James Kon
Initiatives are already in place to support further growth and innovation within the private sector, especially for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to protect jobs in the sector, especially during times of crisis.
This was said by 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 during the prize presentation ceremony for the ‘BSM Disrupt’ hackathon yesterday.
The minister, who is also a member of the Board of Directors at Brunei Shell Marketing Company Sdn Bhd (BSM), expressed his confidence “that all relevant government and private stakeholders will continue to collectively work hard and be more innovative in ensuring Brunei Darussalam can have a vibrant private sector, one which will drive the economic growth of our country”.
He also emphasised the use of innovative technology and the importance of being able to adapt to innovation.
“The challenging experiences faced so far this year has given rise to different kinds of innovative technologies, unique designs and creative communication, all of which suggest that embracing and maximising the use of technology is the new norm,” he said.
The minister said, “Many organisations today are embracing innovation to spot opportunities beyond their day-to-day operations. Innovation is fast becoming a standard value for forward-looking companies, steering employees to foster out-of-the-box thinking. Being able to adapt to innovation is today’s currency for long-term sustainability.”
Touching on the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the minister said, “It may be an understatement to say that this year has been filled with a fair deal of adversity. However, adverse events force us to re-examine our priorities, help us break out of habitual ways of thinking and serve as catalysts to creativity that we did not know we needed.
“It pushes us to find solutions, to widen our vision and push our imagination to new limits, so we can strike that balance between innovation and pragmatism, which at its very core is ultimately a problem solving process.”
Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew expressed pleasure “to see companies like Brunei Shell Marketing engaging start-ups and MSMEs through platforms such as BSM Disrupt Hackathon, the first-of-its-kind pitch competition in Brunei, to find collaborators who can identify and deliver innovative solutions”.