Adib Noor
The closing ceremony for the 17th Executive Development Programme (EDP) on Public Policy and Management for Senior Government Officers hosted by the Ministry of Defence (MinDef) took place at the Officers’ Mess in Bolkiah Garrison yesterday.
Deputy Minister of Defence Brigadier General (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Razak bin Haji Abd Kadir was the guest of honour.
Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), High Commissioner of Singapore to Brunei Darussalam, Ambassador of Indonesia to Brunei Darussalam, representative from the Embassy of Oman in Brunei Darussalam, Permanent Secretaries at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and MinDef, and other representatives from stakeholders were also in attendance.
The event saw 30 participants comprising senior officers from the MinDef and RBAF, Royal Brunei Police Force, the PMO and the Ministry of Education (MoE). The MinDef has also invited and sponsored three foreign participants from Indonesia, Oman, and Singapore.
This year’s EDP saw the reversion of the programme to physical classes, taking note of last year’s virtual arrangements.
The three-month programme, delivered by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) National University of Singapore, aimed to provide knowledge and training for senior executives on perspectives and conceptual frameworks within the field of public policy and management. Participants also visited selected local government ministries and attend special talks from local speakers to strengthen a deeper understanding of Brunei’s strategic environment through policy-making processes in line with Brunei Vision 2035.
Acting Director of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (SHHBIDSS) Haji Abdul Malik bin Haji Kamis highlighted the Institute’s continuous ongoing efforts to improve the programme in the long run.
The event proceeded with remarks from Professor Eduardo Araral of the LKYSPP, and the 17th EDP participants representative Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Shalleh bin Haji Ismail. In his closing speech, the Deputy Minister of Defence emphasised the significance of the programme in its role to be an essential platform for developing senior officers as a conscious effort to ensure excellence in leadership and professional development.
Since its inauguration in 2004, 417 senior officers have completed the EDP programme to date.
