Malaysia Sambut Baik Pengesahan Indonesia Kepada Perjanjian Jerebu Asean

Oleh Chandravathani Sathasivam

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Sept (Bernama) -- Malaysia menyambut baik langkah positif Indonesia dalam mengesahkan Perjanjian Asean mengenai Pencemaran Jerebu Merentasi Sempadan.

Menteri Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar, Datuk Seri G. Palanivel dan pakar alam sekitar melihat perkara itu sebagai Indonesia serius mahu menangani jerebu merentasi sempadan yang berpunca daripada kebakaran hutan.

Mereka percaya Indonesia bersedia untuk menangani masalah jerebu secara berkesan, yang sekali gus dapat memperkukuh hubungan dengan negara jirannya seperti Malaysia dan Singapura yang turut terjejas teruk oleh fenomena jerebu.

Palanivel berkata Malaysia telah menunggu pengesahan Indonesia agar usaha menangani jerebu yang berlaku setiap tahun di rantau ini dapat dilakukan bersama.

"Ini menunjukkan komitmen dan keazaman kuat Indonesia untuk mengurangkan pencemaran jerebu merentasi sempadan; kerjasama antara negara adalah konkrit dan boleh dilakukan," katanya kepada Bernama.

Parlimen Indonesia pada Selasa mengundi untuk mengesahkan perjanjian serantau itu, 12 tahun selepas kerajaan Indonesia menandatanganinya.

Perjanjian dirangka selepas berlaku jerebu paling teruk pada 1997, yang pencemarannya berpunca dari proses menebang dan membakar hutan di Indonesia untuk penanaman tanaman terutama kelapa sawit.

Sembilan negara anggota Asean yang lain telah mengesahkan perjanjian tersebut pada Jun 2013. Mereka menandatanganinya pada Jun 2012 di Kuala Lumpur.

Naib Canselor Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Ibrahim Komoo turut mengalu-alukan pengesahan Indonesia dengan berkata tanggungjawab bersama dalam kalangan negara Asean adalah perlu untuk menangani pencemaran jerebu merentasi sempadan secara berkesan.

Pengesahan itu memberi harapan kepada negara jiran terutama Malaysia dan Singapura, katanya.

"Ia akan membantu Malaysia menerusi jalinan kerjasama dan kolaborasi lebih baik antara profesional yang terlibat dalam mencari penyelesian. Adalah lebih baik lambat daripada tidak mempunyai kesedaran langsung mengenai alam sekitar," katanya.

Pada 1997, kerajaan Malaysia menghantar ratusan anggota bomba dan penyelamat untuk membantu Indonesia memadam jerebu.

Ibrahim yang menerajui Kluster Sumber Asli dan Alam Skitar, Majlis Profesor Negara turut menyangkal pengesahan Indonesia itu bermotifkan politik.

Beliau berkata langkah bersejarah itu memaparkan hasrat murni Indonesia untuk menangani dan menyelesai masalah jerebu.

"Saya berharap ia akan memperkukuh hubungan dua hala dan diplomatik dengan Malaysia dan Singapura yang terjejas teruk akibat jerebu daripada Sumatera (pada Jun) tahun lepas," katanya.

Indonesia sebelum ini mendakwa syarikat Malaysia dan Singapura yang memiliki ladang di Sumatera dan Kalimantan adalah antara yang memulakan kebakaran semasa membersihkan ladang mereka.

Kebakaran yang berlaku menyebabkan asap melebihi tahap bahaya dan Presiden Indonesia ketika itu Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono memohon maaf kepada Maalaysia dan Indonesia.

Prof Madya Dr Mohd Talib Latif dari Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia berkata perjanjian tersebut akan membantu mengurangkan pencemaran udara akibat pembakaran biomass semasa monsun barat daya antara Jun dan September setiap tahun.

"Pembakaran biomass di tanah gambut di Sumatera dan Kalimantan telah dikenal pasti sebagai faktor utama jerebu di Semenanjung Malaysia dan Sarawak setiap tahun," kata Mohd Talib dari Pusat Pengajian Sains Sekitaran dan Sumber Alam, Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi.

"Pengesahan kepada perjanjian ini menunjukkan komitmen Indonesia untuk menangani masalah jerebu di Asia Tenggara," katanya.

Mohd Talin berkata adalah sukar untuk mengurangkan pembakaran biomass terutama semasa musim kering berikutan paras air yang rendah dan tanah gambut.

"Kita hanya mengalami masalah pencemaran udara semasa monsun barat daya, apabila angin bertiup ke arah kita (Malaysia). Indonesia mengalami masalah ini setiap tahun semasa musim kering.

"Mereka turut menghadapi masalah daripada letupan gunung berapi yang lebih berbahaya daripada pembakaran biomass," katanya.

Pakar ini berkata perlu lebih banyak komitmen dan penguatkuasaan dari agensi kerajaan Asean bagi mengurangkan pencemaran jerebu di Asia Tenggara.


Sumber - BERNAMA

China to oppose India-Vietnam oil deal within disputed South China Sea

BEIJING: China today made it clear that it will "not support" the India-Vietnam agreement to enable ONGC to explore two more oil wells if they fall within the waters of the disputed South China Sea administered by it. 

Asked for his reaction to the agreement signed during President Pranab Mukherjee's current visit to Vietnam, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China has no objection to any "legitimate and lawful" agreement between Vietnam and a third country. 

"We have noted President's (Mukherjee) visit to Vietnam. I would like to point out that China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha islands and adjacent waters," he said. 

"We hold no objection to legitimate and lawful agreement between Vietnam and a third country. But one thing is to be clear. If such agreement concerns waters administered by China or if such cooperation project is not approved by the Chinese government, then we will be concerned about such an agreement and we will not support it," he said. 

Hong separately clarified to Indian media later that this is China's stand about oil exploration agreements between Vietnam and any other country, not simply India. 

While articulating its stand, China wants to be cautious as President Xi Jinping is starting his maiden visit to India tomorrow which is expected to enhance cooperation between the two countries. 

The reference to Nansha islands is what Vietnam calls Paracel islands which are part of a major dispute between Beijing and Hanoi. 

It is not clear where the two oil wells will be located. China has conveyed similar objections about previous well allotted to ONGC by Hanoi. 

China virtually claims almost all of the South China Sea. Its claims of sovereignty are firmly opposed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. 

The dispute between Vietnam and China over oil exploration flared up last May when Hanoi fiercely resisted Beijing's attempts to deploy a major oil rig. 

It resulted in major anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam leading to the death of four Chinese. 

Over 100 Chinese were injured in the incident. Over 400 foreign factories mostly run by Chinese were burnt down. 

Subsequently China has recalled over 7,000 of its workers from Vietnam over fears for their safety. 

The Communist neighbours however warmed up to each other in recent weeks with the visit of a special envoy from Hanoi who held talks with top Chinese leaders. 

During Mukherjee's visit to Hanoi, India and Vietnam signed seven pacts including a Letter of Intent (LoI) between the ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) and Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam). 

The LoI is aimed at further consolidating cooperation between India and Vietnam in energy sector and pave the way for future collaboration between the two countries. 

China has been exerting its influence in these waters which is not taken well by Vietnam and other bordering countries like the Philippines. Beijing has also objected to India's exploration projects in the Vietnamese oil blocks.

Sumber - The Economic Times

Chinese Scholar: World War III Will Probably Be Result Of Maritime Disputes

By Michelle FlorCruz

A professor at one of China’s military universities, the People’s Liberation Army National Defense University, believes that a third World War is a possibility, and China needs to be prepared for it. In an editorial in the state-run newspaper, Global Times, professor and author Han Xudong says that nations are collectively involved in “an era of new forms of global war.”

Previously undisputed territories, like outer space, the digital landscape and the oceans have become part of the international battlefield, Han writes in his op-ed, noting that “the number of countries involved is unprecedented.”

Han points to ongoing maritime disputes as sources of conflict that will eventually escalate into a world war. “Judging from the contention of the global sea space, the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific and Indian Ocean have seen the fiercest rivalry. It’s likely that there will be a third world war to fight for sea rights.”

China is currently embroiled in disputes involving sea rights, particularly in the South China Sea. China lays claim to maritime areas that Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia all also lay claim to. In the East China Sea, China insists that its maritime borders include a cluster of resource-rich islands called the Diaoyu in Chinese. Japan, on the other hand, says that the islands — which it refers to as Senkaku — lie in Japanese waters. With China’s increasing military presence and political rhetoric over these and other islands, some observers predict that maritime claims are something over which China is willing to go to war.

“As the rivalry on the sea grows intense, China’s military development should shift from maintaining the country’s rights on the land to maintaining its rights on the sea,” Han writes, adding that “large-scale military power” needs to be developed in order to prevent being “pushed to a passive position” by strong military forces like the U.S., which is increasingly focusing its attention to the Asia-Pacific region.

This isn’t the first time state-run media editorials have spoken explicitly about wars China would engage in. Last year, pro-government (and hawkish) newspaper Weweipo published an article describing “Six Wars China Is Sure To Fight In The Next 50 Years.” The newspaper estimated that a war over the South China Sea islands would last from 2025 to 2030, driven by China’s desire to “reconquer” areas like the Spratly Islands (which several other nations also claim) and the Scarborough Shoal (claimed by the Philippines). The newspaper unsurprisingly expects the dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku to eventually escalate to a war by 2040.


Sumber - International Business Times

Malaysia Risks China's Wrath By Inviting US Spy Flights

Beijing: Malaysia's reported invitation to the United States to fly spy planes out of East Malaysia on the southern rim of the South China Sea seems likely to intensify China's anger at US surveillance of the strategic waterway and its disputed islands, analysts say.

The United States' chief of naval operations, Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, told a forum in Washington last week that the recent offer by Malaysia for P-8 Poseidon aircraft to fly out of the country's most eastern area would give the United States greater proximity to the South China Sea.

Malaysia, which has had warm ties with China, has not confirmed whether it made the offer. The United States has vowed to maintain its influence in the region in the face of China's rise and this year won an agreement with the Philippines to give US troops, warships and planes greater access to bases there.

Admiral Greenert spoke the day before General Fan Changlong, a vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission, warned National Security Adviser Susan E. Rice during her visit to Beijing that the Obama administration should halt what he called the "close-in" surveillance flights by P-8 Poseidon planes over the South China Sea and along China's coast.

As China under the leadership of President Xi Jinping asserts claims in the South China Sea and develops a more sophisticated fleet of submarines, it has increasingly contested the right of the United States to conduct surveillance flights over what it says are China's territorial waters. Among other capabilities, the P-8 Poseidons can detect submarines.

Last month, a Chinese fighter pilot flew within 10 metres of a P-8, causing a near collision, the Pentagon said. That P-8, a new fast, high-flying plane built by Boeing and loaded with digital electronics, was based with a squadron of six P-8s that arrived at Kadena air base in Japan last year. The Pentagon has more than 100 P-8s on order from Boeing.

Hishammuddin Hussein, the Malaysian defence minister, was asked at a news conference whether permission had been given for "US fighters" to operate out of East Malaysia. "That is not true," he said, according to accounts in the Malaysian press. The minister was not asked about surveillance planes.

Discussions between Malaysia and the United States for the use of an air base in Sabah, in northeast Malaysia, have been underway for some time, according to a senior Asian diplomat who is familiar with the talks. The diplomat declined to be named because of the secrecy of the matter.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the reported Malaysian offer.

Malaysia, unlike the Philippines and Vietnam, has enjoyed good relations with China even though it also has territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

Beneath the goodwill between the two countries, Malaysia has felt China's increasing military power and has been seeking a balance by reaching out to the United States, the senior Asian diplomat said.



Sumber - Sydney Morning Herald

Foreign experts to oversee disarming of MILF rebels

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53pc of Chinese expect to go to war with Japan: poll

Opinion poll also finds 29pc of Japanese see conflict between the countries ahead and paints picture of widespread mutual popular mistrust

More than half of Chinese people think their country could go to war with Japan in the future, a poll revealed yesterday.

A survey conducted in both nations found that 53.4 per cent of Chinese envisage a future conflict, with more than a fifth of those saying it would happen "within a few years", while 29 per cent of Japanese foresee military confrontation.

The survey findings came ahead of today's second anniversary of Japan's nationalisation of the disputed Diaoyu, or Senkaku, islands in the East China Sea - the focus of bilateral tensions. They also come amid reports that the United States may be engaged in discussions with Japan on how to expand its offensive capabilities. The survey was conducted by Japanese non-governmental organisation Genron and state-run China Daily in July and last month.

Some 1,000 Japanese adults, and 1,539 Chinese in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenyang and Xian, were questioned for the annual survey.

Ninety-three per cent of Japanese respondents said their impression of China was "unfavourable", worsening from 90.1 per cent last year and the highest level since the survey began in 2005. The percentage of Chinese who have an unfavourable impression of Japan stood at 86.8 per cent, an improvement on 92.8 per cent last year.

"The most common reason for the unfavourable impression of China among the Japanese public was 'China's actions are incompatible with international rules' at 55.1 per cent," said Genron and the China Daily.

That was closely followed by "China's actions to secure resources, energy and food look selfish" at 52.8 per cent.

The third reason was "criticism of Japan over historical issues" at 52.2 per cent, while "continuous confrontation over the Senkaku Islands" came fourth at 50.4 per cent, it said.

"On the other hand, 'the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands' (64 per cent) and 'historical understanding' (59.6 per cent) were the two prominent reasons for the unfavourable impression of Japan among the Chinese public," it said.

In another development, reports said that Tokyo was holding informal, previously undisclosed talks with the US about first-strike capabilities to take out North Korean missile bases. The Japanese officials said their US counterparts were cautious about the idea, partly because it could outrage China.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Asian countries had a right to be concerned about moves to strengthen Japan's military considering its past and recent "mistaken" words and actions about its history.


Sumber - South China Morning Post

Peace in South at hand

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Information on conversion

DEAR Editor,

This is in response to the letter ‘Murut student’s need for information on conversion’ published in The Brunei Times dated Sept 6, 2014.

The student asked whether he needs any witness or proper process to become a Muslim in Brunei? What needs to be done? Where to go and when to go? Is it possible to just go to the website called Islamicreligion.com as mentioned in the newspaper to declare himself as a Muslim? Or should he approach the relevant authority regarding this matter.

Registration of converts to Islam in Brunei
1. Any individual who has reached 14 years and seven months of age can be registered as a Muslim convert independently; 2. Any individual who is below the age required shall be registered in accordance with his/her parents’ or guardian’s identification; 3. Any individual whose identification depends on his/her guardian shall bring along certification letters of parents/close family if they are still alive; 4. Any individual who gets registered according to item 1 and 3 shall be registered as an independent convert when he/she reaches the age of 14 years and seven months onwards.

Where to register?
Registration can be made at the Islamic Da’wah Centre’s Conversion and Guidance Section, Kampung Pulaie on Jalan Pusat Da’wah, or Da’wah Unit in Belait, Tutong and Temburong districts respectivley during office hours; Monday to Thursday and Saturday at 7.45am to 12.15pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm.

Important requirements/documents
1. You are required to bring along your identity card, police or military cards for personnel; 2. Foreigners must provide passport beside identity card; 3. 12 copies of passport/identity card-sized photographs (non-instant). Ladies must wear scarf/tudung; 4. Must be accompanied by two (2) male Muslims as witness if possible.

Place of conversion
1. At the Islamic Da’wah Centre or Da’wah Unit in Belait, Tutong and Temburong districts; 2. Individual residences, mosques, prayer hall, schools, community hall etc, upon prior arrangement with Islamic Da’wah Centre officers;

Officers conducting the conversion
1. Authorised officers of Islamic Da’wah Centre, or Da’wah Unit Belait, Tutong and Temburong districts; 2. Muslim individuals are also allowed to conduct the conversion solemnisation provided prior permission from the director of Islamic Da’wah Centre.

For further enquiries, please contact Islamic Da’wah Centre at:

Islamic Da’wah Centre (main branch) : 2383996, Belait: 3341578, Tutong : 4222425

Temburong : 5221406

Head of Conversion and Guidance Section, Islamic Da’wah Centre, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Brunei Darussalam


Sumber - The Brunei Times

KDYMM: Lahirkan graduan-graduan yang marketable

Titah KDYMM sempena Majlis Konvokesyen ke-26 UBD pada hari Sabtu 11 Zulkaedah 1435 bersamaan 6 September 2014 Masehi.

Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Alhamdulillah Rabbil ‘Alameen, Wabihiee Nasta’eenu ‘Alaa Umuuriddunya Wadden, Wassalaatu’ Wassalaamu ‘Ala Asyarafil Mursaleen, Sayyidina Muhammaddin, Wa’alaa Aalihee Wasahbihee Ajma’een, Waba’du.

BETA bersyukur, kerana dapat pula pada pagi ini, bersama-sama hadir di Majlis Konvokesyen Kali Ke-26 Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

Terlebih dahulu beta dengan sukacita mengucapkan setinggi-tinggi tahniah kepada para graduan yang telah berjaya menamatkan pengajian mereka. Kejayaan ini kita sifatkan, baru sebagai anak tangga pertama untuk mendaki ke tingkat yang lebih tinggi.

Sektor pengajian tinggi adalah nadi pembangunan negara. Kerana itu beta sangat teruja untuk mengucapkan syabas kepada Universiti Brunei Darussalam yang telah mencapai kedudukan dalam QS Asia University Rankings pada tahun ini.

Kejayaan ini menunjukkan UBD adalah semakin matang dan mendapat pengiktirafan antarabangsa. Namun UBD perlu diingat, bahawa dalam pembelajaran dan pendidikan itu tidak ada titik penyudahnya, melainkan semuanya adalah dinamik dan selalu berubah.

Oleh itu beta mengingatkan agar UBD terus berlari, bukannya melangkah dengan langkah longlai, ke arah menempatkan dirinya di antara institusi-institusi tertinggi di dunia. Peringatan ini juga turut ditujukan kepada semua institusi pengajian tinggi di negara ini. Adalah sudah sampai masanya untuk kita mesti bersaing, bukannya setakat menonton orang lain bersaing.

Menyebut tentang persaingan ini, ia tidak mungkin berlangsung tanpa adanya tenaga akademik yang berkualiti tinggi. Kerana itusebagai galakan kepada tenaga akademik tempatan khasnya, beta telah pun memperkenankan Skim Perkhidmatan Tenaga Akademik Bagi Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Awam. Skim ini dihasratkan sebagai penghargaan kepada tenaga akademik yang berprestasi cemerlang mengikut piawaian antarabangsa.

Beta ingin menyarankan di sini, supaya hanya tenaga akademik yang benar-benar layak sahaja yang diresapkan ke dalam skim ini.

Beta adalah turut memahami, bahawa bukan semua tenaga akademik itu mempunyai status yang diharap-harapkan. Seperti golongan yang lain juga, mereka itu ada yang dedikasi dan ada juga yang tidak. Begitu juga ada yang rajin dan berwawasan di samping ada juga yang sebaliknya.

Mereka yang tidak rajin dan tidak berwawasan itu mungkin sahaja dapat dilihat sebagai cuma tahun mengajar semata-mata sebagai memenuhi jadual, tetapi selesai mengajar, tidak ada apa-apa yang dibuat. Dalam makna, pada setiap hari cuma rutin mengajar sahaja, sedang selebihnya adalah kosong dan tidak ada apa-apa.

Tenaga akademik yang seumpama ini boleh disifatkan sebagai tidak kreatif. Ia adalah jumud atau beku, tidak boleh menyumbang kepada perkembangan dan kemajuan ilmu. Kerana itu tidak pelik, jika seseorang itu, walaupun telah berkhidmat berbelas-belas tahun lamanya selaku tenaga akademik namun tiada sebuah pun buku atau kajian dapat dihasilkan.

Selain tenaga akademik, para graduan juga adalah dinilai dengan penilaian yang sama. Mereka juga boleh didapati dalam kedudukan yang berbeza-beza, sekalipun mereka berada di peringkat dan bidang pengajian yang sama. Misalnya, di antara mereka itu ada yang lebih berminat kepada bidang penyelidikan, sementara yang lain pula, tidak atau kurang meminatinya. Di antara kedua-dua kategori ini, sudah pasti, kualiti mereka adalah berbeza.

Menyebut mengenai penyelidikan ini, kerajaan beta telah menyediakan satu Skim Biasiswa Lepasan Ijazah (Graduate Research Scholarship). Ia ditawarkan kepada pelajar-pelajar tempatan dan antarabangsa. Dan pada hari ini, penganugerahan pertama Ijazah Kedoktoran bagi graduan di bawah skim ini akan menjadi kenyataan. Kita ucapkan syabas kepada penerimanya itu.

Beta sangat ingin melihat skim ini dapat membantu perkembangan penyelidikan dan inovasi dalam bidang yang boleh menyumbang kepada pertumbuhan ekonomi negara.

Dalam perkara ekonomi, UBD juga patutlah merancang untuk melahirkan graduan-graduan yang marketable, yang juga mampu berdiri sendiri melalui keusahawanan. Melalui pendidikan, kita juga perlu berubah dan malah berani untuk mengubah: sikap suka menunggu-menunggu pekerjaan, menjadi budaya proakif: suka berkarih dan berbasah bekaring.

Sehubungan ini, The National Entrepreneurship Agenda dalam pendidikan telah pun bertapak di UBD dan telah berjalan dari awal tahun lagi. Ia bertujuan untuk memupuk keusahawanan dari awal pendidikan sampailah ke pengajian tinggi.

Menyebut lagi berkenaan dengan program pendidikan dan penyelidikan, beta telah pun memperkenankan penubuhan Centre for Advanced Material and Energy Sciences yang bertanggungjawab untuk melaksanakan penyelidikan saintifik inter-disciplinary dalam bidang sains material dan tenaga untuk melatih sumber manusia bagi keperluan industri berteknologi tinggi. Beta mengambil maklum, inisiatif ini adalah kerjasama rapat di antara UBD, Jabatan Tenaga di Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan industri.

Ini semua, adalah merupakan langkah ke arah membina kapasiti dan kualiti pendidikan bagi generasi masa kini dan akan datang. Dalam keghairahan ktia menuju matlamat ini, beta sedikit kecewa apabila mendengar, ada khabar-khabarnya dalam kalangan ibu bapa dan penjaga yang masih kurang memberikan perhatian terhadap kedatangan anak-anak |mereka ke sekolah. Sesungguhnya perkara ini amatlah tidak wajar untuk berlaku.

Ini baru mengenai kedatangan, belum lagi lain-lain perkara, seperti mengawal disiplin anak-anak dan memberikan perhatian atau pengawasan terhadap kegiatan-kegiatan di luar sekolah. Jika dalam perkara kedatangan anak-anak pun ibu bapa boleh terlepas pandang, betapa dengan kegiatan-kegiatan mereka yang memang susah untuk dikesan, seperti kecenderungan melayari internet secara bersembunyi-sembunyi, adakah para ibu bapa dan penjaga juga mengambil berat?

Beta secara telus berpendapat, jika para ibu bapa dan penjaga gagal untuk memberikan perhatian yang sewajarnya kepada anak-anak, maka impian kita dan hasrat negara bagi melihat lahirnya generasi yang cemerlang, tidak akan tercapai.

Oleh itu, semua kita para ibu bapa dan penjaga, perlulah lekas-lekas muhasabah, sama ada ktia sudah menjalankan tanggungjawab kita dengan sempurna, demi untuk satu generasi cemerlang yang terdiri daripada anak-anak kita sendiri.

Akhir kalam, beta mengambil peluang mengingatkan para graduan, supaya mengekalkan identiti kebruneian yang berpaksikan Melayu Islam Beraja. Peliharalah ia, sampai ke generasi turun-temurun.

Beta tidak lupa merakamkan ucapan terima kasih kepada semua warga Universiti Brunei Darussalam yang merangkumi Ahli-Ahli Majlis dan Senat Universiti, Naib Canselor, Pegawai-Pegawai Utama, Ahli-Ahli Akademik dan seluruh pegawai serta kakitangan universiti di atas segala sumbangan dan khidmat mereka. Semoga Allah juga akan membalas mereka dengan ganjaranNya yang berlipat ganda.

Sekian, Wabillahit Taufeq Walhidayah Wassalamu’Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Academics not doing enough: HM

HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and the Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam, yesterday lamented that some UBD academics are not doing enough to develop knowledge.

In his titah during the 26th UBD Convocation Ceremony, the Sultan said some lecturers have remained stagnant as their routine is only limited to teaching.

“Is it not strange if someone failed to produce even a single publication or conduct research, despite being in service for many years,” His Majesty said.

The monarch said those who are not industrious and without a vision can be seen as teaching for the sake of meeting their schedules, and not doing anything else after completing their teaching duties.

“Such an academic staff can be described as uncreative. He or she is static or stagnant, and unable to contribute to the advancement and development of knowledge,” His Majesty added.

The sovereign went on to say that it is time for UBD to compete, and not merely stay as a spectator in witnessing other varsities race ahead.

It is impossible to stay competititive without the availability of academic staff who are of high quality, His Majesty said.

As an encouragement for local academics, His Majesty said he had consented for the establishment of Public Higher Education Institutions Academic Staff Service Scheme.

However, His Majesty suggested that only “deserving” academic staff should be eligible for the scheme as it was intended as an appreciation for academics who have excelled based on international standards.

His Majesty said graduates can also be evaluated using a similar assessment.

“For example, there are those who are fascinated with research, whereas others lack or have no interest at all. The quality of both categories of graduates will be different,” he pointed out.

The monarch further said he was disappointed after learning from the news that there were some parents and guardians who still paid little attention towards their children’s attendance at school.

“If it is possible for children’s school attendances to be overlooked by parents, how can they handle the more difficult task of monitoring their children's other activities, such as the tendency to surf the Internet in secret?” His Majesty said.

His Majesty said failure by parents and guardians to give such attention to their children would not see the realisation of the country's vision and aspiration to see the emergence of a generation with excellence.

He urged parents and guardians to reflect upon and question themselves if they had been carrying out their responsibilities to the best of their abilities, for the sake of a generation that would consist of their own children.

Speaking on the importance of higher education as the heart of national development, the Sultan said he was pleased to congratulate UBD’s achievement in attaining a position in the QS Asia University Rankings this year.

“This accomplishment indicated that UBD is increasingly becoming more mature and gaining international recognition. Nevertheless, UBD must bear in mind that there is no finishing line in learning and education, but that they are dynamic and ever-changing,” the monarch said.

“In this regard, I wish to remind UBD to keep running, and not simply walk ahead with weary steps towards its goal of placing itself among the world’s top universities.

“This reminder is also directed to all other institutions of higher learning in the Sultanate.” His Majesty added.

On the topic of research, His Majesty mentioned the Graduate Research Scholarship Scheme (which is offered to both local and international students), and expressed congratulations to the first batch of doctorate students who had graduated under the scheme.

“I would really like to see this scheme aid in the development of research and innovation in areas that can contribute to the country’s economic growth,” the monarch said.On economic matters, His Majesty further said UBD should also make plans to produce marketable graduates who are able to stand on their own, through entrepreneurship.

“Through education, there is also a need to change and even courage to change: from an attitude of waiting for employment, one that is proactive and willing,” he said.

With regards to this, His Majesty noted the National Entrepreneurship Agenda, which has been running at UBD since the start of this year, with the aim to foster entrepreneurship from earlier stages of education.

Moreover, the Sultan also mentioned the establishment of the Centre for Advanced Materials and Energy Sciences, which is responsible for carrying out interdisciplinary research in the field of material science and energy to train human resources to meet the needs of high-tech industries.

“I have taken note that this initiative will see close collaboration between UBD, the Energy Department at the Prime Minister’s Office, and the industry,” said His Majesty.

The monarch then acknowledged that these were all steps that had been taken toward building the capacity and quality of education for the benefit of existing and future current generations.In concluding the titah, the monarch took the opportunity to remind the new UBD graduates to preserve the Bruneian identity based on the Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) concept. “Protect it, and hand it down to generations to come,” he said.


Sumber - The Brunei Times