Rokiah Mahmud
The second day of the first session of 17th Legislative Council (LegCo) session saw motions being deliberated, as well as words of appreciation and strong support for the titah of 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.
Special Advisor to His Majesty and Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Bakti Diraja Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Isa bin Pehin Datu Perdana Manteri Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Ibrahim yesterday said, “With the wise leadership of His Majesty, together with the integrated efforts from government and non-government agencies, as well as from all levels of society, Alhamdulillah, our country has managed to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“His Majesty highly values the sacrifices and contributions made by those involved, particularly the frontline workers and all those who gave their services, despite the risks, long hours and burden of work. May your sacrifices and contributions be richly rewarded by Allah the Almighty.
“In stepping up the efforts to curb the COVID-19 outbreak, the Ministry of Health (MoH) will soon be launching the COVID-19 vaccination programme for citizens and residents of this country.
“To ensure the efficiency of the programme, the public is urged to give full cooperation and support by getting their vaccination once the programme is carried out, as scheduled by the MoH.”
In the deliberation, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Bakti Diraja Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Isa said, “Over the past few years, the national revenue has been affected by unstable market prices, as well as the supply and demand of oil and gas.
“Despite the situation, investment and efforts towards generating and diversifying the growth of the country’s economy are being actively carried out by the Government of His Majesty, which will yield results, Insya Allah.
“To uphold these efforts, ministries and government departments are urged to always monitor and update their respective policies and work processes in reducing bureaucracy or red tape, as a step towards boosting productivity through the provision of transparent, immediate and satisfactory services.
“In accordance with His Majesty’s titah, the support and commitment from all parties, particularly government policy holders, are indeed very much required.
“His Majesty has also referred to the efforts made by the government to generate job opportunities for locals, in addressing the country’s unemployment issue. In accordance with His Majesty’s titah, local jobseekers are encouraged not to be too selective and to make use of the opportunities being offered, especially in the private sector.
“As responsible citizens and residents of Brunei Darussalam, we should not constantly rely on the facilities and assistance provided by the government.
“This year, Brunei Darussalam will assume the role of Chairman of the ASEAN Summit meeting under the theme ‘We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper’. Therefore, Brunei Darussalam will lead the cooperation in the implementation of initiatives which contribute towards regional development, peace and well-being, particularly in advancing the recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To support these efforts, ministries are urged to align their respective initiatives that fall in line with this objective,” he said.