| Izah Azahari |
A CERTIFICATE presentation was held at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) yesterday for the 25th Executive Development Programme for Senior Government Officers (EDPSGO), the 25th Executive Development Programme for Middle Management Officers (EDPMMO), and the 2nd Young Executive Programme (YEP).
On hand to present the certificates was Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Abdul Mokti bin Haji Mohd Daud.
The event began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah led by Muhammad Adlan Aziz bin Haji Yussop, Assistant Senior Education Officer at the Institut Tahfiz Al-Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (ITQSHHB).
This was followed by a welcoming speech by Acting Director-General of Public Service Dr Norfarizal bin Othman in which he said that the programmes are intended to boost the leadership potential of government officials, while also highlighting their qualities and capabilities in terms of leadership in view of current developments.
A total of 83 government officers participated in the programmes, with 23 from the EDPSGO, 31 from the EDPMMO and 29 from the YEP.
Dr Norfarizal added, “The Public Service Department will also continuously monitor the developments of the individual officers who have successfully completed the programmes, to ensure their continuity, as well as potential level and performance are always at their proper level, where the process of their leadership development will be carried out continuously after they resume their duties.
“The results of the efforts require a collective and accurate cooperation from the various parties of their respective ministries and departments.”
A speech was then delivered by Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Abdul Mokti, in which he said that the programmes reflected the government’s earnest efforts, commitment and awareness on the importance of producing qualified leaders who would be able to serve with full dedication towards nation-building.
“Leadership requires having excellent morals that include honesty, trustworthiness, supportiveness and wisdom,” he said.
In view of this, the minister said that all government ministries and departments should engage the relevant agencies in a whole-of-nation approach in carrying out tasks and planned initiatives, to ensure the ultimate goal of the Public Service Department in meeting the needs of the public.
“Leaders and officers need to have a Thinking Forward, Thinking Across and Thinking Again mindset in identifying and carrying out solutions on challenges that may be faced in the Public Service, and it is vital to ensure that the Public Service is always relevant and efficient in dispensing services to the public,” he said.
“Having excellent public services will help to move the country to a better position in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rankings, which will in turn attract the attention and trust of other countries to engage in joint ventures with the Sultanate, resulting in easier access to foreign direct investments (FDI).”
The event also featured a speech by Noor Amal Azirah binti Haji Azlan, a representative of the 2nd YEP, before the presentation of certificates.
The event ended with a recitation of Doa Selamat led by Dr Mohammad Hilmy Baihaqy bin Haji Awang Yussof, an Assistant Lecturer at the Religious Teachers University College of Seri Begawan (KUPU SB).
Among those present were Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Major General Pengiran Dato Seri Pahlawan Aminan bin Pengiran Haji Mahmud and the Auditor General Dato Paduka Haji Yahya bin Haji Idris.