| Danial Norjidi |
THE Minister of Home Affairs and Deputy Minister of Defence recently spoke in support and gratitude 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, which was delivered on the eve of Hari Raya Aidilfitri 1438 Hijrah and highlighted the importance of peace and stability to the country and its citizens.
Speaking in an interview with the Bulletin, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, said, “We all should support His Majesty’s titah emphasising on peace and stability.
“With circumstances and events going on around the world now, it’s very challenging,” he said, underlining the need to avoid complacency and highlighting that it is the responsibility of everyone in Brunei Darussalam to preserve and maintain the peace and stability to develop the nation.
On how the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) is working to ensure and maintain Brunei’s peace and stability, the minister touched on the importance of grassroots leadership. “The institutions of mukim penghulus and village heads, I think they are important, key people, who are always, as grassroots leaders, responsible for their own people in the villages and the mukims.”
He also spoke on immigration, saying that the MoHA “is also responsible for immigration and this is where our officers in charge of the control posts or the entry control areas, entry points to Brunei Darussalam, ensure that people going in and out of Brunei need to be scrutinised very strictly”.
The minister affirmed that the MoHA is conducting continuous, stringent efforts to ensure peace and stability, saying, “It’s always been our responsibility to ensure peace and stability for our country.”
FROM LEFT: First Admiral (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Abdul Aziz bin Haji Mohd Tamit, the Deputy Minister of Defence, and Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, Minister of Home Affairs. – PHOTOS: AZROL AZMI
First Admiral (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Abdul Aziz bin Haji Mohd Tamit, the Deputy Minister of Defence also spoke with the Bulletin on the titah, saying, “The blessing of peace and tranquillity should not be taken for granted, and we thank His Majesty’s strong and wise leadership in emphasising the importance of maintaining the peace and stability of the country.”
The deputy minister highlighted that a nation thrives under the blanket of a peaceful, secure and stable environment, hence enabling a future of nation-building and development. “As Bruneian citizens and residents, we all have a role to play in ensuring that our future generation can enjoy the peace and stability that we currently have now. We must continuously strive to defend our country, amidst the changing security environment, so that we can fulfil our national development goals under the Brunei Vision 2035.”
Touching on the Ministry of Defence’s (MinDef) efforts towards maintaining peace and stability, he said, “Within Brunei Darussalam, the MinDef works closely and supports other security agencies in order to ensure quick and seamless responses in any contingency operations, should there be any potential security challenges that may disrupt the national peace and security.
“Our Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) is professionally trained to ensure operational readiness in protecting the sovereignty of the nation,” he affirmed.
“At the same time, we work closely with other countries around the region and beyond. These are done through the bilateral and multilateral exercises to enhance interoperability, to exchange intelligence and information with one another, to share knowledge and best practices, and to enhance practical cooperation in areas such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, search and rescue missions and others.
“Such cooperation and interactions we have with other countries are essential to address transnational challenges,” he explained. “This is why Asean has platforms for dialogue and cooperation such as the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus which includes eight of our Dialogue Partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, and the United States of America.”
He underlined that these platforms are among those regional efforts that are necessary to effectively address transnational security challenges. They provide opportunities for countries to come together to foster trust and confidence and facilitate practical cooperation through the mechanisms and initiatives that have been adopted under these platforms, he added.
One such platform is the Experts’ Working Groups under the ADMM-Plus, which he explained seeks to enhance cooperation in the fields of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security, counter terrorism, military medicine, peacekeeping operations, humanitarian mine action and cyber security.
“Evident by the many exercises that have been conducted under this ambit, they have been very beneficial in strengthening interoperability among the 18 countries. All these elements come together in underlining the MinDef’s role in defence diplomacy to maintain peace and stability within Brunei Darussalam and also, to the regional and international community.”
He said the MinDef has sought to establish strong and friendly ties with countries.
From these ties, they will contribute to regional and international security and stability by fostering understanding, building trust and confidence, and strengthening cooperation to tackle common security challenges.
“Hence, this is why we see our RBAF’s commitment in Southern Mindanao through the International Monitoring Team (IMT) is a meaningful endeavour. As a responsible member in the region, we view this as our contribution to international missions whilst working constructively with other regional forces. At the same time, we also view our involvement as contributing to peace, not only in the Philippines, but also security and stability in the region.”
The deputy minister highlighted that the MinDef and RBAF will continuously advance to develop a reliable, robust and resource-efficient armed forces and at the same time, work alongside with other security agencies to maintain the peace and stability of Brunei Darussalam.
“Defending the nation and securing our sovereignty requires a whole-of-government approach. We also remain dedicated in ensuring our strong ties with other countries to work together to foster a peaceful and stable regional environment. The more cohesive and united we are, the more economically successful and socially advanced our region will be,” he added.
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