase public awareness of the importance of compliance with construction, planning, land, and cleanliness laws. It aims to ensure safety in the construction industry, reduce risks that affect public safety, and maintain cleanliness and prevent environmental pollution that can harm public health.

Regarding public complaints, I would like to take this opportunity in this honorable House to express my appreciation to the community and the public who have provided information and complaints to the Ministry of Development regarding any difficulties, shortcomings, and weaknesses faced. The complaints and information provided are important, and I welcome the role of the public in making complaints through the Darussalam 123 hotline and other communication channels, including social media such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and any other methods.

In relation to that, I would like to share that throughout the year 2022, a total of 55,448 complaints have been received by the Ministry of Development through the Darussalam hotline '123'. The highest number of complaints received is related to water supply disruptions, with a total of 34,743 complaints (62%) out of the total 55,448 complaints received.

As of now, 96.99% have been resolved, while 698 complaints (1.95%) are still unresolved. The Ministry of Development through the Department of Water Services has drafted several initiatives to reduce water supply problems as follows:

  1. Your Honorable, the works of replacing old pipes through the OCAR project/National Development Plan;
  2. Increasing monitoring by increasing the frequency of water sampling in affected areas;
  3. Every water tank is managed, maintained, and inspected to prevent and reduce water supply disruptions; and
  4. Ensuring regular and scheduled cleaning of tanks throughout the Brunei and Muara District, Tutong District, Temburong District, and Belait District to ensure that yellowish or muddy water problems can be controlled and avoided.

Your Honorable Speaker and Members. The second highest complaint received by this ministry is related to the Department of Roads.

For the year 2022, a total of 8,693 complaints were received, of which 69% of the complaints, which are complaint applications and complaint applications received, have been repaired by this department. Meanwhile, 31 complaints and applications are still unresolved. Among the complaints received by the Department of Roads are complaints about damaged and potholed roads, non-functioning traffic lights, fallen trees, clogged drains, overgrown grass, stagnant water, flooded roads, signboards, iron fences, court guard rails, gratings, drains, culverts, damaged manholes, faded road markings, as well as applications for safety mirrors, pendulums, and zebra crossings to be installed.

For example, for road damage complaints, a total of 3,828 complaint applications for road construction and repair at the Department of Roads are still waiting to be closed or resolved. It is acknowledged that the majority of complaints received are related to damaged and potholed roads. Applications for asphalt roads, intersections, and related matters are among the highest number of complaints. However, this ministry will strive to improve road plans and networks through the allocation provided.

In addition, the Department of Roads also frequently receives complaints about damaged traffic lights, with 18% or 2,794 complaints out of the aforementioned complaints, consisting of problems related to non-functioning traffic lights. To address this issue, the Department of Roads strives to promptly handle the complaints received to facilitate traffic flow, especially during peak hours.

Meanwhile, for electricity supply issues related to traffic lights, the Ministry of Development will liaise with the Department of Electrical Services, Energy Department, and Prime Minister's Department to address this issue together.

The Department of Drainage and Sewerage received a total of 3,023 complaints, which is 5.4% of the third highest complaints received by this ministry. The complaints frequently received by this department are related to clogged and damaged drainage and sewerage systems. There are still 92 unresolved complaints, while 2,765 complaints, which is 91% of the complaints regarding drainage and sewerage, have been repaired. The Department of Drainage and Sewerage has taken several initiatives, such as:

i. Actions to repair broken or damaged pipes and repair, replace mechanical and electrical pumps and equipment;

ii. Actions to install, replace anti-theft fences for pump stations and sewage treatment plants;

iii. Actions to upgrade the capacity and facilities of main sewer pipes and pump stations and sewage treatment plants; and

iv. Updating the requirements and specifications for the design and maintenance of sewerage systems according to best practices and current needs.

Praise be to Allah, out of the total of 55,444 complaints received by the Ministry of Development in 2022, 47,808 complaints, which is 86.2%, have been resolved so far, while the remaining 7,640 complaints, which is 13.7%, have not been resolved due to several limitations that require time to be resolved and are still being addressed and given attention until now.

Your Honorable Speaker, I prioritize the importance of these public complaints. It is a relevant benchmark for the Ministry of Development to assess and improve the quality of my services in ensuring that the welfare of the public is handled and given the best attention and action.

That is all I can share in this honorable assembly. All initiatives and efforts shared earlier will be enhanced to ensure the well-being and improve the quality of life of the people of this country.

I conclude this introduction by asking for prayers to Allah, may Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam and the Royal Family continue to be blessed with long life, health, and remain steadfast in ruling the country of Brunei Darussalam. Thank you.

Peace be upon you and the mercy and blessings of Allah. May Allah grant us success and guidance.

Your Honorable Speaker​

Thank you to Your Honorable Minister of Development for the detailed and comprehensive introduction regarding the preparation of the ministry's budget for the Financial Year 2023/2024. I suggest that we adjourn this meeting and reconvene in the National Council Meeting.

(The Committee Meeting is adjourned)

(The National Council Meeting reconvenes)

Your Honorable Speaker​

Honorable Members, we are now reconvening in the National Council Meeting. I would like to adjourn this meeting to allow us to take a break, and we will reconvene at 2.30 pm as usual.

Thank you, Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings be upon you. May God grant us success and guidance.

ADJOURNED​

(The National Council Meeting is adjourned)

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