Azlan Othman
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 wants the truth after speculations of corruption and favouritism of foreign workers at Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN), the country’s telecommunications and network service provider.
In a titah at the company’s headquarters yesterday, His Majesty said that since the early days of UNN’s establishment, the issue of management had been regularly raised by staff of telecoms companies, as UNN was slated to take over telecommunication assets of all major networks in the country in a bid to improve the provision and price of services to the public.
Of particular concern was that over 500 workers would lose their jobs as UNN would only retain the necessary workforce, said His Majesty, adding that some workers were also absorbed into a special scheme, where they would “voluntarily quit” and be replaced by foreign workers considered “more skilled”.
“Besides the concern of losing their jobs, the local workforce is also questioning appointments at the executive management level, which is almost monopolised by foreign officers. Five out of seven executive posts are held by foreign staff,” said the monarch, adding that this has led to accusations and regrets among local employees at Darussalam Assets Sdn Bhd – the company established to own Brunei’s government-linked companies, which include UNN.
“It is even assumed that the government officers responsible are more fond of hiring foreign staff, offering higher wages compared to locals, even though they hold the same positions,” said His Majesty.
His Majesty also said based on grievances, government officers responsible in making the decisions often take the side of foreign executives, following their demands.
“I will not immediately take sides on this matter, but I am inclined to learn the truth, without it being obfuscated by any attempts or efforts to hide it.
“This includes the performance of the foreign workforce, whether it is encouraging or otherwise, as there are complaints questioning their expertise as well as being more concerned for their personal interest and not the development of UNN,” said His Majesty, who also noted that after four years of its establishment, UNN continues to receive complaints regarding the services, particularly the Internet speed.
“UNN has often given excuses, blaming cable theft for the issue. At the same time, UNN is lacking in effort to overcome the theft issues.”
Following this weakness, a few members of the public even called UNN a “Useless National Network,” said the monarch.
His Majesty noted that suspicion of wrongdoing cannot be avoided after UNN’s difficulties were investigated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The investigation went nowhere as the officer in question returned to his home country, along with his wife, who was the chief finance officer at Darussalam Assets at the time.
The decision to leave the country had sparked speculation that it was an effort to avoid being investigated, said His Majesty.
The monarch also noted that in July last year, an audit was ordered on several telecommunication companies under Darussalam Assets, including UNN.
However, the chairman of Darussalam Assets had instructed the audit department not to carry out the audit.
The action to obstruct the audit shocked many parties and triggered assumptions that the action was aimed to cover up issues of the companies under Darussalam Assets, said His Majesty.
His Majesty said these negative actions had invited speculation on the abuse of power and finance, which was further aggravated by certain foreign staff who expressed their intention to resign before their contracts expired.
“Supposedly, they should not resign early but instead work harder to build UNN to be more viable and outstanding, not leaving it in a state of trouble,” said His Majesty.
“It led us to make a conclusion that they had failed to execute their tasks or were resorting to quickly leave the country to avoid being investigated for misconduct.”
His Majesty said while it is normal for executive posts to be held by foreigners due to their expertise, “it does not mean that we just watch how they work, receive the fruits of their labour and accept the results as superior”.
The monarch added, “There must be an effort and an effective plan related to the transfer of knowledge to local citizens,” and asked whether there are plans to localise UNN at the management level.
