LegCo representative hopes Belait gets gov’t attention at 11th session

Rachel Thien
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Legislative Council (LegCo) representative of Belait District Zone 1 said he hoped to see relevant ministries give more weight to development priorities in Belait’s rural areas when the Council meets for its 11th session.

Speaking to The Brunei Times recently, Yang Berhormat Hj Mohd Shafiee Ahmad said over the past 10 years the speed of development in Belait’s rural areas has not been met based on the residents’ expectations.

These developments include upgrades of roads, water, electrical and telecommunication infrastructures, he said.

“There are some areas where some people still cannot be contacted via mobile phone because their area does not have mobile network coverage. We would like for this telecommunication infrastructure to be (improved rather) than what we have now,’’ YB Hj Mohd Shafiee said.

The LegCo member said he also hoped the Public Works Department (JKR) and the Belait District Office would take immediate action to improve road infrastructure from Kg Buau to Mukim Melilas.

“I understand that stones were placed on the road from Kg Buau to Mukim Melilas, but during rainy days, it is just not accessible and vehicles get stuck in the mud,’’ he said.

YB Hj Mohd Shafiee said eventhough rural areas have small populations, he feels that if infrastructure isimproved, more people would be willing to move back and stay there.

“We need to improve the conditions of the rural areas. We do not ignore them just because they are small, because eventually, their population will grow,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the LegCo member said due to the recent decline in oil prices, he is not expecting a big budget for 2015/2016. He said he hoped, however, it would be equivalent to last year’s budget or slightly less.

YB Hj Mohd Shafiee said during the upcoming proceedings, he hoped the government will shed light on their initiatives in diversifying Brunei’s economy.

“Where are we now and are we achieving our target? We need to have transparency among the public because people would like to know,’’ he said.


Sumber - The Brunei Times