Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof reflected on the importance of the Legislative Council as a platform to produce constructive opinions and ideas on strategic issues that benefit citizens and the nation, as emphasised in a titah 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 during the opening of the 20th Session of the Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting last year.
The minister said this during a muzakarah session between the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and its departments and LegCo members for the year 2025 at the PMO Building yesterday.
The minister also shared the latest developments, including the progress of Brunei Vision 2035, alignment and coordination of government policies through Manpower Blueprint, Social Blueprint and Economic Blueprint, which are in line with the Wawasan Framework, and initiatives to increase employment rate of locals. Transformation initiatives and improvements in the Civil Service were also shared, including efforts to enhance the effectiveness of service delivery and human resource management. The preparation of the Social Blueprint was also highlighted as part of the government’s continuous efforts to achieve Goal 2 of Brunei Vision 2035 through whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach.
On security matters, continuous efforts to combat crimes such as cybercrime, drug abuse, and corruption, as well as the achievements of the Attorney General’s Chambers and the courts in 2024, were shared.
Meanwhile, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah reported positive developments in the energy sector for 2024 including future plans. Among the highlights were Brunei Darussalam’s achievement in reducing the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 15 per cent in 2023, along with the National Adaptation Plan and the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Climate Change in Brunei Darussalam. These milestones reflect the nation’s active role in addressing climate change.
The opening remarks were followed by a response from LegCo member Yang Berhormat Amran bin Haji Maidin and concluded with a dialogue session among LegCo members and representatives from the PMO.
The attorney general; deputy ministers; permanent secretaries; deputy permanent secretaries; department heads as well as senior officers at the PMO were present. – James Kon
