Brunei’s Vision 2035: Can It Achieve Food Self-Sufficiency? – Analysis

Can Brunei feed itself? Can Brunei’s Vision 2035 that was introduced in 2008 during the global food crisis stimulate its food and agricultural production?

By Jonatan A. Lassa

One of the aims of Brunei’s Vision 2035 is to improve the Sultanate’s rice self-sufficiency rate to at least 60 per cent by 2015. Since the country needs no less than 35,000 tonnes of rice per year, it needs to secure domestic production of no less than 21,000 tonnes a year by 2015. Unfortunately, five years since the launch of Vision 2035, its total production in 2013 reached only 5.3% (1,850 tonnes). Therefore, it is very unlikely for the country to achieve its 2015 target. Can it achieve its goal of reaching 60% rice self-sufficiency in the long run?

Vision 2035 was drafted and launched in the middle of the food crisis in 2007/2008 when some of the exporting countries shut down their exports which triggered a rush towards food self-sufficiency among some importing countries including the Brunei Sultanate. The objective is to reduce dependency on rice imports. Brunei still enjoys over 90% of export earnings from the oil and gas sector. However, the recent collapse of oil price – which reached its lowest point at the end of 2014 – may strongly justify the Sultanate’s statement in 2008: “The attitude of completely relying on dollars to fill stomachs is no longer relevant with the emergence of this crisis.”

Long term decline in rice yield

For those who have been observing the trend in food production in ASEAN and Brunei in particular, the Sultanate’s Vision 2035 can be seen as a very bold statement without a clear route. However, with a land area eight times that of Singapore’s and with a total population less than a tenth of Singapore’s, there is a possibility of achieving a certain degree of food self-sufficiency.

Rice yield in Brunei is the lowest in Southeast Asia. During 2000-2009, its rice yield average was 0.73 tonnes per hectare. In fact, in the first anniversary of the announcement of the vision statement, the country’s rice yield reached its lowest point in history (0.51 tonnes per ha in 2009). During the British colonial period, especially in the 1970s, rice yield reached its peak at 2.9 tonnes per ha in 1975.

During 1973-1975, Brunei’s rice yield was much higher than Thailand’s (2.16 tonnes per ha) and the rest of Indo-China including Vietnam (1.74 tonnes per ha). However, as the rice yield in Indo-China led by Vietnam gradually increased since the early 1990s to above two tonnes per ha, Brunei’s rice yield dropped to an average of 1.65 tonnes per ha during late 1970s till late 1990s, reaching its lowest yield at 0.53 in 1999.

There has been an indication lately of a marginal recovery of Brunei’s rice yield to slightly above one tonne per ha in 2013. The annual rice yields of Vietnam and Indonesia have reached subsequently above 5.5 and 6.2 tonnes per ha. By a modest account, Brunei still has the potential to increase its yield – learning from Central Kalimantan (Indonesia) where the rice yield can reach 2.8 to 3.2 tonnes per ha.

The agriculture and food sector’s share of GDP is still less than 1% and employs less than 14,000 people (about 3.3% of the total workforce in 2012). Of the total 5,600 ha agricultural land, the total area for rice is 1800 ha (as of 2013). It still has the potential to expand its rice area.

New agricultural initiatives

Under Vision 2035, the government has recently launched innovative agricultural initiatives. This means development of infrastructure, new land expansion, adoption of new rice hybrids, development hydroponics/aqua phonics technology, and improvement in post harvesting technology. By improving production infrastructure, adopting the best rice variety that can yield more than 3-4 tonnes per ha, Brunei’s policymakers seem to be content with the possibility that it can achieve 20% self-sufficiency rate very soon, at least on paper. In fact, the government has claimed that it has been implementing the plan to increase yield between 3.8-8.7 tonnes per ha.

The Vision 2035 strategic plan has been incorporated into the 10th Brunei National Development Plan (2012-2017). Pehin Dato Hj Yahya, the minister in charge of agriculture, recently announced the establishment of a modern rice-milling facility in August 2014 with annual production capacity of 5800 metric tonnes of rice. This is seen as progress, and in the right direction. In the event of a shortfall, the government will be supported by technology and expertise from Malaysia.

The extent to which this food self-sufficiency drive will be successful is, however, unclear. All remains to be seen in the next few years. The good news is that the optimism is still high as very recently the government proudly presented that its poultry industry has produced an output that is ‘near self-sufficiency’. In addition, some anecdotal data suggests that seafood products and tropical vegetables have reached 60-80% self-sufficiency. However, the pursuit of self-sufficiency in the livestock (e.g. beef and goats) and rice sectors may not be easy.

There seems to be no fiscal constraint to finance Brunei’s food and agriculture infrastructure. The challenge is how to make the rice-producing industry and livestock sector not only profitable to the local farmers but also sustainable by incentivising food production in Brunei in efficient and effective ways. Arguably, it would be more profitable and sustainable to have a modest self-sufficiency policy target between 25-50%. This can be pursued by introducing a high yielding rice variety, complemented by a strategy of diversifying the sources of food imports.


Sumber - Eurasia Review

64 kes denggi dilaporkan

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 16 Feb – Sejumlah 64 kes penyakit demam denggi talah dilaporkan sejak Januari hingga 13 Februari.

Jumlah tersebut adalah tinggi berbanding dengan tempoh yang sama tahun lepas di mana hanya 16 kes sahaja yang dilaporkan. Bagaimanapun situasi ini adalah masih terkawal.

Kementerian Kesihatan dalam satu kenyataan di sini berkata, dalam pada itu, jumlah kes demam denggi di sepanjang tahun 2014 ialah 436 kes, berbanding dengan 416 kes bagi tahun 2013.

Penyakit demam denggi adalah sejenis penyakit bawaan nyamuk Aedes yang mudah membiak di dalam takungan air sama ada di dalam atau di luar rumah.

Antara tempat takungan air yang menjadi tempat pembiakan nyamuk Aedes ialah pasu-pasu bunga, longkang-longkang yang tersumbat dan botol-botol plastik dan bekas-bekas tayar yang digunakan sebagai gubahan landskap; di dalam tempat-tempat takungan air yang tidak tertutup rapat seperti tangki air, baldi, tajau dan sebagainya serta sampah sarap yang boleh menakung air seperti tin-tin kosong, bekas-bekas tayar yang terbiar, botol-botol kosong dan bekas kotak makanan.

Kenyataan itu berkata, antara tanda-tanda jangkitan penyakit denggi termasuklah demam panas, sakit kepala, ruam kulit, sakit otot dan sendi serta sakit di bahagian belakang kelopak mata.

Ada kalanya pesakit boleh juga mengalami tanda-tanda yang lebih teruk seperti sakit perut, mual dan muntah serta masalah pendarahan.

Bagi mencegah dan mengawal penyakit ini, orang ramai dinasihatkan supaya sentiasa memeriksa dan menjaga persekitaran kebersihan rumah dan bangunan masing-masing untuk memastikan tidak ada tempat atau bekas yang boleh menakung air dan menjadi punca pembiakan nyamuk Aedes.

Menghapuskan tempat-tempat pembiakan nyamuk Aedes dengan membuang takungan air dan mencuci bekas-bekas tersebut dengan bersih untuk memusnahkan sisa-sisa telur nyamuk. Ini adalah kerana telur-telur nyamuk boleh bertahan di tempat yang kering selama enam bulan dan sebaik sahaja telur-telur tersebut terdedah kepada air, telur-telur nyamuk boleh menetas dalam masa tujuh hari.

Membuang sampah sarap secara kerap dan teratur terutama sekali sampah sarap yang boleh menakung air, sentiasa menjaga dan memastikan kebersihan persekitaran dan segera mendapatkan rawatan di pusat-pusat atau klinik-klinik kesihatan yang berdekatan jika mengalami tanda-tanda penyakit seperti yang nyatakan itu.


Sumber - Media Permata

Cameron in deal to extend British troops' stay in Brunei

The stationing of UK troops in Brunei also allows them to undertake extreme environment training.

Prime Minister David Cameron (R) and the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah (L) shake hands after signing
a defence cooperation agreement between the United Kingdom and Brunei following talks at Chequers,
the prime mininster's residence near Aylesbury, north west of London

Britain will continue to station troops in Brunei for a further five years to help maintain the armed forces' permanent presence in South Asia, Downing Street has said.

Prime Minister David Cameron renewed the long-standing agreement during a meeting with the Sultan of Brunei at Chequers.

The stationing of UK troops in Brunei also allows them to undertake extreme environment training.

Following the meeting this morning, a No 10 spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister welcomed His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei to Chequers this morning. They agreed to renew a long-standing agreement to station UK troops at a garrison in Brunei for a further five years.

"The PM noted that the garrison enables the UK to provide a permanent presence in South Asia while also providing an opportunity for British forces to undertake extreme environment training."

The UK has had a contingent of Gurkhas in Brunei since 1962 and there are currently around 2,000 personnel based in the country.

Following Bruneian independence in 1984, Britain agreed to continue to station an infantry battalion in the Sultanate, a deal which is renewed every five years.

The garrison includes a resident infantry battalion - currently the First Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, Training Team Brunei, which provides training to members of the British Armed Forces, and a small number of British loan service personnel who serve with the Bruneian Armed Forces.

Mr Cameron also discussed action against Islamist extremists with the Sultan of Brunei during the talks.

"It is absolutely clear that what we need to be doing around the world is working with other countries to tackle this growing threat from Islamist extremists and their poisonous ideology wherever we find it," said the spokeswoman.

Asked whether the weekend's events made Mr Cameron regret his decision to commit UK military forces in Libya in 2011, the Number 10 spokeswoman said: "This was a country where people were being oppressed by a dictator, where they were not able to pursue their aspirations and have their voice heard for a democratic and peaceful Libya.

"The actions we took there and the decision to intervene was an international one."

Libya is currently engulfed by political uncertainty and violent power struggles, with the unrest seen as the worst since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Sir Richard Dalton, a former British ambassador to the country, said IS has established a presence in the country following the "disappearance of legitimate authority".

However, he stressed the scale of IS's influence appears to be "limited" and played down the possibility of the militant group building a power base similar to those it established in Syria and Iraq.

Bishop Angaelos, general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, condemned the brutality as "plunging the world back into a medieval time".

The Archbishop of Canterbury called the beheading of Christian hostages in Libya by Islamic State (IS, or Isis), shootings in Denmark and a suicide bombing in Nigeria "terrible cruelty".


Sumber - Telegraph

US Navy intel officer says China gearing for war

SAN FRANCISCO — China is flexing its muscles and preparing for military conflict in Asia, the outgoing intelligence chief of the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet recently warned.

The warning came amid Beijing’s feverish reclamation efforts in disputed reefs and islets in the South China Sea that analysts said could be converted into naval and air force bases to project its military might and dominate China’s smaller neighbors.

“The strategic trend lines indicate the Communist Party of China is not only ‘rejuvenating’ itself for internal stability purposes, but has been and continues to prepare to use military force,” Navy Capt. James E. Fanell said during a speech January 31 before more than 100 guests, including several admirals, at Pearl Harbor.

The straight-shooting intelligence officer, who is retiring after more than 28 years in the Navy, said it would be unwise for the United States to ignore or paper over the warning signs of China’s increasingly aggressive behavior.

“…[L]et’s not deceive ourselves. The evidence I’ve been chewing on over the past 15 years is overwhelming,” Fanell said in a blunt warning first reported by the Washington Beacon. “Beijing has prepared for military action and [Chinese] President Xi Jinping’s ‘China Dream’ has a defined timeline to reach this ‘rejuvenated’ end state.”

Fannel urged his fellow intelligence officials to present honest assessments of the danger posed by China’s growing military power, an oblique reference to what officials consider as numerous U.S. intelligence failures in assessing China’s military build up over the last few decades.

‘Tell the truth’

“The challenge, as I have seen it, is for intelligence professionals to make the case, to tell the truth, and to convince national decision- and policy-makers to realize that China’s rise, if left unchecked or undeterred, will necessarily disrupt the peace and stability of our friends, partners, and allies,” he stressed.

“We should not have to wait for an actual shooting war to start before we acknowledge there is a problem and before we start taking serious action,” Fanell added.

According to the career intelligence officer, China’s Communist Party is pursuing plans that “stand in direct contrast to espoused US national security objectives of freedom of navigation and free access to markets for all of Asia.”

For instance, Fanell observed that the Chinese navy is taking steps to achieve strategic objectives that include the restoration of what Beijing says is “sovereign maritime territory,” specifically thousands of square miles of water inside the so-called first island chain — a string of western Pacific islands near China’s coasts stretching from Northeast Asia through the South China Sea.

Pivot to Asia

He said the Obama administration’s so-called pivot to Asia, a policy of shifting forces to the Asia-Pacific region, is a good first step to counter the challenge of China.

“But it must be backed up with a real, tangible deterrent force and we must stand up to Beijing’s propaganda and bullying campaign, especially those that come at the expense of our allies and partners,” he said.

Fanell said the “rebalance” features the shift of some troops, naval and air forces to the region, but it has been inadequate due to sharp defense cuts under the Obama administration and continuing US military commitments in the Middle East.

Veteran China watcher

A native Californian, Fanell is a graduate of San Diego State University in 1985 with a degree of history and political science and the University of Hawaii with an M.A. in history in 1997.

Fanell has had extensive experience serving in the Pacific, giving him a profound insight into the changing dynamics of how the region’s navies operate. In 1991, he was named one of the first China maritime watch officers by the Joint Intelligence Center, Pacific. And from 2005 to 2006, he studied China’s naval operations as a national security affairs fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.

Fanell’s provocative comments about Chinese maritime assertiveness — especially against the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan — have stirred an international controversy that led to his being shelved for a while from his top intelligence job.

For instance, Fanell recently asserted that China now has eight military installations on seven reefs in the Spratly Islands being claimed by the Philippines.

China, he pointed out, “is challenging other nations’ rights under the rubric of “what’s mine is mine, and we’ll negotiate what’s yours.”

He branded as “outright Chinese aggression” Beijing’s 2012 seizure of Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc), about 137 miles off Palauig town in Zambales, after a tense standoff with the Philippines.

Reclamation frenzy

Japan Military Review, a defense magazine based in Tokyo, observed that China’s reclamation frenzy in disputed reefs and islands in the South China Sea was part of Beijing’s plan to use them as its “first island chain,” intended to contain U.S. military facilities in Australia.

Citing a blueprint drawn by the Ninth Design and Research Institute of the state-run China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the report said that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) plans to build both naval and air force bases on the six islands and reefs under its control in the South China Sea.

Already, China is said to be constructing an airfield on Johnson South Reef, known in the Philippines as Mabini Reef, in which the Philippines said about 10 hectares (about 25 acres) has been reclaimed in what it fears China would transform into a military base.

Johnson South Reef, which is also being claimed by Vietnam, was the scene of a bloody confrontation in 1988 that resulted in the death of 70 Vietnamese and the sinking of two Vietnamese boats and the Chinese occupying the reef.

Apart from Mabini Reef which also features a three-storey concrete building ringed with gun emplacements and a helipad, the other reefs being developed by China are:

*Mischief Reef – a three-storey concrete building ringed with five octagonal concrete structures. It has search lights and radar.

*Cuarteron Reef – a permanent reef fortress, supply platforms, and naval and anti-aircraft guns. An airstrip is reportedly being planned.

*Fiery Cross Reef – A marine observation station designated in 2011 as “main command headquarters” equipped with surface and air search radars and armed with at least four high-powered naval guns.

*Gaven Reef – a permanent reef fortress, supply platforms an harbor for navy patrol boats.

*Subi Reef – a permanent reef fortress and supply platforms that can house troops, has a helipad and is armed with four twin-barrel 37mm naval guns. Also houses a Doppler weather radar.

China already maintains a military outpost in Woody Island in the Paracels. Vietnam and Taiwan are contesting the island, which currently has a population of more than 1,000 and features an artificial harbor capable of docking vessels of up to 5,000 tons and an airport with a 2,700-meter runway capable of handling fighter aircraft.

Philippine security expert Rafael Alunan, a former cabinet member in the Cory Aquino and Ramos administrations, said China’s ultimate goal is to deny the United States unrestricted passage in the South China Sea.

Alunan is convinced that China’s assertiveness in disputed areas reflects its intentions of making “vassals states” of South China Sea rim nations, adding tension in a region that, he said, has become a flashpoint for armed confrontation.

‘Game changer’

Former National Security Adviser Roilo Golez has warned about the dangers posed to Philippine security and ASEAN regional stability should China establish a military installation capable of holding warships and fighter aircraft in Mabini Reef.

The Annapolis trained Golez said a Chinese base in the area could be a “game changer,” because it would allow Beijing to intimidate countries that have competing claims in the disputed areas.

Golez said because of its strategic location, a base in Mabini Reef would allow China to hit at targets in the entire Philippines, Singapore, most of Vietnam, part of Malaysia, part of Indonesia and the whole of Borneo.

“So, it can threaten all our vital military installations, including installations we can make available under EDCA,” he added, referring to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement which seeks to bolster U.S.-Philippine security cooperation by allowing America to station troops and operations on PH territory.


Sumber - Inquirer Global Nation

Judge: Beijing lost that power after signing pact

By Loshana K Shagar

KUALA LUMPUR: China has no historical claim to the South China Sea, as it gave up that right when it became a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), according to a Philippine Supreme Court judge.

Justice Antonio Carpio said when a country became a signatory to the UNCLOS, it gave up historical claims in exchange for an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), comprising 200 nautical miles from a country’s coastline.

“Even if they were not signatories, there is no historical proof that they have owned most of the areas they are claiming, such as the Scarborough and Spratly Islands.

“In ancient Chinese maps dating back to the Song and Qing dynasties, the southernmost territory of China has always been Hainan Island, with its ancient names being Zhuya, then Qiongya, and thereafter Qiongzhou.

“However, in more recent maps, the border has extended to a line of nine dashes, looping down to about 1,800km south from Hainan Island, almost near Sabah,” he said when delivering a lecture on the South China Sea dispute at the Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium here on Friday.

The event was jointly organised by the Bar Council, Universiti Malaya and the Philippine Embassy.

The Chinese government has staked its claim to 90% of the South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, an archipelago of 750 islands and reefs near the Philippines.

The Philippine government, in response, presented a series of ancient maps which show that islands such as Scarborough were marked as Philippine territory long before it appeared in Chinese maps.

Carpio is visiting Asean countries to deliver a series of lectures on the dispute. Malaysia is his first stop.

“We have filed a territory dispute over China’s claims with the United Nations, and are waiting for a tribunal to decide on the arbitration case.

“Once the tribunal provides its ruling on the matter, we expect China to abide by it, even if they are not participating in the case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague,” said Carpio.

The UN tribunal is expected to provide a ruling on the case late this year or early 2016, but Carpio said that would not end the dispute involving the South China Sea, which is either partially or wholly claimed by the Philippines, China, Brunei, Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam.

“I think world opinion will be on our side and I don’t think any country in the world can for long violate international law especially if there’s a ruling by a competent international tribunal.

“If the Philippines wins its case and China refuses to comply with the ruling, we will petition a United Nations council every year until China complies with the decision,” added Carpio.


Sumber - The Star Online

Brunei urged to increase private sector participation

Leo Kasim
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

BRUNEI must increase participation of the private sector in its economy by encouraging a “more level playing field” within the economy for state-owned enterprises and private entities, a senior official from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said.

In her concluding remarks, Mariam Md Salleh, the chairperson of the WTO’s trade policy review body, who is also the Malaysian Ambassador to the WTO, said that Brunei needs to promote a more business-friendly environment for increased private sector involvement in the economy.

She said this during the third trade policy review for Brunei last Tuesday. The country had its second review in 2008 with members calling for increased independence from oil and gas at that time.

According to the WTO, the trade policy reviews are exercises mandated by the organisation in which trade policies of member countries are evaluated at regular intervals with the frequency of review depending on the country’s size.

During the review, she said that members of the WTO encouraged Brunei to reduce remaining restrictions and barriers to foreign direct investment in order to increase private sector participation in the economy which remains limited.

The chairperson added that despite the global economic crisis, macroeconomic indicators for the country remained “sound” with a low inflation rate, strong fiscal position and current account surplus.

However, Brunei was encouraged to accelerate its pace of economic diversification away from hydrocarbons in light of current low global oil prices, she said.

She added that in terms of improvements, members praised the country’s reforms made in areas such as customs procedures and legal frameworks in areas such as business environment, financial services, fisheries and intellectual property.

The chairperson said that members also called for more transparency in sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures such as the halal certificate and establishment of the National Standards Council.

“Member raised a number of questions and requested Brunei Darussalam to make further efforts to enhance transparency and notifications in the elaboration and implementation of technical regulations and SPS measures,” she said.

She also said that the members encouraged Brunei to complete additional legislation on competition, while promoting greater transparency of government decision making on trade policy matters.

 The chairperson said that Brunei was advised to increase foreign investment in agriculture to help meet its self-sufficiency targets and for energy subsidy reforms to “reduce the distortions affecting Brunei’s efforts at diversifying its economy”.

The Sultanate must also complete “additional legislation on competition” and improve the transparency of government decisions on trade policy matters, she added.

In the services sector, the chairperson said, Brunei was encouraged to increase its commitment to the general agreement on trade in services.

The chairperson also said that the tourism, telecoms, construction, finance and transportation industry were highlighted for their particular potential for growth and diversification of the country’s hheconomy.

She added that overall, the review was “positive” with Brunei reducing its average most favoured nation applied tariff from 4.8 per cent in 2007 to 1.7 per cent in 2014 after having liberalised its trade regime.

The chairperson also said that members noted Brunei’s use of trade agreements to deepen its integration into the global economy. Additionally, the country has never used trade remedy measures or has been subjected to WTO trade dispute proceedings, she added.


Sumber - The Brunei Times

‘Still no justice’ in the Bangsamoro lands

At the Senate investigation, MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal enumerated some of the injustices wrought against Moros throughout history.

By DEE AYROSO

At the Senate hearing on the Mamasapano operations on Feb. 12, Mohagher Iqbal tried to give a brief picture of why the Moro people have turned to armed struggle.

“We were the first ones to become victims,” said the MILF leader, in response to Senator Allan Peter Cayetano’s statements blaming the MILF for the conflict in Mindanao.

Iqbal said that after Moros fought should-to-shoulder with Christians against the Japanese colonizers in World War II, the government has passed many oppressive laws, such as the Quirino-Recto colonization of Mindanao, which treated the island as “colony.” He said the government thought of “the ultimate solution to the Moro problem” by settling people from Luzon and Visayas to Mindanao.

In 1968, there was the Jabidah Massacre, where Moro youths recruited to reclaim Sabah were gunned down in Corregidor Island, after some tried to report to higher ups about hardships in their covert training.

Iqbal said the incident was an “eye-opener” for many Moros. Then a student in Manila, he joined demonstrations, including the nine-day protest in Malacañang, to seek justice for the victims.
 Moro leaders led by Cotabato governor Datu Udtug Matalam formed the Mindanao Independence Movement. In turn, Christians formed the “Ilaga,” a vigilante group, which was responsible for killing “tens of thousands of Moros,” Iqbal said.

“The Moros saw that the fight was not fair,” Iqbal said. And this was the turning point, when Moros took up arms. The secessionist Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was formed in 1969 by Nur Misuari.

During martial law, various massacres were committed by the Philippine government through its military, and Iqbal enumerated some of them at the senate hearing:

“On June 19, 1971, there was the Manila massacre, with 70 dead; on Oct. 24, 1971, 66 were dead in what was Magsaysay in Lanao (del Norte); in Taktako, four were killed on Nov. 22, 1971; in Pata island massacre, February 1981, there were 2,000 dead, but according to government there were only 750 dead; Patikul (Sulu) massacre, Oct 1977, 600 dead; and there were also those killed in Malisbong, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat, more than 1,000, women, children, the elderly.”

“Up to now there is no justice,” Iqbal said.

“We organized because it was not a fair match,” Iqbal said. “It would be on the same level if we use arms,” he said.

The MILF was formed in 1978, dissatisfied with the MNLF’s peace talks with the Marcos regime.

The MNLF later signed a peace agreement with the Corazon Aquino government. Later, in 1997, the MILF also entered in its own peace agreement, this time with the Ramos administration.

Seventeen years later, the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (Cab) was signed with the Philippine government under President Aquino.

The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) broke away from the MILF in 2012, to continue the armed struggle for secession.


Sumber - Bulatlat

Brunei ranks 121 on Press Freedom Index

Quratul-Ain Bandial
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

BRUNEI dropped four spots to rank 121 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ 2015 World Press Freedom Index which was released yesterday.

According to the annual report, Brunei scored 36.76 out of a possible 100 (100 being the worst) on the index, indicating a “difficult situation” for media freedom.

Countries with a score between 35 to 55 points are labeled as in a “difficult situation”, while scores of 55 and above are described as a “very serious situation”. However, Brunei fared the best among ASEAN countries, with no Southeast Asian nation ranking in the top 100 of the World Press Freedom Index. Thailand came second in ASEAN (ranked 134) with a score of 40.07, followed by Indonesia (138), Cambodia (139), the Philippines (141), Myanmar (144), Malaysia (147), Laos (171) and Vietnam (175). The index ranks the performance of 180 countries according to a range of criteria that include media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists, and the legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which the media operate.

Top of the list, are three Scandinavian countries – Finland, which has been in first place for five years in succession, followed by Norway and Denmark. At the other end of the scale, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea, in last place, were the worst performers.

“The 2015 World Press Freedom Index highlights the worldwide deterioration in freedom of information in 2014. Beset by wars, the growing threat from non-state operatives, violence during demonstrations and the economic crisis, media freedom is in retreat on all five continents,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement yesterday.


Sumber - The Brunei Times

Brunei Darussalam’s renewed focus on alternative energy

Plans to revive a stalled renewable energy deal between Brunei Darussalam and neighbouring Sarawak that would see hydropower exported from the Malaysian state to the Sultanate have thrown a focus on its efforts to increase renewable energy sources.

Bruneian officials confirmed at the end of January that they would soon be receiving the business plan and details of a proposal to jointly develop hydroelectric dams in northern Sarawak, with a 40km power transmission line to Brunei Darussalam. This forms part of a wider plan to reduce the Sultanate’s reliance on fossil fuels by increasing its solar capacities and creating feed-in tariff mechanisms.

Electricity Exports

Tapping Sarawak’s considerable sustainable energy resources offers a shortcut to raising renewable energy’s contribution to the Bruneian economy, which has been dependent on gas to generate electricity. Sarawak has the goal of reaching installed hydropower capacity of 20,000 MW, and previous bilateral discussions have proposed the export of some 150 MW to Temburong.  The Sultanate could also position itself as a hub to further export power across the region.

A study, conducted under a memorandum of understanding between Sarawak Energy Bhd, Brunei Darussalam’s Prime Minister’s office and the Department of Electrical Services (DES), was completed five years ago.  Under the proposals, the first phase of power exports would move from Tudan to the Sultanate via a border point at Sungai Tujuh. Limbang, where a 200MW hydroelectric dam project is under review, was suggested for the second phase.

The proposal highlights the rising need to increase renewable energy’s role in the Sultanate. In a report from 2013, Minsoo Lee, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) senior economist in the Macroeconomics and Finance Research Division pointed out that the Sultanate had spent $470m in fuel subsidies two years earlier, which amounted to more than $1,000 per person.

“For Brunei, the benefit of these projects is that the country will be getting power from renewable energy,” the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office, YB Pehin Dato Yasmin Umar, said, adding that it would conduct its own due diligence before investing in the project.

The Energy Plan

Although unable to reach the ASEAN bloc target of renewable energy accounting for 15% of collective energy supply by 2015, the government has made some inroads. In its March 2014 “Energy White Paper”, the Energy Department at the Prime Minister’s Office (EDPMO) laid out the goals of reaching 124 GWh of renewable power generation by 2017 and 954 GWh by 2035.

So far, Brunei Darussalam has very little renewable generation, consisting mainly of a small solar power plant that produces about 1.7 GWh a year.  The country lacks hydropower, a main source of alternative energy.

To meet this target the EDPMO is planning to introduce a feed-in tariff to encourage investment in renewable energy systems. The policy should help to spur development of distributed solar generation within the country and enable homeowners with installed solar panels to sell their excess electricity back to the government.

The government is planning to take a leading role in identifying land for utility-scale solar projects and developing a waste-to-energy project using municipal solid waste. The project is expected to generate 10-15 MW of power.

It also laid out plans for a 45% reduction in energy intensity from a base of 390 tonnes of oil equivalent per $1m of GDP in 2005 to 215 tonnes of oil equivalent per $1m of GDP by 2035 to promote sustainable development.  Part of the reason behind its bid to reduce energy intensity is to meet an anticipated rising demand from a high-value downstream oil and gas sector and other economic activities.

Choosing a Path

Despite the potential for renewable energy growth, critics say deeper reform is needed to encourage greater investment in the sector. Milo Sjardin, head of Asia-Pacific Bloomberg New Energy Finance, told local media in August that the Sultanate must first reduce subsidies to achieve efficient use of energy before making costly investments in renewable energy.  “It does not make sense ... Brunei should start with energy efficiency because PVs can’t compete yet,” he said.  However, he believes that by 2030, when the cost of PVs is expected to drop 25%, investing in the technology will be more viable.

Indeed, while an abundance of fossil fuel reserves has kept energy in good supply and affordable, economic and environmental goals demand a shift to alternative sources of energy. To ensure ambitious goals are met, departments could work closer with the private sector and investment authorities to encourage the growth of new plants and initiatives.


Sumber - Oxford Business Group

NDP Mengucapkan Takziah di atas Kembalinya Mursyidul Am PAS Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat ke Rahmatullah

Presiden , Ahli Majlis Tertinggi dan seluruh Ahli Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (NDP) merakamkan ucapan takziah kepada keluarga Allahyarham Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat dan kepada seluruh Pimpinan serta ahli Parti Islam Semalaysia (PAS) di atas kembalinya Mursyidul Am PAS Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat ke Rahmatullah pada 9.40 malam ini.

Perginya beliau merupakan satu kehilangan seorang Tokoh Ulama dan Politik yang disegani dan turut dirasai oleh pimpinan dan seluruh Ahli NDP.

Semoga roh Allahyarham Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat dicucuri rahmat dan ditempatkan bersama para syuhada.  Amin... Al-Fatihah.