Azlan Othman & James Kon
It is paramount for the nation to be united in the face of global uncertainty to be able to achieve Brunei Vision 2035, said Legislative Council (LegCo) member Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim during yesterday’s meeting of the 19th Legislative Council session.
In the deliberation of the motion of thanks, the LegCo member said it is not impossible to realise the national vision by 2035.
“What is needed is cooperation and strong coordination from all stakeholders as well as confidence from the people from all walks of life,” he said.
“Due to global uncertainty such as pandemic, socio-economy, geo-politic and climate change, it is paramount for us to be united to achieve Brunei Vision 2023,” he added.
“This is a core strategic matter that should be given deep thoughts due to its overall impact on the stability and peace of the nation and for the people’s well-being,” he said, adding that it encompasses fundamental issues like economy, the people’s involvement in nation building, unemployment, poverty eradication, a future-ready education system, social guarantees and digital transformation of the country.
ATTRACTING FDI’S
Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman said foreign direct investments (FDIs) can give positive impact to local businesses and while it is not an easy task, efforts to attract FDIs need to be empowered and improved.
“Brunei is renowned for its political stability, strong financial background and educated workforce and geographical central location in Asean. We need to improve our pre-requisites to attract foreign investors, and assist local businesses to be transparent, open, quick and have practical decision-making along with a future-ready and disciplined workforce.”
PRIVATISATION
The privatisation of public sectors should be considered as a strategy to increase government revenue, said LegCo member Yang Berhormat Mohammad Bin Abdullah @ Lim Swee Ann during yesterday’s meeting of the 19th LegCo session.
Yang Berhormat Mohammad added that the implementation method through public-private partnership (PPP) needs to target medium and large-scale projects, especially in the Belait District.
The LegCo member hoped that every plan that has been implemented should not stray away from the concept of Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) and support achieving Brunei Vision 2035.
Meanwhile, he said the responsibility of LegCo members “can be expanded, especially in efforts to solve the people’s problems”.
The LegCo member proposed the creation of a special people’s development and welfare provision under the purview of LegCo members as an alternative to financing specific projects and activities aimed for the welfare of the people. This could also later be channelled to government agencies, private parties or non-governmental organisations, and could speed up the implementation of aid to deal with urgent issues.
