'Carry out government projects on time'

His Majesty delivers titah on the occasion of the 26th National Day

HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has stressed the need for government projects to be carried out on time.

In a customary royal address to mark the Sultanate's 26th National Day, the monarch said: "We want plans to be actually carried out according to schedule, and not merely planned on paper."

Among the most effective methods of achieving this, His Majesty noted in a titah at the Istana Nurul Iman last night, was discussion among the agencies involved within a particular project.

"For example, if there are plans to build a school or mosque, sometimes the causes for delay were due to impediments relating to land regulations, land that has yet to be gazetted and so on," His Majesty said.

"If these are the causes, then does this not (only) involve the government? If the government itself has the will, then surely the problem should not be as complicated anymore," His Majesty said.

"But the delay still occurs, why? Are we actually serious (in carrying out the work) or not? If the delay is within the lower hierarchy (of the organisation), are the upper level officials willing to 'come down to the field' to negotiate?" the monarch asked.

"This is our problem," he said.

His Majesty said that this was the reason the key performance indicators had been introduced to guide every government agency.

Donning military attire, His Majesty began the 10-minute titah by expressing gratitude to Allah (SWT) for granting the country the opportunity to celebrate its national day in a peaceful, prosperous and safe conditions.

His Majesty cited verses of the Al-Quran where Allah (SWT) reminded those who expressed gratitude for every blessing they received, that they will be rewarded with more blessings. His Majesty hoped that the people will continue to receive blessings for generations to come.

In the same regard, His Majesty delved into this year's national day theme, Negaraku Brunei Darussalam (My Country, Brunei Darussalam).

"A lot of people are under the perception that this theme is simply to instil the spirit of patriotism and love for the country only. But if that is all (that is understood from the theme), then it is not complete yet.

"What is more important is (asking ourselves) 'what is our contribution to maintain Allah's blessings?', which He has bestowed on us and our country all this while," His Majesty said.

The monarch pointed out that patriotism and love for the country was often seen from the surface only, in the form of pledges and festivities. However, the monarch stressed that people rarely delved deeper beyond that and realised the significance of expressing gratitude for Allah's blessings, which can be enhanced further by carrying out religious activities. "If this is done, only then will there be better prospects of these blessings to continue, as promised by Allah (SWT) Himself," he said.

The monarch called on everyone to appreciate the benefits of gratitude and piety together. In the context of Brunei's development, His Majesty stressed the need to preserve the environment.

"There is no point to rapid development if the environment is adversely affected. Because we will continue to need fertile land, clean air, clean drinking water, (and) even clean sea water which is not polluted. Because these are the real sources of (our) welfare," His Majesty said.

He said the time has come to speed up the promulgation of legislation for more controlled development. The monarch suggested conducting environmental impact assessments and enforcing similar mechanisms on development projects. His Majesty also highlighted the recently-introduced rules on credit card usage in the country.

"The government's objective is so that we all understand that the luxuries of a life supported by mounting debt is one that is fragile, and instead will bring losses in the long run.

He noted that the initiative was one of the strategies to transform the economy into one of the three main pillars of Brunei's Vision 2035.

The Brunei Times