Green campaign aims to make a city in the garden

KEEPING the city clean and litter-free is a shared responsibility of all members of the public, and not just that of the government alone, said the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday.

The Ministry, through the Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) Municipal Department, yesterday organised a Green and Clean Campaign around Kg Bunut as part of the "City in the Garden" initiative.

In an interview with the paper, the Deputy Permanent Secretary, Hj Ismail Hj Abd Manap expressed hopes that members of the public and the private sector will do their part in keeping the environment green and clean.

"We (the government) hope our efforts won't be in vain , instead the people will help maintain and keep these areas clean. It will be a continuous effort," he told The Brunei Times during the Green and Clean Campaign.

Hj Ismail said that the campaign is carried out "continuously" and held every month to spread the message and efforts to make Bandar Seri Begawan a greener and pollution-free city.

"We hope this project will get the attention of the public...to encourage them to love our country, and love the beauty and cleanliness of our country."

Corporate bodies such as Dato Lim Seng Kok Properties, Baiduri Bank and Dat-Co also took the time out to participate in the Green and Clean Campaign yesterday, where their representatives helped plant trees and beautify the compound of their areas.

For Dat-Co Sales Manager, Janet L. Parpa, the company's participation in the campaign is their sign of support for environmental conservation and the "City in the Garden" initiative to make Bandar Seri Begawan a green and clean city.

"It's nice to be part of it, and we (Dat-Co) fully support the Go Green initiative, it's good for our planet Earth. My colleagues and I are very excited."

Parpa mentioned the company plans to carry out some "proper landscaping" of the compound. She said, " It's good to beautify the place to suit our building."

Proprietor of Dato Lim Seng Kok building, Lim Han Chiong, was also present at the Green and Clean Campaign yesterday to plant trees and clean up the compound.

"This is a green initiative effort to help beautify the landscape and compounds of Brunei," he said, adding that his organisation is always ready to cooperate with the government in order to make Brunei a clean place to live in.The Brunei Times