The focus on issues related to the implementation and strategic planning of poverty eradication were among the matters stated by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad in his statement at the 21st Legislative Council (LegCo) session yesterday.
The minister expressed gratitude 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 the provision of expenditure for the 2025/2026 financial year amounting to BND 81,701,490 for the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS).
Touching on the four main areas of the ministry, poverty eradication under the community sector is one of the major challenges.
“We understand that poverty involves complex socio-economic challenges. The goal of eradicating it and removing the underprivileged target groups from the cycle of poverty is a task requiring a holistic approach and continuous involvement of the entire country.”
The explanation by the minister also answered the questions raised by LegCo members Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohd Yusof, Yang Berhormat Hajah Safiah binti Sheikh Haji Abdul Salam, and Yang Berhormat Haji Salleh Bostaman bin Haji Zainal Abidin.
Enhancing the programmes for Developing an Excellent, United, Resilient and Empowered Community, is the main strategic focus of MCYS in the field of community, which is done through reducing poverty rates and increasing self-reliance and socio-economic status of target groups, strengthening interventions across internal sectors, and regional and international cooperation relationships.
In implementing poverty reduction efforts, a strategic approach is needed, based on accurate data and effective coordination. Three main complementary approaches are adopted – Establishing Close Cooperation through the National Council for Social Issues (MKIS), Implementing the Poverty Eradication Action Plan 2020-2024 effectively and Maximising the use of the National Welfare System (SKN).
Under the entrepreneurship and employment programme, 204 beneficiaries have ventured into entrepreneurship with guidance and capital assistance in the form of micro-grants where the ministry allocated over BND130,770 for the entrepreneur empowerment programme over the past five financial years.
Meanwhile, the collaboration with the JobCentre Brunei (JCB) has strengthened efforts to help recipients find employment and to date, 1,914 recipients of assistance from the Community Development Department (JAPEM), Zakat, Waqaf and Baitulmal Management Department (JUZWAB), and Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah have registered with JCB.
Of these, 276 individuals have been identified as active job seekers, while 310 recipients have been matched with jobs through the job matching initiative.
Meanwhile, under the skills training and increasing marketability programme, recipients are given access to skills courses and certificates of participation to increase employment opportunities while JAPEM, Youth Development Centre, Darussalam Enterprise (DARe), LiveWIRE Brunei and Big BWN Project, collaborate on specific skills training programmes for recipients of the Monthly Welfare Assistance (BKB) to increase their marketability and promote their economic independence. “Job matching initiatives help accelerate the transition from able-bodied/able-to-work recipients who have not yet found employment to productive workforce and target groups participating in skills training increase to 223 target groups in 2024 compared to 59 people in 2023,” said the minister.
As for SKN, it serves as a digital system and process mechanism providing support for data and information collection and organised and systematic data analysis, which is needed to provide real, accurate and inclusive intervention needs.
Since its establishment in July 2020 and as of March 2025, it has been recorded that over 68,000 applications for assistance were received through SKN and 30,818 applications for BKB were submitted to JAPEM and 36,020 were submitted to JUZWAB with 26,881 or 87 per cent of applications received by JAPEM have been processed and the rest being processed.
Some 13,003 applications for BKB have been approved, of which, over 12,000 applications were given financial assistance and almost 300 applications were given in-kind assistance, while the total number of applications approved under JAPEM and JUZWAB is 23,044.
The Annual School Needs Assistance (BKPT), a government assistance in-kind, is given to government school students and is issued in the form of coupons by Yayasan.
Since absorption into SKN in 2022, 25,052 students from the groups of aid recipients under JAPEM or JUZWAB have received BKPT coupons worth between BND110 and BND240 and cumulatively, BND4,604,560 has been spent on this aid.
“With this cooperation and integrated approach, we are in a strong position and on the right track to remove the less able target groups from the cycle of poverty, and subsequently, achieve a reduction in poverty rates and achieve the aspiration of building a more prosperous future for all,” the minister said. To ensure that poverty eradication efforts are always inclusive and dynamic, the ministry has also adopted several strategic approaches guided by the Poverty Eradication Action Plan and the strategic direction of MKIS by focusing on three main thrusts based on increasing levels of scalability and sustainability.
The three main thrusts are generating income for assistance recipients, strengthening mindset and education, and strengthening policies and infrastructure through close cooperation and led by stakeholders.
The ministry is also currently and will continue to implement several key initiatives from reviewing the guidelines for the provision of BKB under JAPEM.
Another initiative is preparing Poverty Eradication Action Plan for the next five years.
In efforts to define poverty in the specific context of Brunei, the MKIS conducted a comprehensive survey in 2010 to 2011 with one of the main objectives was to formulate a definition of poverty that is in line with Syariah principles.
Results showed that poverty is defined as a situation in which the person is unable to generate sufficient income to meet the basic needs for a decent life, whether for himself or for his dependents who are obliged to him.
By defining poverty and the minimal cost for basic needs rate set by the Ministry of Finance and Economy, welfare assistance policies and guidelines as well as intervention programmes will be more directed, inclusive and accurate.
Long-term planning aims at reducing poverty rates consistently and on the right track.
MCYS through MKIS, will ensure that every effort has an impact and timely with every resource used efficiently and prudently, the minister said. – Lyna Mohamad
