Rancang ‘Bruneiansation’ jawat jawatan dalam syarikat

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Rabu 11 Mac. - Menteri Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri, Yang Berhormat Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Othman menyarankan agar syarikat-syarikat di negara ini merancang secara berperingkat-peringkat untuk menempatkan anak-anak tempatan atau Bruneiansation untuk  menjawat jawatan-jawatan dalam syarikat-syarikat mereka.

Perkara ini amat penting, berikutan tempoh tiga tahun permit bagi pekerja asing yang dicadangkan, yang  kini sedang dibuat oleh Kementerian Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri, di mana dalam dasar baharu pengambilan pekerja asing itu jika pekerja asing itu masih diperlukan lagi, dan tidak ada anak-anak tempatan yang dapat mengisi kekosongan dalam syarikat-syarikat berkenaan, maka mereka dibenarkan untuk mengambil, memasukkan pekerja asing, jelas Yang Berhormat Menteri Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin menjelaskan demikian ketika menjawab isu yang dicadangkan oleh Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Awang Haji Abdullah bin Haji Mohd. Jaafar, pada Majlis Permesyuaratan Kesebelas Majlis Mesyuarat Negara (MMN) yang bersidang pada hari kelima di Bangunan Dewan MMN, di sini.
Dalam majlis itu, Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Awang Haji Abdullah memberikan beberapa cadangan tambahan kepada syarat-syarat yang ada dalam pengawalan pengambilan pekerja asing ini di negara ini, yang masih belum mencukupi.

Cadangan itu adalah bersesuaian dengan yang pernah dititahkan oleh Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan dan Yang di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam yang menyarankan Ahli-ahli Yang Berhormat bukan sahaja menyoal dalam Mesyuarat Dewan Majlis, tetapi juga untuk memberi cadangan-cadangan yang baik dan bernas dalam sama-sama memajukan negara ini.

Di antara cadangan Yang Berhormat adalah seperti yang berikut:

* Tuan punya syarikat hendaklah menjalankan perniagaannya sendiri, jika ia melantik pekerja-pekerja asing untuk menguruskan perniagaannya, maka ia semestinya melantik pekerja-pekerja tempatan sebagai penolong pengurusnya. Permit pekerja asing tersebut dibenarkan bekerja hanya selama tiga tahun dan permitnya tidak boleh disambung lagi. Jawatan pekerja asing ini diambil alih oleh pekerja tempatan;

* Tuan punya syarikat hendaklah menunjukkan sumber-sumber kewangannya;

* Tuan punya syarikat hendaklah bertanggungjawab di atas kehalalan barang-barang yang dijualnya;

* Produk-produk perubatan termasuk makanan, ‘supplement’ hendaklah mendapatkan sijil-sijil menjual produk-produk dari Kementerian Kesihatan dan dipamerkan di papan kenyataan; dan

* Pekerja-pekerja asing yang dibenarkan bekerja di Negara Brunei Darussalam dihadkan selama tiga tahun sahaja. Dalam masa yang sama, pekerja tempatan diambil bekerja dan dilatih untuk mengambil alih tugas-tugas yang dibuat oleh pekerja asing.

Dalam kesempatan itu Yang Berhormat mengucapkan tahniah kepada Yang Berhormat Menteri Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri atas pindaan Lesen Rampaian kepada Business License Act Chapter 127-2015.
Akta ini, menurut Yang Berhormat telah mendukung dan memudahkan peniaga-peniaga mendapat Lesen Perniagaan dengan mengeluarkan permit khas, di  samping memudahkan syarikat-syarikat yang baharu untuk mengambil pekerja asing  dan mendapat permit khas dalam tempoh tujuh hari.
Walau bagimanapun dasar pengawalan pekerja asing adalah mengikut zon-zon yang ditetapkan dan ini hanyalah bagi peniaga restoran, kedai-kedai runcit, peniaga kain dan tekstil. Dan sejak akta ini diluluskan pada 1 Januari 2015 Masihi, dalam masa dua minggu sebanyak 208 buah syarikat didaftarkan dan dikeluarkan Lesen Perniagaan.

Di samping itu Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Awang Haji Abdullah juga menyokong ‘statement’ Yang Berhormat Menteri Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri semasa pembukaan Job Fair 2015 Masihi,  yang mengharapkan majikan-majikan lebih ‘transparent’ dalam kadar gaji yang ditawarkan, elaun-elaun, jumlah cuti dan kemudahan-kemudahan lain diberikan kepada pekerja tempatan atau yang lebih baik daripada tawaran yang diberikan kepada pekerja asing.

Yang Berhormat yakin semua dasar pengawalan pekerja asing ini bertujuan mengurangkan pekerja-pekerja asing dan memberi peluang pekerjaan kepada rakyat dan penduduk tetap di negara ini.
Mengikut statistik yang dikeluarkan oleh Jabatan Buruh pada tahun 2013 Masihi, keramaian pekerja di sektor swasta ini ialah 141,850 orang iaitu 927 orang atau 64 peratus adalah pekerja asing, 40,620 orang atau 26 peratus rakyat Brunei dan 9,255 orang atau 65  peratus adalah penduduk tetap, jelas Yang Berhormat.

Ketika menjawab isu yang dicadangkan itu, Menteri Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri, Yang Berhormat Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin, menjelaskan tahniah itu bukan sahaja kepada Kementerian Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri tetapi juga  kepada Menteri Perindustrian dan Sumber-Sumber Utama sebagai minor dalam mengenai Pindaan Lesen Rampaian untuk memudahkan dan memulakan bisnes itu dan yang paling penting juga ialah Unit PENGGERAK di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan termasuk Jabatan Peguam Negara.


Sumber - Pelita Brunei

Over 70% of top posts in oil and gas filled by locals

Al-Haadi Abu Bakar
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

MORE than 70 per cent of the top positions in the oil and gas sector has been filled by Bruneians, said the minister of energy yesterday.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Mohd Yasmin Hj Umar said that through the Energy Department's Local Business Development (LBD) initiative, Bruneians now account to between 70 to 80 per cent of the workforce in the sector's top positions.

The minister confirmed this yesterday during the afternoon session of the Ninth State Legislative Council meeting in response to an enquiry raised by LegCo member representing the Brunei-Muara District Zone 4 YB Hj Jumat Akim.

YB Pehin Datu Hj Mohd Yasmin attributed the accomplishment to the energy department's LBD directive, which is aimed to ensure that service industries are dominated by local operators, and which would in turn provide more job opportunities for the locals and reduce unemployment in Brunei.

He said that LBD aims to have 70 per cent of the total workforce in the oil and gas sector filled by Bruneians.

The minister also noted a high number of young Bruneians who are taking up senior positions in oil and gas companies overseas, such as in Europe and in the Middle East, after a brief stint in Brunei Shell and LNG.

"There are more than 10 Bruneians working in Holland and some 30 working in Qatar now," said YB Pehin Datu Hj Mohd Yasmin.

"This shows that the system we use to train them during their time in Brunei Shell and LNG is highly effective and has made them marketable internationally," he added.

In line with these achievements, the minister said, the Energy Department at the Prime Minister's Office (EDPMO) is accelerating efforts to ensure students training in Brunei can fulfil the requirements to work for the oil and gas sector, by providing the right workforce for the right jobs.

The minister also revealed yesterday that his department is close to completing the Energy Competency Framework, which is designed to tackle job security issues in the industry by implementing new regulations in three areas: contract length, salary scale and career development.

He said the framework is expected to be ready between April to June.

The minister also revealed that the Department of Planning and Economic Development (JPKE) also supports this drive towards local employment in the sector by providing financing schemes for training in private schools in Brunei, as well as tax rebates on training costs towards locals.

LegCo member representing those who had achieved excellence YB Hj Zulkifli Hj Abd Hamid, who praised the energy department's LBD directive, asked the minister if such initiative can be implemented in other sectors in order to get a similar impact.

In response, the minister said that the move was welcome, although it would require thorough study to identify the suitability of the initiative on other industries beforehand.

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times

OPINION: Let us make our oil and gas industry totally Brunei oriented

I AM writing in response to a letter written by Pg Hj Abd Rahman Pg Hj Omar in the Opinion Page of Weekend Borneo Bulletin dated January 26, 2013 titled ‘How About Matching Up To Petronas’.

I would like to add more about Petronas which I hope our authority here can emulate. After oil was discovered offshore the State of Trengganu, Malaysia in 1974, the then Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein formed Petronas. The purpose was to take part in the oil exploration.

During its incorporation it was headed by a young 28-year-old Prince from Kelantan, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Students from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) were groomed as future players in the Petroleum Industry. The best and brightest students were sent to Texas, America to study about Petroleum Technology. By early eighties, Malaysia had produced a few with doctorates in Petroleum.

At the early stage, Petronas did the oil exploration and production in joint venture with ESSO. A joint venture company was incorporated which was called ESSO Petronas Malaysia Incorporation (EPMI) and they did jointly oil production offshore Trengganu. By early eighties, under the then leadership of Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Petronas went international. By then they already had the expertise and experience to go it alone.

Presently Petronas is active in oil production in more than 20 countries – including in warzone South Sudan, Vietnam, Cambodia and few Arab countries to name a few. Few years back Petronas was also in a joint venture with Shell being awarded a concession by the new Iraqi Government to produce oil in one of the largest oil reserves in the world in Mosul, Iraq. And Brunei also gave Petronas 40-year rights to produce oil offshore Brunei namely in Block L and M beginning 2008.

In all places that Petronas has oil production activities, they employ only Malaysian staff.

For example, in South Sudan, they created a Malaysian village and were not in need of any foreign experts to assist them.

Petronas is already an international brand on par with ESSO, Shell, BP, TOTAL or any other international oil giants. They have even surpassed PERTAMINA of Indonesia although it was incorporated much earlier as to date PERTAMINA only operates in Indonesia.

Petronas also acts as a catalyst for business for Malaysians apart from providing employment.

Supply and services are done by fully Malaysian-owned companies. All the tanker ships that transport crude oil from Petronas-owned platforms to the refineries are also Malaysian-owned namely Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC), Scomi Berhad, Halim Mazmin Berhad and Dayang Berhad, a Sarawak Company which employs mostly Malaysian crew.

There are now thousands of petrol stations under the brand name Petronas in Malaysia which is mostly Bumiputra owned.

The stations also act as a mini supermarket and international brand restaurants namely McDonald, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Burger King.

Petronas brand petrol stations are also active in Thailand.

One of the biggest achievements of Petronas is also the creation of Petronas University in Perak, Malaysia whereby they teach and train young Malaysians about Petroleum Technology.

Now coming back to Brunei, we are left wondering when we can replace those foreign engineers with Bruneian engineers. When can Shell train enough Bruneian experts to take over from foreigners?

It is not enough sending Bruneian staff for attachment in foreign countries as it only helps them to earn more by getting more allowances but not learn more as basically they are doing the same as they did in Brunei.

Why not we ask Shell to sponsor and Brunei ask the Malaysian authority to allow Brunei students to study at Petronas University?

By doing so we will learn specifically about Petroleum Technology and hopefully we can produce many Bruneian engineers who are well versed in Petroleum Technology.

And we don’t really need to rely on those foreign engineers anymore.

In the same issue of Weekend Borneo Bulletin in Page 28 it was also reported that Shell and Ukraine inked a $10B shale gas deal.

Now since Shell has made some of their fortune in Brunei, why not we ask them to include us in this Ukraine deal, either in active participation or as shareholders?

Or better still, since we have given Petronas a 40-year rights to our oil reserve, why not Shell and Petronas include us in their joint venture to produce oil in Mosul, Iraq as a third partner?

Or better still from Petronas, how about including us in your activity in your new found oil reserves off Kota Kinabalu, Sabah?

I do hope that the Brunei Authority can look into this matter.

- Emzed, BSB

Dipetik dari - Borneo Bulletin

Brunei Darussalam: Looking local for human resources

WHILE Brunei Darussalam's Energy Department is pushing for full localisation of human resources in the oil and gas sector, firms say the transient nature of the industry and a lack of experienced locals make this a challenge.

In mid-October, Pehin Dato Yasmin Umar, the Minister of Energy, said recent directives aimed at ensuring Bruneian staff members comprise the majority of employees are an obligation, not a goal, for oil and gas firms.

"I cannot accept that some of the companies that have won contracts in Brunei and are worth more than $100 million still employ a workforce of only 11-20 per cent Bruneians," he told a local news website.

Under the "Guidelines for Directive 2 on Local Business Development Framework (LBD) for the Oil and Gas Industry", issued on February 1, companies would only be eligible to compete in industry tenders if at least 50 per cent of their workforce is Bruneian.

Localisation drives have seen some success in the past. In 2008, 73 per cent of the 4,379 staff employed by the oil and gas sector were Bruneians.

However, Pehin Yasmin noted in April that this had dropped to 50 per cent.

Industry leaders told OBG they face a number of issues, including limited numbers of suitably qualified technical people.

"The Energy Department's objectives regarding Bruneisation are absolutely right, and Bruneians deserve to be employed," Jason Hammond, the territory manager of Riyan Cameron, told OBG.

"Staying ahead of the curve is the objective we set ourselves, and it's a challenge to meet those increasing requirements. The sector has already started to feel the shakeup, and we know exactly where we need to be in the near future."

In October, the government told oil and gas players that those who do not comply with the LBD would not be awarded new contracts or extensions of contracts.

The Energy Department at the Prime Minister's Office has set a target of a 70 per cent increase in "local participation" over the next five years and to have 80 per cent of employment localised by 2035.

The department has stressed that the localisation policy is not anti-foreigner.

"This is not trying to be against them. All we are saying is, you've been winning the tenders, so it's only fair that we ask you to please do something about your local business development obligation," Pehin Yasmin said.

Some companies are beginning to find ways to comply.

While speaking with The Brunei Times in October, Jennifer Puk, a personnel manager at Amarco, a regional offshore marine contractor, said that her company has almost 80 per cent local staff.

"If it is possible, we are pushing for 100 per cent localisation within the next five years."

Brunei-based Amarco has launched apprenticeship programmes that will help the company evaluate suitable candidates, including a two-week orientation session, a six-month on-the-job (OTJ) training on a vessel and a two-year apprenticeship.

Tan Kah Wee, a control and automation engineer at Petrokon, a domestic oil and gas firm, said the company was placing local employees alongside experienced foreign employees for knowledge transfer.

"Our company provides a lot of training and we will send them for OTJ training and courses to gain more knowledge. We are really interested in local people and willing to train them," said Tan.

As the private sector pursues its own methods to achieve the government's targets, the education sector is also stepping up to the plate.

In February, the Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) will increase the ratio of local students in its civil engineering programme, as well as through its twinning arrangement on Petroleum and Chemical Engineering Articulation degree programmes carried out with Australia's University of New South Wales.

Dato Dr Hj Omar Hj Khalid, the former vice-chancellor of the ITB, told local media in August that the energy industry requires many mechanical and electrical engineering graduates, highlighting that mechanical engineers are in "great demand" among Bruneian industries.

However, a number of oil and gas employers have stressed that Bruneians who do not possess a degree but have a positive attitude toward working in the industry still have the opportunity to gain employment in the sector.

The government's efforts to localise human resources in the energy sector should produce Bruneians with highly valued expertise.

However, the authorities will also need to keep its diversification priorities in mind when designing training programmes to ensure that other sectors benefit from improved education offerings.

Dipetik dari - Oxford Business Group

Dismal productivity threatens Brunei's rich nation status

Debbie Too
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, November 23, 2012

IF PRODUCTIVITY in Brunei continues to decline, the Sultanate will no longer be among the top ten richest nations by 2023, the deputy minister at the Prime Minister's Office and chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board said yesterday.

According to Forbes Magazine, Brunei's per capita income in 2012 was $48,000, the fifth highest in the world and the second highest in Asia behind Singapore, which ranked third with a per capital income of about $56,700.

Dato Paduka Hj Ali Hj Apong (pic), who was speaking during the Brunei Business Forum yesterday at the Radisson Hotel, said Brunei's economy had been "growing at a relatively disappointing rate" compared to the country's ASEAN neighbours, averaging just 1.3 per cent per annum over the last 10 years.

The conference, which was organised by the AsiaInc Forum, carried the theme "Unlocking Productivity, Fuelling Growth".

Dato Paduka Hj Ali said the non-oil and gas sector in Brunei had grown by an average of 3.4 per cent per annum over the last decade.

"In fact, of the 30 richest countries in 2011, Brunei Darussalam had the lowest per capita income growth," Dato Paduka Hj Ali said, adding that since 1985 Brunei's per capita income had grown by just 45 per cent.

He said that if that sluggish growth rate were to continue, by 2035 Brunei would rank 19th in the world in terms of income per capita.

Dato Paduka Hj Ali said that economic productivity was a measure of a country's prosperity.

In 2011, labour productivity growth was just 1 per cent, compared to 11.1 per cent in 2010, he said.

The deputy minister pointed out that the Singaporean government in 2010 set an annual productivity growth target of two to three per cent up to 2020 and GDP growth of 60 per cent. "It will also invest $5.5 billion over the next five years to increase skills, expertise and innovative capabilities of workers and businesses," he said. The deputy minister also pointed out that despite having no natural resources, Singapore's per capita income had increased almost six- fold over the last 30 years.

Dato Paduka Hj Ali said the top three sectors in terms of labour productivity in Brunei were natural gas, crude petroleum and real estate, but pointed out that they had declined in terms of growth over the last decade.

He also referred to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's 65th birthday titah in which he called for greater investment in new technology and research and development.

"Knowledge creation is one of the key dimensions to productivity," the deputy minister said, adding that education must reflect the needs of the workplace.

The deputy minister said that better ICT infrastructure would further enhance productivity by boosting efficiency and cutting costs. One of the biggest projects in the 10th National Development Plan is the $230 million fibre-to-the-home broadband initiative. By 2017, FTTH coverage is expected reach 85 per cent.

"At this stage, suffice it to say that there is enough evidence to prove that one important component of sustainable economic growth is continuous productivity improvement," he said.

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times

Task Force For Reasonable Wage In Oil & Gas Sector

It's unethical to pay locals less compared to foreigners, says Pehin Yasmin

Bandar Seri Begawan - As part of efforts towards ensuring that workers in the oil and gas industry are protected and paid a fair and just salary a task force has been formed to set a reasonable wage for the oil and gas industry.

This was announced by the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister's Office, Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, in his keynote speech at the Brunei Shell Joint Venture Vendor Forum at the Bridex International Convention Centre yesterday.

Setting a backdrop for this announcement, he said, "Just last month, I had a table-to-table session with locals recruited after the December 2011 Job Fair. It is sad that most of them do not even know what their future training plans or career paths are.

"Touching on salary, there were complaints that locals are not being treated fairly compared to their non-local colleagues where, for example, some non-locals are given fuel allowances while none is given to the locals."

He said that this is especially significant for those commuting daily from other districts as their wages, which could be less that $300-$500 a month, are almost gone just to pay for fuel.

"The jobs that we offer must be able to attract locals. I welcome BSP's initiative of rig contracts that provide a more conducive environment for locals through change shift patterns to two weeks on shore and two weeks off shore and setting minimum wages for the rig crew."

On this, he said, a minimum wage should instead be a reasonable one to both the employers and employees.

"Towards setting a reasonable wage for the oil and gas industry, with the consent of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, a task force has been formed and is chaired by Haji Jamain Haji Julaihi, Permanent Secretary (Downstream & Power) at the Energy Department, the Prime Minister's Office, with the permanent secretaries from the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Home Affairs as members."

Speaking to the Borneo Bulletin in an interview on the sidelines of the forum, the minister explained that the task force has already been set up, and has already had its first meeting.

Its official name is "Task Force for Reasonable Wage in the Oil and Gas Industry", and the minister explained that it will look at what the reasonable wage is when it comes to, for example, a mechanic or technician entry."

This task force is aimed at protecting workers in the lower wage category, he said, adding that it does not apply for degree or HND holders for whom there is already a pay structure in place.

In his speech, Pehin Dato (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin shared that he has come across workers who are not being paid the amount that was stated in the contractors' contracts.

"This should not be the case. While the contract states that the worker in a category skill should receive $40, giving him less would be both unethical and dishonest. Where is your integrity as an employer here?

"I was made to understand that this situation in some cases arises, and I repeat in some cases only, due to commissions taken by manpower agencies engaged by the companies," he continued. "I am even told that these manpower agencies are a new growth area for Ali Babas."

He affirmed that this is not right at all, and urged the main operators not to turn a blind eye to this, stressing the need for everyone to be serious in tackling these "undesirable practices" or risk having all their efforts fall out of place.

"Please do not misunderstand me. I strongly believe in a merit system where pay must be linked to performance and productivity," he said. "To the local employees, do not think that just because you are locals you can demand a certain pay package.

"Please do not equate your remuneration package with those offered by the government," continued the minister, adding that the industry's package must be market driven. "Believe me, given the right environment, a market driven remuneration package would be much better and more satisfying than those offered by the government." ~ Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Dipetik dari - BruDirect.com

MoE initiatives aim to deploy 50,000 oil, gas workers by 2030

Fung Siew Mun
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Ministry of Education has embarked on a number of initiatives focusing on several key areas to ensure the country's education system can supply qualified workers to fill the 50,000 slated jobs in the oil and gas sector by 2030.

Education Minister Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Abu Bakar Hj Apong was quoted as saying this in an interview published in the Oxford Business Group's (OBG) 2011 country report for Brunei.

"One area is policy implementation. Our 21st Century National Education System (SPN 21) provides multiple access to higher education, placing significant emphasis on technical and vocational education," said the minister.

"Those whose strengths lie in industrial skills can follow the applied programme stream, which eventually will lead them to pursue higher education in technical and vocational fields," he said.

Another area is research and innovation where Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) had been focusing on, said the minister.

UBD initiated a number of courses and programmes in oil and gas, offering undergraduate and graduate programmes in Energy Studies and Petroleum Geosciences. Meanwhile, ITB's Faculty of Engineering offers two Bachelor of Engineering programmes.

"Plans are also being made to launch a Diploma in Process Engineering programme early next year," said the minister.

The enhancement of infrastructure and resources is the third area the ministry is focusing. Both UBD and ITB have expanded existing infrastructure to cater to programmes in engineering and research.

"Meeting the demand of 50,000 jobs by 2030 requires us to identify areas of specialisation and the required levels of education. Once these areas have been identified we can then incorporate them into our programmes," the minister said.

The Energy Department at Prime Minister's Office (EDPMO) is in the process of preparing the Energy Industry Competency Framework for Energy, Oil and Gas. The framework, expected to be completed by the end of 2012, is hoped to boost local skillforce in the sector, with the objective of creating 50,000 jobs by the year 2035.

Energy Minister Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia Hj Mohammad Yasmin Hj Umar was previously reported as saying "the framework will enable provision of programmes to prospective workforce who can fulfill the competency requirements of the jobs offered and the right training to jobseekers so that they can enter the oil and gas industry once they completed training".

The Energy minister also said initiatives had been taken to conduct research on the steps that need to be taken by higher academic institutions whether they are able to provide courses and training schemes that are needed by the energy industry.

In another report, the Energy minister also said that there will be continous demand for jobs in the oil and gas industry.

The Energy Minister said new downstream projects, such as the oil and petrochemical refinery plants in Pulau Muara Besar and the Sungai Liang Industrial Park (SPARK) will open up new employment opportunities to locals.

Increase in exploration and development activities to extract crude oil and gas in existing and new areas in the upstream sector would promise more spin-off activities like shipping, supplying and catering as well, creating employment opportunities.

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times

Sasaran 1,600 orang

Yang Berhormat Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohammad Yasmin
menyampaikan ucapan beliau di majlis berkenaan

Oleh Sim Y. H. dan Ak Fairol RMF

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 7 Okt - Menteri Tenaga di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Dato Seri Setia Kolonel (B) (Dr) Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar hari ini mengumumkan sasaran baru bagi pengambilan pekerja tempatan dalam industri minyak dan gas tahun depan iaitu seramai 1,600 orang.

Beliau yakin sasaran tersebut boleh dicapai berdasarkan prestasi pada tahun ini sangat menggalakkan di mana sasaran pengambilan seramai 1,000 pekerja tempatan bagi industri itu sudah pun dicapai, yakni dua bulan lebih awal.

Menurut perangkaan terkini, seramai 1,302 orang pekerja tempatan baru telah diambil bekerja dalam industri perkhidmatan minyak dan gas di mana jumlah itu telah melepasi sasaran Jabatan Tenaga di Jabatan Perdana Menteri sepanjang 2012 dalam industri tempatan.

Yang Berhormat Pehin berkata, pencapaian itu bukannya kecil tetapi merupakan satu mercu tanda yang penting di mana masih lagi terdapat 2 bulan setengah sebelum berakhir 2012 dan dipercayai jumlah pekerjaan berkenaan akan menunjukkan perkembangan yang positif.

"Dari jumlah 1,302 pekerja tempatan yang baru yang diambil bekerja, 53 orang adalah lepasan ijazah Sarjana, 111 orang adalah lepasan ijazah pertama, 107 orang adalah lepasan diploma kebangsaan tinggi manakala itu 1031 orang pula adalah mereka yang mempunyai kelulusan PMB, O-levels, A-Levels, OND, sijil teknikal dan lain-lain lagi," jelas beliau semasa berucap di Perasmian Pesta Kerjaya 2012 Sektor Perkhidmatan Minyak dan Gas yang berlangsung di Dewan Pameran 2, BRIDEX, Jerudong, hari ini.

Yang Berhormat Pehin juga menyatakan bahawa beliau yakin bahawa peluang pekerjaan bagi pekerja tempatan di dalam industri minyak dan gas pada 2013 adalah lebih cerah.

Beliau berkata jumlah itu adalah angka yang diberikan kepada Jabatan Tenaga oleh 47 buah dari jumlah 70 buah syarikat minyak dan gas yang menyertai pesta kerjaya pada 2011.

"Saya difahamkan bahawa kita mempunyai sedikit masalah untuk mendapatkan input dari 23 buah syarikat yang lain. Saya menyeru kepada mereka yang berkenaan untuk bekerjasama dengan kami berhubung perkara ini.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohammad Yasmin seterusnya berkata bahawa pada masa ini, terdapat sebanyak 270 syarikat-syarikat yang mempunyai hubungan dengan industri minyak dan gas yang berdaftar dengan Jabatan Tenaga di Jabatan Perdana Menteri.

Katanya, syarikat-syarikat berkenaan adalah dikehendaki untuk memberikan maklumat yang tertentu kepada jabatannya dalam tempoh yang ditetapkan termasuk jumlah pekerja tempatan yang bekerja dengan syarikat berkenaan.

"Maklumat itu adalah amat penting untuk membolehkan jabatannya memantau perkembangan Pembangunan Perniagaan Tempatan (LBD) di Brunei," ujarnya.

Mengulas mengenai pencapaian sasaran jumlah pekerja tempatan itu, Yang Berhormat Pehin menyatakan bahawa mencapai sasaran itu adalah amat penting kerana ia menunjukkan bahawa industri berkenaan masih mampu untuk mengambil lebih banyak pekerja tempatan; pekerja tempatan tidak lagi memilih pekerjaan seperti anggapan ramai; menunjukkan trend positif bagi pekerja tempatan serta juga menunjukkan sokongan yang padu dari semua syarikat dalam industri berkenaan.

Namun begitu, mencapai sasaran adalah satu perkara tetapi yang lebih penting ialah mereka diambil bekerja dalam pekerjaan sebenar, ujar beliau lagi.

"Pekerjaan sebenar bererti kerja sebenar, iaitu satu pekerja yang membolehkan pekerja mampu untuk menyediakan sekurang-kurangnya untuk dirinya sendiri kualiti kehidupan yang munasabah.

"Kami tidak mahu melihat seseorang itu diambil bekerja untuk hanya tiga bulan dan selepas itu mereka akan kembali memasuki pasaran pekerjaan. Oleh sebab itulah saya telah mengambil banyak masa untuk melawat ke syarikat-syarikat untuk melihat sendiri, realiti situasi pekerjaan di setiap syarikat yang saya lawati. Saya berikrar pada diri saya sendiri bahawa saya akan melawat lebih dari 100 buah syarikat di sehingga penghujung tahun ini."

Yang Berhormat Pehin menerangkan bahawa menerusi lawatan berkenaan, beliau dapat melihat sendiri status pekerjaan dan menyediakan peluang bagi pekerja dan majikan untuk memberikan maklumat kepadanya.

Beliau juga menggalakkan pegawai-pegawai kanannya termasuk Setiausaha-setiausaha Tetap untuk melakukan perkara yang sama untuk bertemu dengan pekerja dan majikan dalam industri berkenaan.

"Kita memerlukan maklumat yang sebenar dan merasai apa yang sebenarnya berlaku, supaya kita dapat menimbang dan menyediakan inisiatif-inisiatif pembangunan perniagaan tempatan tambahan, jika dan bila diperlukan.

"Saya tidak mahu melihat angka dan fakta yang cantik yang disediakan dalam brosur-brosur oleh syarikat-syarikat mengenai jumlah pekerja mereka dan perisian tempatan yang lain, di mana realitinya perkara itu adalah jauh dari yang benar."

Mengulas mengenai contoh kejayaan dalam membangunkan sumber tenaga manusia tempatan, Yang Berhormat Pehin berkata bahawa Brunei Gas Carriers Sdn Bhd (BGC) merupakan contoh baik di mana warga Brunei menunjukkan bahawa mereka mampu untuk menyahut cabaran bekerja di kapal-kapal yang belayar ke luar negara.

Pada masa ini, BGC mempunyai lebih dari 270 orang pegawai dan kru tempatan di mana kesemua kru junior adalah warga tempatan dan baru-baru ini terdapat juga warga tempatan yang mencapai pangkat Ketua Pegawai dan Jurutera Kedua yang merupakan satu langkah untuk mencapai pangkat Kapten dan Ketua Jurutera.

Beliau berharap di masa akan datang, melihat kapal-kapal LNG Brunei dikendalikan dan dikemudikan oleh kru yang kesemuanya terdiri dari warga tempatan.

Dipetik dari - Media Permata

'Time to change mindset about domestic workforce'

Fung Siew Mun
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

EMPLOYERS should overcome the stigma regarding the reliability of local workforce by giving it an opportunity to prove its worth.

Most of the employers and employment agencies interviewed by The Brunei Times yesterday have been very supportive of hiring the locals. However, they added a caveat that the domestic workforce which suffers from "bad image" has to work hard to uplift its image.

One employer, who wants to remain anonymous, supports hiring locals, despite having his share of some errant workers.

"Local employers have to change their mindset about the "bad image" about the local workforce. They have to come around, help the locals and give them an opportunity. Guide the locals," said the employer in a telephone interview.

Sharing his experience, he said he once employed about 100 locals but was only left with five within a couple weeks.

"If you are talking about bad experience, I had one of the worst. But today, I am still supporting because it is my duty as an employer to give them an opportunity to work," he said.

Locals need to be motivated. We have to encourge and support them. In the long run, they will stay with the local companies."

"And also, we save on rental, lodging, air ticket and transportation needed for foreign workers," he said. While the employer admitted that foreign workers are necessary as well, he said locals can work hand-in-hand with their foreigner counterparts.

"Let the locals work with the foreign workers and learn from them," he said.

He recommended that a minimum wage be introduced in order to help locals cope with the high cost of living.

In a bid to boost domestic job market, the Local Employment and Workforce Development Agency (APTK) had reduced the foreign quota of some companies.

The employer welcomed the move and said such an action will compel companies to hire local workforce. He said he was a supporter of the Ministry of Home Affairs training and employment (SLP) scheme which was implemented last year.

The SLP is aimed at providing locals with suitable job skill and experience, making them employable in the private sector as well as for employers to be less reliant on foreign workers.

In order to prevent locals from abusing the opportunities given to them, the employer said: "Job seekers should also be blacklisted if they waste opportunities given to them, not working well and stop working after a few days or week into employment."

"It is a win-win situation for employers, APTK and employees as employers also spend money and resources to train them."

According to Ursula Grom of Alliance employment agency, employers are generally in favour of hiring locals.

"If there is an opportunity to hire locals, they would pretty much do so. You do not need to provide housing facilities, food supplies and so on," said Grom.

However, the sourcing of locals poses a problem for the employment agency as concerted efforts to recruit them have not yielded desired results.

"We had advertised in print and online media, and were surprised to receive only few applications, of which most did not meet the stated requirements," she said.

On the move APTK had taken to penalised companies for not hiring locals, Grom lauded the move.

"I fully agree with the penalty on companies who are not making an effort to employ local staff plus Bruneians with the required qualification should be given a priority," she said.

"After all, the government provides the necessary infrastructure for companies to operate in a smooth manner."

"Only if the companies are able to provide proof of unsuccessfully trying to hire local staff with the help of APTK and proactive advertisement, then they should be allowed to hire from abroad," said Grom.


Another employment agency said the move by APTK was "good to reduce unemployment".

"Otherwise, employers would still use foreign workers where some positions can be replaced by locals," said the representative who wished anonymity.

As an agency that supplied only foreign workers currently, the representative said the agency plans to train more locals in the future.

On the other hand, a representative from a departmental store, who preferred anonymity, said it was not easy to source locals especially in his line of work which requires long hours.

"Less and less people are working with us due to the long hours. Most want to work with office hours. But it is not practical because night and weekends are usually the busiest time for us," he said.

As for locals who resigned without notice or did not turn up, the representative said the department store had no choice particularly as locals "can leave whenever they want."

However, he expressed his support for APTK initiative to provide opportunities for locals and shared that the departmental store took part in the SLP schemer.

Through the scheme, the departmental store source for their local staff and the representative said they will "accommodate with the government requirement as they also wished to find skilled local staff."

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times

Buku Tahunan Minyak dan Gas 2012 dilancar

Oleh Mohamad Asyramisyanie

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 17 Julai - "Apa yang perlu kita buat sekarang adalah memastikan setiap langkah mempersiapkan negara untuk masa hadapan termasuk dalam latihan kepada industri, putaran peningkatan dan pembangunan perusahaan kecil dan sederhana kepada standard antarabangsa serta mempunyai program penyelidikan dan pembangunannya."

Perkara ini ditegaskan oleh Menteri tenaga di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Kolonel (B) Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad Yasmin Haji Umar di majlis pelancaran Buku Tahunan Minyak dan Gas 2012 dan pelancaran laman web rasmi Jabatan Tenaga, yang berlangsung di Jerudong Park Polo Club, hari ini.

Beliau turut menegaskan setiap kerja perlu dibuat berasaskan kepada prinsip di peringkat pengusaha dan perlu juga bersifat lut sinar.

"Tenaga negara ini merangkumi 60 peratus KDNK negara dan 90 peratus eksport negara dan salah satu tumpuan dalam penerbitan buku itu adalah isu dan hasil perbincangan industri minyak dan gas Brunei," ujar beliau.

Menurut Yang Berhormat Pehin, buku itu menyentuh mengenai potensi gas asli cair Brunei melalui pandangan analitis termasuk cabaran Hidrokarbon Brunei Darussalam serta fokus kepada peranan perbankan dan perkhidmatan kewangan dalam pelaburan, kepentingan kejuruteraan dan aktiviti Infrastruktur.

"Saya percaya daripada penerbitan buku ini, ia akan mampu menunjukkan potensi menarik minat pelabur dan rakan kongsi melalui aktiviti yang dibuat sekali gus mempromosikan pembangunan di masa akan datang negara ini terutama dalam industri ini," tambahnya lagi.

Buku berkenaan juga memberikan gambaran tentang wajah industri minyak dan gas domestik tahun 2012 serta peranan kerajaan serta pihak yang berkepentingan dalam Industri Minyak dan Gas negara ini.

Yang Berhormat Pehin seterusnya menegaskan: "Kita berhasrat untuk memberikan gambaran kepada dunia mengenai kejayaan kita, serta peluang terbaik untuk membuka mata pelabur asing kepada potensi Brunei selain mempromosikan destinasi pelaburan yang selamat dan stabil dari aspek ekonomi dan politik Brunei Darussalam."

Apabila mengulas mengenai pelancaran laman web Jabatan Tenaga Jabatan Perdana Menteri, beliau menegaskan ia berperanan sebagai pembantu daripada pusat kebangsaan e-Kerajaan yang dihasratkan menjadi pusat perhentian informasi kepada industri minyak dan gas tempatan.

"Brunei Darussalam giat mencari bakat profesional tempatan yang mahir untuk menggerakkan industri minyak dan gas negara ini, selain itu pembangunan perdagangan menjadi isu kedua tahun ini selain rangka kerja daya saing kini dalam peringkat terakhir bagi penglibatan anak tempatan dalam industri ini," jelas Yang Berhormat Pehin.

Beliau juga menegaskan satu sasaran besar dibuat untuk perniagaan tempatan termasuk juga peluang pekerjaan.

"Tahun lalu kita menyasarkan 1,000 tempat kosong dalam pekerjaan industri ini dan tahun ini 760 telah berjaya diisikan dan ia merupakan pencapaian yang sangat baik.

"Justeru, industri perlu melihat kepada skim bagi graduan yang sedang mencari pekerjaan dalam bidang minyak dan gas yang antaranya membuktikan kerjasama erat penggerak industri bersama kerajaan yang akan mampu menganjakkan paradigma kita," tambahnya

Selain itu Yang Berhormat Pehin turut menekankan keperluan bagi perubahan mentaliti dan set minda anak tempatan untuk mengisikan kekosongan jawatan yang diperlukan dalam industri minyak dan gas ini.

Buku yang dilancarkan itu adalah hasil kerjasama Jabatan tenaga Jabatan Perdana Menteri bersama Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam diterbitkan Wildcat International yang menyaksikan kehadiran Bekas Pengarah Eksekutif Upstream International bagi Shell Diraja Belanda, Malcolm Brinded dan juga Naib Presiden Asia tenggara bagi Murphy Oil, Eric Hambley.

Dipetik dari - Media Permata Online

Non-compliant firms to lose out

Fitri Shahminan and Rachel Thien
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Energy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office has reiterated that the Energy Department at the Prime Minister's Office (EDPMO) is not interested to "look after" oil and gas industry players who fail to comply with either of the two Local Business Development (LBD) directives.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Mohammad Yasmin Hj Umar had, last week, warned oil and gas companies that failure to comply with the LBD Directives No 1 and No 2 would result in them losing their eligibility to contract renewals or extensions.

Of the two directives, the first is for Local Business Development, while the second is the Local Business Development Framework for the oil and gas industry.

In an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday, he lamented some instances where companies fail to provide information required by the EDPMO regarding LBD Directive No 2.

"Local companies must be transparent (in providing information)," he stressed. Pehin Dato Hj Mohd Yasmin said that all taxes due to the government must be paid and that the workforce of the companies are looked after. "How can you have a workforce without TAP (Employees Trust Fund's)," he exclaimed, before adding that it is now a criteria in awarding a tender.

"Is this the sort of things we want to happen in our country, (where) the workers are not protected. Is this the sort of things we want?"

He also said firmly that the purpose of doing business in Brunei is not solely for profit, and that companies should abide by the law and strive for business with integrity.

The minister hinted some international firms that are falling out of favour might not even get a second chance.

"We already said, comply with directives 1 and 2, then only you can have business with us. You don't comply, you don't have business with us."

The minister stressed that these companies, "who reap profit from Brunei", are also not retaining a lot of the money in Brunei.

"Why should we look after these people? Give me a good reason why should we look after these people," YB Pehin Dato Hj Mohd Yasmin said sternly.

These companies should not be protected as Brunei's Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are struggling, he said, adding that there should be more focus on local SMEs and companies.

"We should be more focused on trying to give them incentives."

The energy minister also stressed that the initiatives carried out by the government, such as establishing a level playing field, stamping out corruption is integral to the country's drive for diversification.

"All we're trying to do right from the beginning, a level playing field, a system that is full of integrity... is that too much to ask?"

"We want to move on where we are, we have to be serious in terms of our commitment to diversify our economy to heed the call of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam," he said, adding that otherwise there would be no development in the sector, and that each year will see the same company bidding for all the major projects.

The minister then expressed his optimism with the presence of capable Bruneian companies.

"They are some good Bruneian companies, I have no doubt. And some of these companies had already been outside Brunei. I take this opportunity to congratulate these people, I'm happy with what they're trying to do but we need to develop more Bruneian companies," he said.

YB Pehin Dato Hj Mohd Yasmin also reminded local companies to be more transparent in giving out information required by EDPMO and to improve their communication with the department.

"Everytime we ask them on (their) commitment to taxes and their TAP system, you know some of them (would) have difficulties to reply," he said.

The minister called on SMEs to be more pro-active in this regard, highlighting that the EDPMO have established an office to cater towards local business development.

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times

400 locals secure jobs in energy sector

Ubaidillah Masli
BRUNEI-MUARA
Monday, April 30, 2012

OVER 400 locals have secured employment in the oil and gas industry following the two job fairs the Energy Department at the Prime Minister's Office (EDPMO) has organised to meet a year-end target of recruiting 1,000 jobseekers into an industry dominated by foreign workers.

This result, however, was recorded despite half of the companies that participated in the first fair late last year having yet to relay back to the government on the success of their recruitment drives.

At a launching of a website on Local Business and Employment Development (LBED) on Wednesday last week, it was disclosed that "about 414 locals have secured jobs with the various service companies" that participated in the first Oil and Gas Job Fair in December 2011.

"You have done a service to Brunei and also to the individuals who can earn a living for themselves," said EDPMO Permanent Secretary (Downstream and Power) Hj Jamain Hj Julaihi on behalf of energy minister Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Mohd Yasmin Hj Umar.

"...I have stated that the target is to achieve 1,000 jobs by end of this year and I am confident that with your continuous support, there is no reason why we cannot achieve this together," he added.

While praising the companies that have complied with the EDPMO's initiatives on one end, the energy minister also warned those that did not, building on criticisms he has made in recent times on the composition of local to foreign workers employed in the industry.

"Despite our (EDPMO's) efforts to contact the service companies several times, it is a disappointment that from the over 70 companies that had participated in the job fair, to date, only about 35 companies have reverted back on the status of their recruitment drives, while the rest have not made any submission, even if just to inform that there was no recruitment made so far."

Pehin Dato Hj Mohd Yasmin questioned whether this was because some companies were "not bothered" to do so.

"If you are the latter, I want to remind you that this is not acceptable, and EDPMO will continue to monitor and take appropriate actions where deemed necessary."

The EDPMO is pushing to produce 5,000 professional and 35 skilled and semi-skilled Bruneian workers for the energy sector, with a target of 80 per cent local employment by the time the country realises its national Vision 2035.

Companies in the industry currently have around 20 to 40 per cent of the workforce Bruneians, the energy minister said in a previous interview before the Local Business Development (LBD) Framework in the industry regulator's "Directive No 2" was introduced.

The directive, issued in February, makes it mandatory for businesses to have at least half of their employees who are Bruneians if they want to compete in an industry tender. A target of a 70 per cent increase in "local participation" has been set over five years.

On Saturday, the minister called on the private sector to establish a local training facility for the shipping industry.

Seafarers were currently trained abroad, said the minister, adding that "it is about time that we have a shipping training institution of our own".

The proposed training facility should be run and owned by the private sector and not by government-linked companies, he said during a signing ceremony for a new LNG vessel for the 80-per cent government-owned Brunei Gas Carriers Sdn Bhd (BGC) on Saturday.

"It must be managed as a commercial body, applying internationally-recognised standards for the shipping industry.

"What we want is to produce Brunei seafarers of qualities that are able to meet not just the local shipping requirements but (are) also marketable globally.

YB Pehin Dato Hj Mohd Yasmin said that as the country expects greater activity, particularly offshore, in the oil and gas sector, more support and supply vessels would be needed.

"Add to this, the demand from the other FDI (foreign direct investment) projects currently in line for implementation, ie in exporting their products; the demand for local ships and seafarers will also increase," he said.

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times

Warga asing masih kuasai sektor minyak dan gas negara

Oleh Sim Y. H.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 4 Mac - Menurut peratusan terkini bagi pekerja-pekerja yang berkhidmat dalam Industri Minyak dan Gas Negara bagi 2012, di antara 30 hingga 40 peratus dari jumlah pekerja keseluruhan adalah warganegara dan penduduk tetap Negara Brunei Darussalam dan selebihnya adalah warganegara asing.

Pekerja-pekerja warganegara luar yang berkhidmat dalam industri minyak dan gas itu adalah dari peringkat buruh kasar sehingga ke tahap profesional.

Peratusan warga tempatan yang bertugas di sektor berkenaan adalah tidak menyenangkan kerana industri minyak dan gas sudah bertapak di Brunei selama lebih 80 tahun dan peratusan pekerja warga tempatan masih lagi tidak mencecah dan melebihi 50 peratus.

Perkara itu disuarakan oleh Menteri Tenaga di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Kolonel (B) Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar ketika menjawab persoalan mengenai jumlah pekerja tempatan dan usaha untuk meningkatkan jumlah pekerja tempatan di Industri Minyak dan Gas semasa Permesyuaratan Majlis Mesyuarat Negara, hari ini.

"Keadaan ini bukanlah satu perkara yang menyenangkan atau membanggakan. Berbagai-bagai sebab telah diberikan bagi keadaan ini tetapi yang jelas ianya tidak memuaskan dan perlu ditangani dengan sebaik-baiknya."

Yang Berhormat Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohammad Yasmin menyatakan demikian ketika menjawab persoalan yang dikemukakan oleh Ahli Majlis Mesyuarat Negara, Yang Berhormat Datin Paduka Hajah Salbiah binti Haji Sulaiman.

Beliau seterusnya berkata bahawa Jabatannya telah mengenal pasti beberapa inisiatif-inisiatif yang difikirkan perlu untuk menangani isu berkenaan bagi menarik minat para majikan untuk mengambil berkhidmat rakyat dan penduduk Brunei di mana mereka perlu dilengkapkan dengan kelulusan dan kemahiran yang diperlukan.

Di antara inisiatif yang dikenal pasti adalah mengadakan kerjasama dengan institusi pengajian tinggi, sekolah-sekolah teknikal dan vokasional dalam menyelaraskan kurikulum bagi kursus yang ditawarkan supaya ia selaras dengan keperluan dalam bidang kepakaran yang dikehendaki di dalam industri minyak dan gas.

Sehubungan itu, satu rangka kerja kompetensi tenaga sedang dilaksanakan oleh Jabatan Tenaga dengan melibatkan kementerian-kementerian dan jabatan-jabatan seperti Kementerian Pendidikan dan pihak swasta.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohammad Yasmin berkata, "Objektif utama rangka kerja bagi kompetensi ini adalah bagi membolehkan adanya penyediaan program-program khusus dan latihan-latihan yang mampu memenuhi keperluan industri.

Ini akan memudahkan lagi lepasan-lepasan peserta kursus dan latihan memperoleh pekerjaan dan bagi para majikan pula bagi memperoleh tenaga kerja yang mempunyai kemahiran yang diperlukan. Framework ini dijangka akan siap pada hujung tahun ini."

Sementara itu menyentuh mengenai dengan penubuhan Pusat Latihan Minyak dan Gas Swasta, Yang Berhormat Pehin menjelaskan bahawa jabatannya telah mengambil inisiatif untuk menjemput institusi-institusi luar negara yang terkenal sebagai pemimpin dalam penyediaan kemudahan-kemudahan pendidikan dan latihan di bidang kejuruteraan dan teknologi seperti Institut of Technical Education, Singapore, Robert Gordon University, United Kingdom, bagi menjalankan kajian untuk mengenal pasti cara untuk mengurangkan jurang di antara kursus-kursus yang ada di Brunei dengan keperluan industri minyak dan gas.

Beliau menerangkan lagi bahawa hasil daripada kajian awal, beberapa cadangan telah diterima termasuk membuka sebuah institut teknikal yang khususnya bagi mengeluarkan tenaga kerja yang mahir dalam bidang kejuruteraan teknologi yang bersesuaian dengan keperluan industri minyak dan gas melalui Public-Private Partnership.

Jabatan Tenaga dengan kerjasama jabatan-jabatan kerajaan dan institusi pendidikan serta pihak swasta juga telah mengadakan Karnival Kerjaya Minyak dan Gas dan Jerayawara yang memberikan peluang kepada mereka yang sedang mencari pekerjaan serta untuk mengetahui peluang-peluang yang ada dalam industri minyak dan gas termasuk di dalam sektor perkhidmatan.

Di samping itu, ia juga memberikan peluang untuk memaklumkan kepada penuntut-penuntut dan ibu bapa mengenai dengan prospek pekerjaan dalam industri berkenaan serta kelulusan-kelulusan yang dikehendaki.

Bagi tujuan itu, Jabatan Tenaga telah mengaturkan program-program seperti Karnival Kerjaya Minyak dan Gas sekurang-kurangnya sekali setahun di mana daripada hasil Karnival Kerjaya (Job Fair 2011) yang diadakan pada Disember 2011 lalu, lebih 5 ribu CV telah diterima di mana 60 telah diambil bekerja dan 300 masih dalam pertimbangan dengan sasaran bagi 2012 adalah untuk mengambil pekerjaan 1,000 orang.

Jerayawara Minyak dan Gas ke Sekolah-Sekolah akan diadakan sebanyak 3 kali setahun dengan jerayawara pertama diadakan pada 29 Februari hingga 1 Mac lalu bagi Sekolah-Sekolah Rendah di Daerah Tutong dan Belait. Perancangan seterusnya ialah untuk mengadakan jerayawara serupa pada Mac dan April 2012.

Jabatan Tenaga juga memberikan sokongan sepenuhnya kepada skim-skim pembangunan sumber tenaga manusia yang dilaksanakan di bawah Jabatan Perancangan dan Kemajuan Ekonomi (JPKE), di mana tiga skim di bawah Dana Sumber Tenaga Manusia telah diperkenankan iaitu Skim Latihan Pekerjaan di mana semasa mengikut Latihan Sambil Bekerja (On Job Training) para peserta akan dibayar gaji 60 peratus oleh pihak kerajaan dan 40 peratus oleh pihak majikan, selepas tamat latihan itu, jika kalau peserta masih bekerja selepas setahun insentif dalam bentuk kewangan akan diberikan.

Skim pembangunan keupayaan sumber tenaga di sektor swasta di mana skim memberi peluang kepada individu di dalam sektor swasta untuk memohon bantuan kewangan bagi melanjutkan pengajian mereka ke peringkat yang lebih tinggi.

Manakala itu Skim Biasiswa dalam negeri bagi pendidikan teknikal dan vokasional di institut pengajian swasta pula menumpukan perhatian kepada penuntut-penuntut lepasan O dan A Level di mana pihak kerajaan akan membiayai pengajian di institusi swasta di dalam negeri seperti di peringkat diploma kebangsaan.

"Jabatan Tenaga juga terus memberikan tekanan kepada syarikat-syarikat yang memberikan perkhidmatan kepada syarikat-syarikat minyak dan gas utama di negara ini bagi memberikan keutamaan kepada pengambilan rakyat dan penduduk di negara ini bagi bekerja di syarikat-syarikat mereka."

"Baru-baru ini, Jabatan Tenaga telah mengeluarkan satu arahan yang berkaitan dengan Pembangunan Perniagaan Tempatan di mana di antara lain memerlukan syarikat-syarikat perkhidmatan berkenaan untuk mempunyai rancangan-rancangan pengambilan kakitangan dari kalangan rakyat dan penduduk tempatan dengan terutama sekali kepada peratus dan kedua dalam tempoh yang ditetapkan jika kalau mereka ingin terus memperoleh kontrak atau ikut serta di dalam tendering proses di masa hadapan."

Yang Berhormat Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohammad Yasmin juga telah menyatakan bahawa Sektor Minyak dan Gas selain dari sektor kerajaan merupakan sektor yang banyak menyediakan peluang pekerjaan bagi rakyat dan penduduk Brunei di mana mengikut sasaran Kertas Putih Tenaga yang sedang dilaksanakan menjelang 2035, sebanyak 50 ribu peluang pekerjaan dalam industri minyak dan gas akan disediakan di mana 40 ribu peluang pekerjaan akan diisikan oleh anak-anak tempatan termasuk 5 ribu di dalam kalangan profesional.

Dipetik dari - Media Permata Online

Unemployment: Major challenge

Labor Minister Adel Fakeih, speaking this week to the Sixth Global Competitiveness Forum in Riyadh, has said that the Kingdom must create three million new jobs in the next three years.

He also said that a further three million have to be created by the year 2030.

Despite initial appearances, there is, in fact, no contradiction in these two sets of figures. The stark reality is that for all the talk and hopes over the past decade about implementing Saudization — handing over jobs currently held by expatriates to Saudis — it has not worked. As a result, Saudi Arabia has been unable to deliver work to the growing army of young Saudis entering the employment market over that period of time. Consequently, there is a substantial and worrying amount of young unemployed. Simply addressing the existing challenge, not to mention the additional number of youngsters looking for work between now and 2015, will require the creation of a massive number of job opportunities. Then, on top of that, there will be the millions more coming onto the market between 2015 and 2030.

Nonetheless, the numbers quoted by the minister are dramatic. In the past, a figure of some 400,000 new jobs needed each year has been mentioned. That was challenging enough. To find no less than one million every year for the next three years seems a Herculean task. In an economy the size of China or the US, with their skills and massive markets, it would be difficult enough. In normal circumstances, then, there would be every reason for pessimism in the Kingdom.

After all, the barriers to achieving the goal of rapid mass employment are well understood. As said, Saudization, with its requirement that a flat 30 percent of all employees in an organization should be Saudi citizens has been all too often honored in the breach. There are still eight million expatriate workers in the Kingdom, many of whom are doing jobs which could be taken by Saudis.

That has to be the key. Painful though the prospect of Saudization is to those foreigners who have jobs here, it is the only means of meeting the target of mass employment fast.

For once, it seems to be working. The Nitaqat Program, launched last fall, has given teeth to the drive for Saudi jobs for Saudi people.

Part of the strength of Nitaqat lies in its flexibility. The minimum proportion of jobs in businesses that should go to Saudi citizens varies according to sector. Thus for instance, the figure is six percent in construction, through more than 19 percent in the media to 49 percent in banking.

In saying that three million jobs are needed by 2015, Fakeih has, moreover, taken up the challenge of finding jobs not just for Saudi men but for Saudi women as well. In fact, he made that quite clear with his announcement that 50 new job centers are to be set up for women.

This matters because the rising cost of living means that, increasingly, Saudi families cannot live on the husband's salary alone. When it averages SR2,800 a month - even college graduates earn little more than SR 8,000 a month — Saudi wives need to be income earners as well. As some Saudi figures have noted in recent years, the most sought-after potential wife in the country is one with a job!

But it is not just jobs, but decently-paid jobs — for both sexes — that are necessary. Fakeih's demand is that not only a percentage of jobs go to Saudis but also a percentage of salary budgets go some way to meeting this aim, but women have to be included in it as well. As it is, so far they represent a minimal percentage of the Saudi workforce; there is clearly a long way to go to substantially increasing their numbers. But we should not forget those women already in the workforce, the vast majority being schoolteachers. They too have to be given a decent salary.

The final challenge is to qualify young Saudis for the workplace. While there are very many well-educated graduates unable to find work, it is clear that there are also too many youngsters with more modest aspirations, who lack the necessary vocational training to grasp work opportunities. While firms themselves can go some way with on-the-job training, it is now accepted that vocational training colleges also need to up their game.

The argument that the SR2,000-a-month unemployment benefit for 750,000 Saudis who have no work is a disincentive is plain wrong. It is a perfectly proper safety net which lasts only 12 months. Those who benefit are also given a wide range of support to find work ranging from writing CVs to basic training and job matching. We also now have an Internet-based "Virtual Labor Market" for the computer-savvy younger generation.

Yet the labor challenges facing the Kingdom remain formidable. They will only be overcome by the determination of government, business, educators — and jobless youngsters themselves — to embrace the Saudization process and create and seize the opportunities that are out there.

Dipetik dari - Arab News

50% local staff must for firms competing for oil & gas tenders

Ubaidillah Masli
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, December 14, 2011

New directive next year to boost jobs for Bruneians

A NEW directive to be introduced next year will stipulate, as a pre-requisite for all companies competing for a tender in the oil and gas industry, to have at least half of their employees Bruneians, the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister's Office said yesterday.

Dubbed the Local Business Development (LBD) framework, the move to be launched "early next year" is aimed at boosting the employment of Bruneians in an industry largely dominated by "guest workers".

"They have to show that they are serious about employing Bruneians," Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia Hj Mohd Yasmin Hj Umar said. "If you don't have 50 per cent (Bruneians under your employment), you cannot apply for the tender," the minister told The Brunei Times yesterday.

The framework will also call for greater transparency in the conditions of employment of locals, "like fixed wages for example", he added.

The 50 per cent quota, meanwhile, will be increased to 70 per cent over a period of five years, the minister said.

At present, such a quota was not a requirement with Pehin Dato Hj Mohd Yasmin citing some companies employing 40 per cent, or as low as 20 per cent Bruneians in the marine-based sectors.

The initiative was in line with the target to achieve 80 per cent local employment, or 5,000 professional and 35,000 skilled and semi-skilled Bruneian workers in the energy sector by 2035. The sector currently offers roughly 15,000 posts, with about 40 per cent filled by local employees and the remaining jobs to foreign nationals or as he referred to as "guest workers".

The energy minister opened yesterday a jobs fair aimed at facilitating the recruitment of more than 1,000 locals in the sector, also mentioned the introduction of another initiative that will "level the playing field" for companies and which will tie in with the LBD framework.

"We are introducing a new regulatory framework that will create a more conducive environment for local companies to be more genuinely involved in the oil and gas sector and to motivate them to employ more Bruneians," the minister said in his remarks.

The framework will distinguish companies according to their level of capacity, restricting "high value" vendors from competing for tenders below their capacity, thus giving greater opportunities to small and medium enterprises to compete.

"There should not be any monopoly," Pehin Dato Hj Mohd Yasmin said.

"We do not want companies that are doing high tech but then are also doing catering, cleaning office or car wash, for example."

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times

Pembangunan Perniagaan Tempatan vs ALI BABA

SATU TEGURAN berani oleh Pehin Datu Singamanteri!
Bukankah amalan ini dimulai dan disuburkan oleh kalangan yang ada kuasa dan pengaruh? Sila ikuti berita berikut.

'Jangan hanya jadi Ali Baba'
Oleh Sim Y. H.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 28 Okt - Sebuah syarikat tempatan bukannya hanya bermaksud sebuah syarikat yang dimiliki oleh warga tempatan tetapi juga adalah sebuah syarikat yang dijalankan secara aktif oleh pemiliknya dan mesti diuruskan sepenuhnya oleh warga tempatan dengan sebahagian besar kakitangan adalah anak tempatan.

Penekanan itu adalah amat penting kerana jika Pembangunan Perniagaan Tempatan (LBD) hanya dihadkan kepada kontraktor atau vendor yang dimiliki oleh warga Brunei sahaja dan jika itu sahaja syaratnya, maka kita hanya akan mempromosikan Ali Baba dan bukannya LBD sebenarnya.

Penekanan itu dibuat oleh Menteri Tenaga di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Kolonel (B) Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad Yasmin Haji Umar ketika menyampaikan ucapan di Perasmian Forum Vendor BSJV 2011 yang berlangsung di Hotel Empire and Country Club, Jerudong, hari ini.

Yang Berhormat Pehin menyatakan bahawa tidak ada pihak yang benar-benar menerajui atau menekankan perlunya untuk memberikan keutamaan kepada LBD.

"Saya hendak memberikan beberapa contoh. Syarikat Minyak Brunei Shell telah mengeluarkan kontrak bagi kira-kira 60 bot untuk menyediakan perkhidmatan bagi operasi luar pantainya. Saya mengadakan perjumpaan dengan kontraktor marin ini kira-kira tiga munggu lalu. Bila saya melihat sekeliling meja mesyuarat, kurang dari dua pertiga dari yang menghadirinya adalah warga Brunei dan namun begitu, pendaftaran menunjukkan bahawa mereka semua adalah syarikat-syarikat Brunei."

"Kalau begini, macam mana saya hendak bercakap mengenai LBD? Ia tidak menghairankan bahawa LBD tidak dikendalikan secara efektif. Untuk menjadikan perkara ini lebih jelas, boleh dikatakan tidak ramai pemilik yang menghadiri sesi bersama Menteri. Atau dalam kata lain, pemilik-pemilik tidak mempunyai masa atau mempunyai minat mengenai LBD untuk berjumpa dan berbincang mengenai isu-isu ini bersama Menteri! "

Mungkin bagi pemilik-pemilik, ia adalah cukup untuk menghantar Pushpa atau Robin untuk membincangkan mengenai LBD dengan Menteri. Sektor ini mempunyai kira-kira 1,000 pelaut tetapi kurang daripada 10 peratus adalah warga Brunei dan jumlah kontraktor yang memiliki bot mereka sendiri juga adalah amat rendah."

Yang Berhormat Menteri seterusnya berkata, "Biarkan saya memberikan satu lagi contoh. Terdapat sebuah kontraktor yang telah beroperasi lebih daripada 17 tahun tetapi kurang dari 30 peratus pekerjanya adalah warga Brunei. Sekarang jika kita berpusing pula kepada kontraktor-kontraktor utama bagi BSP, daripada beberapa ribu kakitangan dalam kategori pekerja mahir, kurang dari 20 peratus adalah warga Brunei."

Yang Berhormat Pehin berkata bahawa terdapat sebab-sebab mengapa semua perkara itu berlaku. Manakala semasa mesyuarat yang dijalankan bersama kontraktor marin itu, pelbagai sebab telah diberikan oleh wakil-wakil syarikat.

"Ia membuat saya berfikir bahawa sudah tentu situasi ini adalah berbeza jika pemilik-pemilik itu sendiri y6ang hadir dan berpeluang untuk berbincang mengenai isu-isu LBD dengan saya? Saya akan tinggalkan anda untuk memikirkan jawapan bagi soalan ini."

Yang Berhormat Pehin seterusnya menyatakan bahawa jika kita terus mencari alasan, kita tidak akan mencapai sebarang penyelesaian. Semua pihak perlu sama-sama mencari penyelesaiannya.

Sehubungan dengan itu, Yang Berhormat Pehin menyatakan perasaan gembira bahawa BSP sedang membuat kajian semula rangka kerja LBD, namun begitu perkara itu akan mengambil masa kerana harus melalui proses yang sempurna.

Rangka kerja LBD yang dikaji semula itu haruslah konsisten dengan Kertas Putih Tenaga dari segi memaksimumkan perisian tempatan, tenaga kerja Brunei, membangunkan perniagaan Brunei dan memastikan bahawa tidak ada sebarang monopoli yang wujud dengan memberikan ruang bagi syarikat baru dan kecil untuk bersaing secara adil.

"LBD tidak bermakna bahawa vendor asing tidak lagi dialu-alukan ke Brunei Darussalam. Pertama, kita masih memerlukan pelaburan, teknologi dan keupayaan pengurusan asing.

"Saya dengan sukacita memaklumkan kepada anda bahawa semua vendor asing yang telah saya jumpa amat mengalu-alukan inisiatif Brunei untuk memaksimumkan perisian tempatan. Sesetengah dari mereka juga terperanjat mengapa tiba-tiba dan kenapa baru sekarang LBD dijadikan keutamaan sedangkan inisiatif LBD telah dipraktikkan oleh negara-negara lain bertahun-tahun sudah."

Namun begitu bagi kontraktor-kontraktor yang hanya ingin untuk membuat keuntungan cepat dan tidak berminat untuk membantu membangunkan perniagaan tempatan, Yang Berhormat Pehin menekankan bahawa mereka ini adalah sama sekali tidak dialu-alukan ke Brunei.

Menyentuh mengenai Kertas Putih Tenaga dan usaha untuk memaksimumkan kegiatan ekonomi hasil dari industri tenaga, terdapat empat dasar utama yang ditekankan iaitu untuk memastikan perisian tempatan maksimum dengan menjana peluang-peluang perniagaan dan pekerjaan di Brunei.

"Ke arah itu, kita ingin melihat perisian tempatan untuk meningkatkan sehingga kira-kira 60 peratus dengan sekurang-kurangnya 50,000 peluang pekerjaan menjelang 2035."

Untuk mencapai hasrat itu, empat inisiatif utama telah dikenal pasti iaitu untuk menggubal rangka kerja pengawalan bagi menjana suasana kondusif termasuk zon bebas perdagangan bagi mempromosikan pelaburan, untuk menjadikan Pulau Muara Besar sebagai pusat perkhidmatan tenaga, untuk mengejar inisiatif pelaburan khusus yang diketuai oleh syarikat-syarikat berkaitan kerajaan serta untuk melakukan kajian komprehensif mengenai pembangunan perisian tempatan.

Dipetik dari - Media Permata Online, Sabtu/Ahad, 29/30 Oktober 2011

Pertama Terkena, Kedua Terngadah, Ketiga Tersungkur Rebah..

Legasi Eksploitasi Minyak

British masih ditanggapi oleh banyak pihak, datang ke Brunei, hanyalah sebagai sahabat yang “menaungi” Brunei, walaupun ia telah meninggalkan banyak legasi ngeri sehingga membawa kesan buruk terhadap pembangunan masyarakat dan negara.

Selain melengah-lengahkan proses pendidikan, penjajah juga dengan sewenang-wenangnya mengeksploitasi sumber kekayaan Brunei khususnya pendapatan dari royalti minyak dan gas asli. Benarlah kata pepatah Inggeris yang menyebut “we stoop to conquer”

Dari penemuan minyak pada 1929 sehinggalah Brunei mencapai kemerdekaannnya pada 1984, pemberian royalti yang dianggap sedikit dan tidak adil kepada Brunei turut menjejaskan program pendidikan dan pembangunan untuk rakyat. Natijahnya, penjajah telah meninggalkan satu lagi legasi iaitu kemiskinan yang terpaksa ditanggung oleh negara dan rakyat sekali gus membawa “aib” ke atas negara Baldatun Thayibbatun Warrabbun Ghaffur ini.

Eksploitasi Minyak dan Gas
A.M. Azahari telah membangkitkan mengenai isu eksploitasi minyak ini ketika menyampaikan ucapannya di Komiti Dua dan Komiti Empat, Perhimpunan Agung PBB pada tahun 1975. Ketika itu PRB melihat bahawa sebahagian keuntungan hasil minyak Brunei telah disalahgunakan oleh penjajah selaku Kuasa Pentadbir contohnya pembinaan projek-projek mega seperti pembinaan patung Churchill menelan belanja $2.2 juta dollar Amerika. Projek ini langsung tidak memberi manfaat kepada rakyat sedangkan hanya di belakang kompleks tugu tersebut terdapat sebuah hospital usang yang penuh sesak dengan pesakit-pesakit dan memerlukan ramai doktor-doktor pakar, alat kelengkapan moden serta kakitangan yang berkelayakan tetapi tidak dipedulikan oleh Kuasa Pentadbir.

Selain itu, pembaziran dikesan berlaku melalui pembinaan projek-projek berprestij yang dicadangkan oleh pegawai-pegawai Inggeris seperti membina pelabuhan laut dalam di Muara dan pembinaan lapangan terbang antarabangsa Brunei. Seharusnya projek-projek mega seperti ini berpotensi untuk menjana pelaburan asing, tetapi keadaan berlaku sebaliknya.

Pembiayaan $20 juta (dollar Amerika) untuk sebuah pelabuhan tidak langsung memberi pulangan modal kepada Brunei kerana boleh dikatakan hampir tiada kapal dagang besar singgah di pelabuhan itu. Manakala jumlah kapal terbang yang mendarat di lapangan terbang tersebut juga tidak setimpal dengan kos pembinaannya yang menelan belanja hampir $20 juta (dollar Amerika). Justeru itu, perbelanjaan yang besar ini dilihat sebagai tidak banyak memberi faedah untuk membantu menjana dan memperbaiki kehidupan rakyat, sebaliknya ia membebankan rakyat yang turut menanggung kos perbelanjaan tersebut.

Seterusnya di sidang Komiti Empat, Perhimpunan Agung PBB pada 13 November 1975 Azahari menempelak Penjajah British, “ it is not difficult to see why the colonial authorities are reluctant to leave Brunei. Twenty percent of the income of Shell International Group is extracted from Brunei alone. Our country only gets 30 percent in revenue from the total production of oil which this year is estimated at about seven billion Brunei dollars. At the same time, Shell is investing heavily in the liquified gas industry which is producing B$43.00 worth of gas every second. All concessions and natural gas rights were granted to Shell and the Mitsubishi Group in 1971 on most favourable terms and it is estimated that within a decade Brunei will be shipping some US six billion dollars worth of natural gas to Japan and other parts of the world.”

Ungkapan Azahari itu sememangnya bertepatan dengan apa yang berlaku di Brunei pada waktu itu. Tambah Azahari lagi, wang lebihan hasil minyak juga dilaburkan ke industri-industri British yang sedang ‘sakit’ bagi kepentingan penjajah dan kaum modal.

Penemuan BA Hamzah
Sementara itu, pada tahun 1980 hasil kajian seorang penyelidik dari Institut Pengajian Asia Tenggara (ISEAS), BA Hamzah dalam kajiannya yang bertajuk “Oil Economic Development Issues In Brunei” turut menyelongkar kemisterian hasil bumi Brunei yang sebenarnya. Menurut penemuan BA Hamzah, eksploitasi British adalah jelas memandangkan eksport minyak dan gas dikawal sepenuhnya oleh kuasa asing yang mendalangi Brunei Shell, Nilai eksport tidak boleh disamakan dengan jumlah tukaran asing. Walau bagaimanapun, perbezaan di antara hasil eksport dan pendapatan negara menunjukkan bahawa pendapatan yang berjaya disimpan adalah jauh lebih kecil. Dengan erti kata lain, bahagian pendapatan hasil minyak yang diperolehi oleh negara adalah jauh lebih kecil jika dibandingkan dengan yang diterima oleh Brunei Shell.

“It is essential to recognize the difference between export value and foreign exchange. Since the export of oil and gas is exclusively in the hands of foreigners using Brunei Shell as their corporate veil, the value of export is not the same as foreign exchange accruals. Nevertheless, the difference between export earnings and state revenue does indicate that the retained earnings are much smaller. To put it in another way, the portion of oil revenue received by the state is much smaller than that received by Brunei Shell.”

Selain itu, beliau juga membangkitkan peningkatan hasil minyak pada tahun 1948 sehingga 1951. Menurut beliau peningkatan dalam nisbah pendapatan hasil minyak di antara tahun 1948 dan 1951 adalah berpunca dari penambahan royalti dari dua shilling untuk setiap tan kepada tiga shilling sejak tahun 1948. Untuk mengawal nisbah pendapatan yang semakin menurun sejak tahun 1949, sebuah konsep royalti tiga peringkat telah diperkenalkan dalam tahun 1955. (Ianya dipinda pada tahun 1963 dan 1969.) Tujuan utama enakmen 1955 (dan juga 1963 dan 1969) adalah untuk meningkatkan nisbah royalti berbayar kepada negara, namun demikian, apa yang berlaku adalah sebaliknya.

“The increase in the proportion of oil revenues between 1948 and 1951 is attributed to the rise in royalties from two shillings a ton previously to three shillings a ton since 1948. To arrest the declining revenue proportion from 1949 onwards, a three-tier royalty-rates concept was introduced in 1955. (It was revised in 1963 and 1969.) The major declared purpose of the enactments of 1955 (and of the enactments in 1963 and 1969) was to increase the proportion of royalties payable to the state; but, as it may be seen, the contrary occurred.“

Tidak berpuas hati dengan apa yang telah diperolehinya, penjajah terus mengambil kesempatan mengeksploitasi segala sesuatu yang boleh diragut dari tanah jajahannya. Suatu lagi hal yang turut menarik perhatian kita selaku orang awam ialah penemuan B.A. Hamzah mengenai ketidakseimbangan pembayaran gaji antara pegawai-pegawai tentera tempatan dan British yang berkhidmat di Askar Bersenjata Melayu Diraja Brunei (ABMDB) yang diperolehi oleh pekerja tempatan dan British yang dilihat mempunyai unsur-unsur penyalahgunaan kuasa dan pengaruh.

“Regarding defence allocations, it was discovered that British officers and men seconded or on loan to the Brunei Royal Malay Regiment were paid higher than their local counterparts. A British lieutenant colonel receives a salary of $41,000 a year compared with $24,000 for his local counterpart. The difference becomes more visible if the aggregate salary expenses are compared. In 1975 the Government of Brunei spent $12.7 million on salaries for 2,048 locally enlisted personnel, and $4.29 million for only 88 British service personnel on loan.”

Dalam pembentangan kes Brunei di PBB iaitu di Sub-Komiti II pada 10 Julai 1975, Azahari turut membangkitkan betapa Inggeris mengambil kesempatan dengan melonggokkan sebilangan pegawai tenteranya ke dalam angkatan bersenjata Brunei yang sebenarnya tidak diperlukan oleh Pasukan Angkatan Bersenjata Melayu DiRaja Brunei (ABMDB). Akibatnya Brunei terpaksa menanggung kos tambahan yang banyak dan tidak perlu. Pada tahun 1975, 25 peratus dari perbelanjaan Brunei diperuntukkan kepada pertahanan ($110.6 juta dollar Brunei) berbanding jumlah besar belanjawan sebanyak $462.8 juta dollar Brunei.

Pada umumnya, jika dilihat perbelanjaan yang besar dikeluarkan untuk penjara, tentera dan pasukan keselamatan termasuk pembangunan pelabuhan, lapangan terbang dan Tugu peringatan Churchill adalah projek-projek yang bertujuan untuk memenuhi kepentingan dan agenda penjajahan semata-mata. Menurut Azahari, “perbelanjaan begini besar sama sekali tidak diperlukan….. Sesungguhnya jumlah wang begitu besar boleh dipergunakan untuk memberikan kepada rakyat Brunei kemudahan-kemudahan yang lebih baik di dalam bidang pertanian, kesihatan, pelajaran dan kesejahteraan masyarakat.”

Kemiskinan Di kalangan Rakyat
Dalam konteks Brunei, belum ada satu ketetapan konsep dan ukuran yang tertentu digunakan bagi mengenal pasti siapa yang sebenarnya dikatakan miskin. Setakat ini pemilihan bagi kumpulan miskin hanyalah berpandukan kepada takrif fakir dan miskin bersandarkan kepada penyelidikan-penyelidikan yang telah dilakukan oleh pihak-pihak yang berwajib bagi mempastikan kebenaran maklumat diri pemohon yang memohon bantuan.

Penjajahan yang dilakukan oleh bangsa-bangsa asing terhadap negara-negara yang pernah dijajahnya adalah antara faktor yang menyebabkan meningkatnya masalah kemiskinan (Dr. Zainal Kling, 1977:141). Kehadiran golongan ini telah mengubah dasar pemerintahan negara yang dijajah oleh mereka dengan memperkenalkan dasar atau sistem pemerintahan baharu ke dalam sistem pentadbiran negara yang dijajah. Di Malaysia misalannya, salah satu faktor penyebab kemiskinan adalah kerana dasar penjajah yang memperkenalkan sistem baru “pecah dan perintah” dalam sistem pentadbiran negara itu.

Perlaksanaan sistem itu telah mewujudkan sistem ekonomi kapitalis dengan menggantikan amalan sistem ekonomi tradisi. Perlaksanaan sistem ekonomi kapitalis hanya memberikan keuntungan terhadap sesetengah pihak yang berkuasa iaitu golongan elit dan mewujudkan penindasan terutama terhadap golongan orang-orang bawahan. (Mohd. Talib Samat, 1992: 1). Kedatangan pihak penjajah telah memperkenalkan beberapa ciri asas dari segi modal, buruh dan pengusaha yang akhirnya memonopoli kekayaan negara. (Dr. Zainal Kling, 1977: 131-132). Akibat dari perubahan sistem yang diperkenalkan oleh penjajah telah menyebabkan meningkatnya lagi kadar kemiskinan yang sudah sedia ada secara relative terutama bagi penduduk-penduduk di kawasan luar bandar.

British sebagai Kuasa Pentadbir dilihat sebagai ‘penjenayah ekonomi’ yang mengeksploitasi kekayaan Brunei sehingga rakyat terbanyak terpinggir di dalam arus pembangunan. Akhirnya kemiskinan dikalangan rakyat Brunei menjadi satu legasi penjajah hingga ke hari ini. Justeru, Kerana menjadi penyambung lidah rakyat, PRB selamanya dianggap sebagai pencabar kekuasaan dan kemaharajalelaan justeru mesti dilenyapkan dari muka bumi ini. Dalam pergelutan itu, tumpaslah PRB. Yang demikian bermaharaja lelalah penjajah dan kroni-kroninya mengaut hasil mahsul negara, dan menghisap keringat dan air mata rakyat tanpa kawalan dan seliaan yang kesannya masih dirasai hingga kehari ini.

Usul NDP Di dalam Kongres 1,3,4,5, dan Ke 6
Hari ini, setelah 26 tahun Brunei merdeka, orang awam masih melihat berbagai kepincangan di dalam urustadbir perusahaan minyak dan gas,dari eksploatasi tenaga kerja dan professional warga tempatan, pengagihan kontrak dan tender hinggalah ketidakseimbangan di dalam pengagihan kekayaan sehingga wujud jurang yang luas antara yang berada dan yang tidak berada.

Sebagai rakan strategik pembangunan kepada Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia, NDP dengan nekad membincangkan dengan serius dan seterusnya mengangkat pandangan rakyat mengenai isu eksploitasi hasil bumi ini, pada Kongres Agung Tahunan NDP 1,3,4,5, dan Ke 6 berbunyi:

Maka dengan ini, Kongres Agung Tahunan Ke-5 Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (NDP) yang bersidang pada hari ini 05 Jun 2010 di Dewan Utama Bangunan Persekutuan Guru-Guru Melayu Brunei (PGGMB), Bandar Seri Begawan, mengambil maklum dan memperakui semula usul mengenai Dasar Pembruneian Syarikat Shell Brunei yang telah di luluskan dan disahkan oleh Kongres Agung Tahunan (Penubuhan) Pertama Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (NDP) yang bersidang pada 1 - 2 Rabiulakhir 1427 bersamaan 29-30 April 2006 di mana pada Kongres tersebut telah diambil persetujuan dan ketetapan mendesak Kerajaan Kebawah DYMM khususnya Unit Petroleum Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan Syarikat Shell Brunei agar mengambil langkah-langkah berkesan dan segera ke arah pelaksanaan Polisi Pembruneian 1984; dan bahawa Kongres Agung Tahunan Ke-4 ini juga mengambil maklum dan memperakui semula usul mengenai Dasar Pembruneian Syarikat Shell Brunei yang telah dilulus dan disahkan oleh Kongres Agung Tahunan Ke-3 Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (NDP) yang bersidang pada 16 - 18 Jamadilakhir 1429 bersamaan 20 - 22 Jun 2008 yang mengambil persetujuan dan ketetapan, serta menarik perhatian bahawa terdapat kes sebilangan pegawai eksekutif yang meletak jawatan, justeru Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (NDP) menggesa Unit Petroleum Jabatan Perdana Menteri supaya lebih telus dan terbuka mendedahkan kepada umum sebab-sebab mengapa berlakunya kes-kes perletakan jawatan tersebut sedangkan mereka berpotensi untuk dinaikkan ke jawatan yang lebih tinggi dan mempunyai kuasa eksekutif, dan seterusnya mendedahkan sebab-sebab sebilangan pegawai eksekutif yang telah dipindah atau ditukarkan ke posisi yang kurang penting; dan bahawa mencadangkan supaya semua perjanjian yang telah dimeterai antara pihak Kerajaan Kebawah DYMM dengan Syarikat Shell Brunei didedahkan kepada umum supaya rakyat dapat memberikan teguran, pandangan dan penilaian mengenainya sesuai dengan hasrat majoriti rakyat yang inginkan ketelusan di dalam semua urustadbir negara demi sama-sama menjaga kepentingan nasional; dan bahawa Kongres Agung Tahunan Ke-4 ini mengambil persetujuan dan ketetapan menggesa Kerajaan Kebawah DYMM supaya mengambil langkah-langkah konkrit untuk melaksanakan Dasar Pembruneian Shell sebagai satu langkah strategik yang mempunyai implikasi besar ke atas keselamatan dan pembangunan negara.

Demikianlah sedikit peringatan dari bawah yang mungkin boleh diambil iktibar agar kita tidak terjerongkong kesekelian kalinya semata-mata kerana gagal mengawal permainan di medan sana. Wallahu’alam-(mmo)