Opinion: Reviewing questions raised at LegCo

Dear Editor,

I HAVE been following with interest, the goings on of the Ninth Legislative Council meeting through the Internet as I was overseas. Thus, the information I received were limited.

During the official opening of the Ninth Legislative Council, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam made several interesting statements. He said it is "not enough" to simply ask a lot of questions, without offering constructive ideas.

The statement made by His Majesty has made me think. When the monarch said it was believed that members, in particular appointed members, were already aware and know the areas that are being developed under government planning, I presume all LegCo members are well informed of what's going on with the progress in this country.

I read the article in BT March 12, 2013 titled "Educators' promotion prospects questioned during LegCo", which mentioned that government school teachers' promotion prospects were discussed on the third day of the Ninth Legislative Council meeting whereby LegCo member Yang Berhormat Hj Ramli Hj Lahit, suggested that teachers working under the Ministry of Education were worse off than their similarly qualified counterparts working in different government departments.

Even if they started work at the same time, Yang Berhormat said "the individual who is a teacher will still have the status of an Education Officer on the B2 salary scale (up to the maximum of a B3 salary scale)". However, the other individual who has a position in a different department or ministry will have reached a higher salary scale, he said. He also said teachers should be on an equal footing with their counterparts in other ministries.

In response, Minister of Finance (II) Yang Berhotmat Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdul Rahman Hj Ibrahim, said a special scheme, approved in 2008, was already addressing any wage disparities that might exist between teachers and other government officers.

Now going back to the statement made by His Majesty earlier, in relation to that statement, how is it possible that a LegCo member was not aware of this special scheme, which was already approved in 2008? If he was already aware of this scheme, then why was the question raised?

In another issue, a LegCo member Yang Berhormat Hj Yusof Dulamin said there was a need to introduce a minimum wage in the country in both the public and and private sectors. My question is, has the Legco member discussed the matter with the local small and medium enterprises (SMEs)? If not, whom does he represent?

Common sense will tell us that with our current condition in business growth, the introduction of a minimum wage policy in the private sector may affect the operations of small businesses in Brunei and hamper their growth. It would not affect big companies, but it would most certainly hurt local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) whereby some can't even afford to pay the current workers' salary as business were not that good compare to the neighbouring countries.

To help promote locals to joint private sectors and to help in sustaining the standard of living in this country not only for local workers but also SMEs ... the government must help SMEs by paying half of the worker's salary or else it would be just like, pulling a small blanket to cover one side, but the other side gets uncovered!

Another issue was raised by a LegCo member Yang Berhormat Hj Jumat Akim where he proposed that the salary scale for heads of government departments be revised as the salary scale of senior officers holding the position of director, deputy director and assistant director in government departments are not consistent. He also said that some senior staff had been in the position of "acting" director for far too long. He added there were heads of department who only had a few staff under them, yet earn more than those senior officers who handle more than 500 members of staff.

The questions posed by Yang Berhormat Hj Jumat were not presented with a concrete scenario. Has he done a thorough investigation on the cases before bringing them up in the meeting? It doesn't make sense that the salary scale have to be consistent as it would not be fair as it affects seniority. Is it fair that a person who has been working for 30 years have the same salary with a colleague who had just been working for three years, and both persons are holding the same post, responsibilities and amount of work?

The story on the "acting" director wasn't clear. Was Yang Berhormat Hj Jumat referring to the "acting" job filled internally (not through the Public Service Commission or SPA) on a temporary basis, or a promotion? If it is a promotion then obviously it should be six months which can be extended to give a fair chance to the candidate to improve. As for the number of workers working under heads of department, I could have a thousand workers under me to look after but if I use a computer system and appoint several deputies and assistants, my task would be easier compared to those who have to look after only 10 workers but have to work alone, using a manual system.

Honestly, I can see all these issues raised were not an issue at all as there was no solid evidence to support the case. And it would be just a waste of time bringing them up in the LegCo meeting as the ministers would just brush them off with a simple explanation.

As for the concern over printing of Islamic book by non-Muslims highlighted by LegCo member Yang Berhormat Hj Gapor @ Hj Md Daud Kar, I would like to pose a question. Can a non-Muslim hold a copy of the Quran with an English translation? If they can't, then how can we ask them to read the Quranic translation to find the truth and to bring them to Islam?

So if I ask a question, can a non-Muslim hold a Quranic CD or a computer which contains digital data of Quranic words, what would then be the answer? We would not be able to send the computer for repair at a non-Muslim shop!

Thus, it is not necessary that the printing company has to be a Muslim company, as long as it is supervised by a Muslim.

The article published in BT March 12, 2013 entitled "Late payments to gov't vendors raised at LegCo" again reminds me that this issue is a neverending story. A LegCo member Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Maharaja Kerna Dato Paduka Seri Hj Yaakub Pehin Orang Kaya Maharaja Diraja Dato Paduka Hj Zainal sought clarification on delays in the payments that the government makes to its vendors, noting that small and medium enterprises are having trouble receiving payments for their business claims to the government.

He also noted that project tenders that have been successfully evaluated and passed inspections from government officials sometimes end up not being issued payments, with claims left pending for up to six months.

He added that the delay is a concern for wholesalers who find it difficult to manage their operations due to the lack of working capital. He also noted that this is happening despite the 'Tekad Pemedulian Orang Ramai' (TPOR) or Client Charter currently being put in place, and the existence of an agency that is accountable for ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of public service.

"We are also almost a decade into the era of information technology with millions of dollars spent on IT projects. All the things mentioned are intended to simplify and accelerate the management services on the part of the government," Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Maharaja Kerna Dato Paduka Seri Hj Yaakub said, and asked the ministers whether these problems could be overcome.

In response, Minister of Finance II Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Hj Abd Rahman Hj Ibrahim said that an 'invoice tracking system' that is being rolled out currently would be part of the solution for late payments to government vendors. He stated that the system, which aims to alleviate payment issues, is now being rolled out to seven ministries with five more slated to get it between April and June this year. He also said that delayed payments "should certainly be monitored and reviewed on an ongoing basis by the government".

Now honestly speaking, I have heard these kind of words since the first LegCo session which was nine years ago! After nearly 10 years the excuse is still the same; "will monitor and review"! But the reality is, the problem still linger on year after year.

My question is, can it be guaranteed that this "invoice tracking system" that is just being rolled out can solve the problem of late payment once and for all? Or would this just be another excuse to tell the public that something has been done to tackle the issue. Is it correct to say, after 10 years there was no such tracking system even after vendors have voiced out their concern and cried for help because of this late payment issue where some even have to close down their business?

According to the Minister of Finance II, at a treasury level, sub treasury officers (STOs) have been told to be more proactive in handling complaints about late payments and to answer any queries about the payment process. Well, I strongly believe, by just telling those officers would not work. We need motivation to make it work, either in a form of a reward or punishment!

Pg Hj Abd Rahman Pg Hj Omar

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times