| Hakim Hayat |
TWENTY-FIVE officers from the Ministry of Defence, Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), Ministry of Defence of Republic of Singapore and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) arrived in the Sultanate to start the second and final phase of the 10th Brunei-Singapore Defence Scholars Development Programme (BSDSDP) 2018 – Alumni.
Before leaving Singapore, the entourage attended a closing ceremony and alumni dinner to mark the conclusion of the first phase of the programme on Thursday.
Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence of Brunei Darussalam Haji Amiruddin bin Haji Mohammad Hassan (as delegation leader from Brunei) and Deputy Secretary (Policy) at the Ministry of Defence of Singapore Keith Tan Kean Loong attended the alumni dinner as chief guests.
The Singapore phase of the 10th BSDSDP-Alumni included lessons in leadership theory and exercises to enhance participants’ leadership skills. They also engaged in team-building activities for a more involved and rewarding experience, which is hoped to benefit the scholars in their careers.
In their speeches during the dinner, both chief guests stressed the importance of interpersonal relations between the young leaders of Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, and highlighted that exchange programmes such as the BSDSDP has strengthened their scope of cooperation. They also highlighted the need for such exchanges to be maintained for years to come to further improve close ties.
Since its inauguration in 2007, the BSDSDP has been one of the initiatives by the Ministries of Defence of both sides towards contributing to the personal development and professional careers of the scholarship recipients from both ministries.
The 10th iteration of the BSDSDP – which runs from October 26-30 – celebrates the close friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
