The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has been allocated a budget of BND133,954,439, according to Minister of Home Affairs Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman during the 20th session of the Legislative Council meeting yesterday.
From the total budget, BND130,185,520 will be used for emolument and recurring expenditure, while BND3,768,919 will be used to fund nine development projects.
The minister said the ministry will focus on three aspirations for the 2024-2025 financial year: safety and well-being; transformation of urban and district development and empowering community development; and good governance and quality service delivery.
Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin said to achieve the goals, collaboration and engagement is needed from all parties, including grassroots leaders, government agencies, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, government-linked companies as well as the populace.
The minister said the first aspiration will be carried out by the Fire and Rescue Department (FRD), a front-line agency that handles emergencies around the clock to ensure safety. Light fire attack vehicles will be purchased under the 12th National Development Plan (RKN 12) to reduce response time, especially in reaching remote areas.
In addition, studies being carried out on setting up buffer zones in areas prone to forest and bush fires, in light of the current drought season.
The ministry will collaborate with government agencies, higher education institutions and Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd on the initiative, to slow down or stop the spread of forest and bush fires, especially in the vicinity of residential areas, schools and buildings.
The minister also shared that the FRD has been working with the Public Works Department (JKR) to repair and replace 700 fire hydrants in the past two years.
Global positioning system (GPS) tagging, has also been implemented to facilitate easy tracking of projects under the RKN 12.
The second aspiration, Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin said focuses on urban transformation and community development. The initiative includes the maintenance of basic infrastructure, such as bridges and concrete pathways at Kampong Ayer.
The minister said last year, repair works were carried out at six community centres in the Brunei-Muara District, as well as six halls in the Tutong District. Similar efforts were made in Belait and Temburong districts, he said.
To address the issue of stalls set up along the roadside, the minister said 13 plots of land have been provided, in collaboration with the Ministry of Development (MoD), to relocate the vendors.
“For now, one plot in Kampong Tagap, Mukim Sengkurong has been gazetted under the Brunei-Muara District Office, while the remaining 12 plots are in the pipeline and seven currently in development. The management of the stalls will subsequently be handed over to the village and mukim consultative councils,” he said.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin said the third aspiration focuses on quality services to support the Digital Economy Masterplan 2025 led by the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications.
The MoHA, he said, has gradually implemented information technology (IT) and digitisation projects to improve the delivery of services, including Immigration and National Registration System (INRS) modules, with the Border Management System and Identification Card system already implemented, while Visa and Passes, Foreign Marriage, Citizenship and Entry Permit are in the trial stage and another two modules still in development.
The implementation of the National Labour Management System (NLMS) on April 1, 2023, meanwhile, has facilitated online application and processing, and several more programmes are in the pipeline, such as e-compound, e-visits, One MoHA, installation of e-gates and online payments, the minister said. – Rokiah Mahmud
