ILO conventions: Brunei needs to look at its priorities

RECENTLY Brunei Darussalam was criticised for not having ratified some of the Core Labour Standards of the International Labour Organisation. However the Labour Department responded by saying that it has been actively consulting with the Attorney General's Chambers to identify the conventions that can be applied to Brunei's system before any advancement can be made towards ratification. Factor in that the numerous conventions listed in conventions not only apply to the Labour Department but also involves various other departments as well. As such things remain in a status of flux. The authorities are looking at conventions to determine which specifics are on par with local laws and to identify ones which can be amended to suit Brunei's requirements.

The official statement given by the representative of the Labour Department hints at the underlying issue of whether Brunei Darussalam has the required number of professionals to push such a major convention through in the time expected when it first signed on the dotted line.

Human Resource Development for Brunei Darussalam has always been critical and the onus for our Tunas Bangsa to deliver is now an even more integral facet for Brunei to realise both its short-term and long-term plans.

At this moment in time, Brunei has a considerably young population. The average age of the population works out to be 25 years and as such this "young population" will be what Brunei Darussalam will be relying on to ensure that it continues developing in the desired manner. According to forecasts in the recently published Brunei Darussalam Long Term Development Plan, Brunei will have a population of 410,600 in the year 2010. Of which 69 per cent will be between the group age of 15 and 64, correlating to 283,000 people. Only three per cent of the projected total population will be 65 and above, pointing towards what can be a potentially productive era for the sultanate.

This will prove to be crucial as the expectations on young Bruneians, both in the private and public sectors, will be high. Already the international arena demands a quality of service more prevalent in developed countries, courtesy of Brunei's impressive development progress made in the late 80s and early 90s.

Amongst the strategies put into place is the Department of Economic Planning and Development's (JPKE) budgeted $250 million under the Human Resource Fund. The fund aims to reinforce the development of human resource in the sultanate. According to Dato Paduka Hj Kamis Tamin, Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office in an event celebrating retired civil servants last year, the six main programmes under the Human Resource Fund Programme will be related to expertise necessary in all sector of the civil service. These will see upgrades in professionalism, skills and updating capabilities while in service. This in turn is anticipated to produce educated, skilled and committed members of the civil service.

Meanwhile the Long Term Development Plan also points towards encouraging locals to be responsive to the challenges of the future, with some policy changes initiated to include basic changes in mindset, attitudes and perceptions of the individual and the society as a whole. Some of these themes were clearly displayed in the recent 24th National Day celebrations in the nation's capital, which once again underscored the importance of Brunei Darussalam's youth. Let us hope that the future pacesetters will heed the nation's call.

The Brunei Times