KDYMM: Belia berperanan besar memelihara, mengangkat martabat negara

Titah KDYMM sempena Sambutan Hari Belia Kebangsaan Ke-9 Tahun 2014 pada hari Rabu 8 Zulkaedah 1435 bersamaan 3 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.

ALHAMDULILLAH, beta bersyukur ke hadrat Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala kerana dengan limpah rahmat-Nya jua, dapatlah kita pada hari ini bersama-sama lagi berkumpul dalam perhimpunan Sambutan Hari Belia Kebangsaan Kali Kesembilan bagi tahun 2014. Beta sukacita mengucapkan Selamat Menyambut Hari Belia Kebangsaan 2014 kepada semua para belia di negara ini.

Para belia mempunyai peranan yang sangat besar dalam memelihara dan mengangkat martabat negara. Mereka juga adalah golongan paling berpotensi untuk mencorakkan bangsa dengan apa jua corak yang mereka mahu. Bukankah hampir 50 peratus dari jumlah penduduk negara ini terdiri daripada kaum belia? Jumlah yang sebesar ini merupakan satu kuasa tersendiri.

Kaum belia perlu menggunakan kelebihan ini untuk membina diri mereka sendiri dan juga masyarakat. Dengan kelebihan yang ada itu, mereka adalah mampu untuk terus berkembang, dengan merebut pelbagai peluang yang sentiasa terbuka luas di hadapan mereka. Peluang-peluang tersebut turut meliputi, seperti peluang menambah kebolehan dan kemahiran.

Kaum belia juga adalah agen kepada perubahan. Namun dalam perkara perubahan ini, semua kita, lebih-lebih lagi kaum belia adalah dikehendaki supaya lebih bijak dan berhati-hati dalam menilai dan memilih perubahan itu. Kerana bukanlah semua perubahan itu baik, malah ada yang memerlukan kita supaya mengelaknya, iaitu jika perubahan itu membawa impak tidak baik atau tidak selaras dengan aspirasi bangsa.

Sebelum membawa atau melahirkan sebarang perubahan, kaum belia dikehendaki untuk memiliki jati diri yang jelas, kukuh dan mantap. Ia juga mustahak untuk diisi dengan nilai-nilai ugama dan budaya yang luhur, supaya kelak perubahan itu tidak dibayangi oleh elemen-elemen yang tidak diingini.

Jika sesuatu perubahan itu menampilkan kebatilan, maka perubahan seperti ini tidaklah dialu-alukan, kerana kemunculannya bukan membawa kebaikan tetapi sebaliknya mengundang kerosakan. Ini, sangat biasa terjadi di mana-mana, atas nama perubahan, kalau perubahan itu berunsur malapetaka, maka masyarakat yang menerimanya akan menderita jadinya.

Kita di Brunei, perlulah berhati-hati dengan perkara seumpama ini. Cari dan rancanglah perubahan yang membina, bukan perubahan yang merosak. Janganlah belajar atau mengambil dari mana-mana yang tidak bermanfaat untuk dipelajari, tetapi belajarlah dari mana dan kepada siapa yang patut dicontohi.

Inilah cara mengendalikan diri. Para belia mustahak memahami perkara ini. Mengendalikan diri itu bererti juga menguasai keadaan di mana yang perlu.

Inilah cabaran yang sangat sukar untuk dihadapi, iaitu cabaran Abad Ke-21 era globalisasi. Cabaran ini tidak pernah sunyi dari agenda memusnahkan kebenaran.

Di sinilah para belia tidak boleh memandang ringan sebarang cabaran, tetapi mustahak menghayati saranan tema Hari Belia Kebangsaan pada tahun ini 'Bersatu Menghadapi Cabaran Abad Ke-21'.

Sesungguhnya abad ini memang penuh dengan cabaran. Tidak siapapun yang boleh terlepas dari cabaran, sama ada cabaran itu membina atau meruntuh. Jika cabaran membina, ia wajar kita sambut dengan keghairahan, sementara jika cabaran itu meruntuh, maka kita adalah berkewajipan untuk menyambutnya dengan semangat menolak atau melawan, dalam makna, kita perlu berjaya menolak atau menggagalkannya. Jika kita berjaya menolak atau menggagalkan cabaran seperti ini, bererti kita adalah penyelamat: penyelamat diri sendiri, penyelamat masyarakat dan penyelamat negara.

Para belia mesti tampil menjadi wira keadaan. Corakkanlah keadaan itu dengan kebajikan. Biar ia malar tenteram dan menyenangkan serta berhias dengan perpaduan, persefahaman, dan keharmonian.

Satu contoh bagus tentang perpaduan dan persefahaman, terdapat dalam acara-acara Kejohanan Bola Sepak Piala Hassanal Bolkiah Peringkat Belia. Melalui acara-acara ini kita dapat menyaksikan kumpulan belia negara-negara ASEAN dan Timor Leste sedang beraksi merealisasikan perpaduan dan persefahaman di antara mereka. Suasana seperti ini amatlah membanggakan dan malah menghiburkan.

Kita juga gembira, kerana kejohanan ini telah turut diiktiraf oleh Asian Football Confederation (AFC) dan ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) sebagai satu kejohanan bola sepak belia yang terunggul di rantau ini.

Ini tidak syak lagi adalah merupakan satu lagi pencapaian bagi agenda dunia ‘Sukan untuk Keamanan dan Pembangunan’ atau Sports for Peace and Development.

Untuk akhirnya, beta mengambil kesempatan, untuk mengucapkan setinggi-tinggi tahniah dan syabas kepada pasukan Tebuan Muda Negara Brunei Darussalam di atas mutu persembahan mereka yang baik, walaupun tidak dapat meneruskan sehingga ke pusingan berikutnya.

Sekian, Wabillahit Taufeq Walhidayah, Wassalamu ‘Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Work needed on Asean community labour policy

By Sanchita Das Basu

In 15 months, the Asean Economic Community (AEC) comes into effect, heralding a new era in which the flow of goods, services, capital and labour will be freed up across the region.

One aspect of this liberalisation is what it will mean for job opportunities across Asean's 10 member countries.

Will an engineering graduate from Malaysia be able to apply for a job in Indonesia? Can a Filipino nurse get to work in a Thai hospital?

Under ideal conditions, the answer is a resounding yes. But there are several reasons why the answer is no and will remain so in the next few years.

Essentially, the AEC will affect employment in two ways - structural change in domestic economies as a result of greater trade integration; and from freer flow of skilled labour.

In terms of structural change, there could be some occupations that are likely to grow as the Asean integration process matures. Indeed, this kind of structural change, and changing employment dynamics, has occurred in the past.

Take the fact that during the last two decades, Asean has seen a decline in agriculture employment, which has mainly been compensated for by gains in the services sector.

Currently, while agriculture accounts for 40 per cent of total employment in the region, industry accounts for 19 per cent and services, 41 per cent.

But the regional generalisation masks cross-country variation.

Country-wise, even today, agriculture remains the largest employer for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Then again, though, services sector employment plays an important role in Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Interestingly, a study of six Asean countries from both these groupings - Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam - by the International Labour Organisation and the Asian Development Bank mentions that with the AEC in place, by 2025, the six countries would gain jobs in agriculture, trade and transport, and construction. For these economies, job losses would occur in food processing, private services and mining industries.

The impact on the labour market could also be felt in a shift in occupations that would be in demand. The largest absolute demand is likely to come for low- and medium-skilled jobs, though high-skilled jobs will be wanted, too. Low and medium-skilled jobs include wood treaters, craftsmen and machine operators, locomotive drivers, hotel and restaurant managers, waiters and bartenders, and repairmen.

But it is in the area of high-skilled workers that the groundwork for greater mobility is being laid.

Asean member states have agreed on a framework for mutual recognition agreements for seven professions - engineering, architecture, nursing, accountancy, surveying services, medical and dental professions. These agreements allow each member country to recognise education and experience, licences and certificates granted in another country.

But in practice, only the skills of architects and engineers who are registered with the professional regulatory body both in their home countries and at the regional level receive cross-border recognition, and thereafter domestic rules and regulations governing these professions prevail, preventing free movement.

For example, in Malaysia, foreign engineers have to be licensed by its Board of Engineers for specific projects and must be sponsored by the Malaysian company carrying out the project. The Malaysian company must further demonstrate to the Board that it is not able to find a domestic engineer for the job.

Lastly, foreign engineers in Malaysia must be registered engineers in their home country, have a minimum of 10 years' experience and have a physical presence in Malaysia of at least 180 days in a calendar year.

Similar restrictions prevent architects taking up full-time work in another Asean country. Most countries still impose restrictions on residency or nationality in their licensing requirements.

Foreign architects are often allowed to work on a project-based basis and, in most of the cases, employers have to submit proof that an equivalent national professional is not available. Such protectionism is not expected to go away anytime soon.

In nursing, again there is limited cross-border movement due to domestic regulations. For example, for a Filipino nurse to practise in Thailand, the candidate must pass the national licensure exam - in the Thai language.

As for the surveying profession, the mutual recognition agreement provides only broad aims and objectives for further bilateral and multilateral negotiations among Asean member states. So the advent of AEC by December 31, 2015, is not going to change anything for the Asean labour market immediately.

With maturity of economic integration over time, the region might see structural changes and, with that, changes in employment scenarios.

But those changes will take time, and the policymakers do have enough transition time to address looming issues in the domestic economies.

For example, while AEC may result in higher welfare for workers, better wages and more employment opportunities, the benefits are expected to be distributed unevenly among countries, sectors and gender.

To address this, coordinated and coherent policies will be needed at both regional and national levels to ensure inclusive and fair outcomes.

Policymakers should also continue with efforts to ensure quality education and training in their economies, as Asean strives to remain competitive and to develop itself as a regional production base in future.

The mutual recognition agreements cannot be a stepping stone towards greater mobility unless they address the domestic rules and regulations of individual Asean economies.

Sumber - The Straits Times

Rise in mental health cases worrying: Minister

Rabiatul Kamit
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Ministry of Health saw an 11.5 per cent increase in mental health cases over the past year, with 14,821 cases reported in 2013.

Health Minister Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Adanan Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Hj Mohd Yusof revealed the latest figures yesterday during the launch of a roadshow on the new Mental Health Order.

“This increase is very worrying,” said the minister, noting that mental health cases in the country continue to rise every year.

Citing statistics from the Psychiatry Department at the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hjh Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital, YB Pehin Dato Hj Adanan pointed out that 13,294 cases of mental health were recorded in 2012. The following year saw an additional 1,530 new mental health cases.

In response to the growing number of mental health cases, the minister reassured the public that the Ministry of Health (MoH) is taking the situation seriously.

He added that the ministry “continuously strives to strengthen and improve the healthcare system towards becoming more innovative, proactive and effective, not only responsive to the current needs, but always ready in addressing challenges that lie ahead, not excluding the handling of mental health”.

On November 1, Brunei is set to introduce the Mental Health Order that will replace the 1929 Lunacy Act towards providing comprehensive treatment for mental health patients.

The new order seeks to integrate the laws relating to mental health, while also creating provisions for the admission, detention, accommodation, care, treatment, rehabilitation and protection of mental health patients in a comprehensive, holistic, systematic and effective manner that is evidence-based.

“This order is timely and represents another proud milestone in the MoH’s efforts to strengthen and enhance its services and care to patients with mental disorders,” said the minister.

YB Pehin Dato Hj Adanan, in his speech, also highlighted the important role of the public in providing cooperation and support towards the enforcement of the Mental Health Order. He also urged the public, together with the authorities, to raise awareness about mental health issues.

With the series of roadshows slated for the new law, the minister expressed confidence that heightened awareness will help to overcome the social stigma associated with mental health.

“We do not want them to be restricted on their right to work and education, as well as the right to a family and the right to have a good quality of health. They should always be given support and assistance, not only for treatment and rehabilitation, but to enjoy the facilities appropriately,” he said.

The launching ceremony for the roadshow on the Mental Health Order took place at the Al-‘Afiah Hall, MoH.


Sumber - The Brunei Times

Modi takes 'swipe' at China, deplores 'expansionist' tendency of some nations

TOKYO: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday deplored the "expansionist" tendency among some countries which "encroach" upon seas of others, in oblique comments against China which is having a maritime dispute with Japan.

"The whole world accepts that the 21st century will belong to Asia. But I have a question. How should the 21st century be? We have to give an answer to this. It will depend on how deep and progressive our relationship (between India and Japan) is," he said addressing business leaders of India and Japan here.

"We have to decide if we want to have 'vikas vaad' (development) or 'vistar vaad' (expansionism) which leads to disintegration. Those who follow the path of Buddha and have faith on 'vikas vaad', they develop. But we see, those having ideas of the 18th century, engage in encroachments and enter seas (of others)," he said.

He did not name any country but the comments may be seen as targeting China which is engaged in territorial disputes with a number of its neighbours, including India, Japan and some others including Vietnam.

India and China share over 4,000 km of Line of Actual Control. China claims approximately 90,000 sq km of territory in Arunachal Pradesh besides 38,000 sq km in Jammu & Kashmir.

Also, relations between Japan and China have been tense over island disputes in the East China Sea and exploitation of undersea gas deposits in the area.

China claims 90 per cent of the South China Sea, believed to contain oil and gas deposits. Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan also lay claim to parts of the sea.

Modi underlined the need for closer and deeper cooperation between India and Japan to champion the cause of global "vikas vaad (development) instead of vistar vaad (expansionism)".

He underlined that India and Japan should work for promotion of peace and progress to address the needs of the humanity.

"India and Japan have a big responsibility. It is the responsibility of not only the governments and leaders but also of the businesses to see which way the world goes."

Viewing business fraternity as a "big driving force" for peace and progress, he said said India wants to play a role for benefit of humanity.

Sumber - The Times Of India

Asia Isn’t as Rich as it Thinks it is

New ADB study reranks millions of people into the ranks of the very poor

Asia generally has made huge advances in the fight against poverty, illiteracy and ill-health. But the advances have not been as large as imagined, according to a just published report from the Asian Development Bank.

The bank concludes that the income definition of poverty needs significant upward adjustment, and must take into account factors other than income alone which are keeping hundreds of millions at a very low level of existence.

The implication from the data is the (unsurprising) fact that income inequality has worsened in a way which makes the lower-income groups more vulnerable by raising prices of food and essentials faster than incomes.

The most fundamental assertion in the paper, published as part of “Key Indicators for Asian and the Pacific 2014,” is that the conventional US$1.25 a day cutoff for defining extreme poverty is now inadequate, at least for most Asian countries. It suggests that the base should be raised to US$1.50. It notes that several countries including India had raised their own poverty levels to above US$1.25.

Applying this new income level has a dramatic impact on the numbers of poor as a percentage for Asia as a whole, from 20 percent to 35 percent, bringing another 343 million into the very poor bracket. The impact is especially marked for India, who poverty rate rises by 15 percent and Indonesia by 9.9 percent. That for China is less – 4.9 percentage points.

This tells us that the claims of success in lifting hundreds of millions out of extreme poverty would not be recognized by many who are supposed to have benefited as apparent income gains have not translated into better food or living conditions. The new calculations take account of changes in consumption patterns including the likes of mobile phones, a work necessity for many of the poorest, and relative price changes.

In particular it notes that in most countries food prices, the major ingredient in lower income household expenditure, have risen faster than overall prices.

Indeed, success in improving incomes further up the income scale sometimes has the effect of creating additional demand and raising food prices, for example as grains are used to produce animal protein. The most vulnerable are rural landless laborers and unskilled workers in the informal urban sector.

The food security issue adds another 140 million to the ADB’s calculation of numbers in extreme poverty, numbers in China and Indonesia rising by especially large amounts while in India the impact was relatively small due to government subsidies. For the future the ADB suggests pegging the extreme poverty rate more closely to food prices. If this were done now, an additional 40 million would be ranked extremely poor.

Another issue to which paper draws attention  is the particular vulnerability of the lowest income groups to natural disasters – floods, typhoons, earthquakes, etc. It says the frequency and severity of these has been increasing as east, south and southeast Asia have seven of the world’s top 10 countries for vulnerability to natural calamities. The poorest are usually the worst housed and have the least savings so the impact is greater and the recovery time longer. Those at risk add another 417 million to those considered extremely poor.

Adding all these factors together, the number of extreme poor rises from 773 million to 1.02 billion.  Of course many of these are potential rather than current sufferers from extreme poverty but the data does underline how income gains which look impressive at the macro level often hide static or worsening situations at the bottom of the income scale.

The “Key Indicators” looks too at other aspects of progress and problems in Asian development. It notes that the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of 95 percent enrolment in primary education has been met by most countries but Pakistan was a notable laggard in correcting gender bias against girls. It also noted that the Philippines and Sri Lanka, once in the van of mass literacy, have shown declines in primary enrollment rates. Goals for completion of primary education were not being met in many countries, and India as well as Bangladesh and Pakistan had low levels of women in non-farm employment.

Most countries were showing marked improvement in many health indicators, such as maternal and child mortality, malaria and HIV prevention, and access to safe drinking water. However, CO2 emissions continued to rise rapidly everywhere – as too – though this in not in the report – are diseases such as diabetes arising from higher incomes.

The weaknesses in primary education and employment for urban women appear to be key problems in reducing extreme poverty, especially in south Asia where the problem is most severe.

Generally, the ADB report shows Asia overall to be continuing to make good progress both absolutely and relative to other regions. But it also pinpoints how marginal improvements have been so many. Hopefully a change in the calculation of extreme poverty will prompt policy makers to pay more attention to the 1 billion out of 3.6 billion who are at the bottom of the Asia income scale in developing Asia (excluding West Asia).


Sumber - Asia Sentinel

Pengamal media diseru seimbangkan kebebasan penyataan

Oleh Ak Fairol RMF

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 26 Ogos – Para pengamal media hari diingatkan supaya menyeimbangkan kebebasan penyataan dan tanggungjawab bagi kepentingan awam supaya objektif mulia dalam kehidupan bernegara iaitu menikmati kesejahteraan, keamanan, perpaduan, keselamatan dan keadilan bersama tercapai.

Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Wahab bin Juned (gambar) berkata, jika kita lari dari prinsip keseimbangan ini, penyalahgunaan akan mudah terjadi sehingga membawa kepada pelbagai perilaku tidak bertanggungjawab sehingga ada yang berbau kebiadaban dan pengkhianatan.

“Jika ini menjadi budaya, akan mudahlah berleluasa hasutan, perpecahan, huru-hara, fitnah, ketidakjujuran, kebiadaban, pengkhianatan dan pendustaan,” tegas beliau semasa berucap pada Majlis Ramah Mesra Perhubungan Awam dan Media 2014 di Emperor’s Court, Manggis Mall hari ini.

Sehubungan itu, beliau menyeru para pengamal media dan juga perhubungan awam supaya sama-sama menghayati kepentingan negara kita sendiri sebagai konteks utama, sosio-budaya kita yang mengutamakan kerukunan hidup mulia dan Islam sebagai ugama rasmi negara dan cara hidup yang lengkap.

Dalam konteks ini, katanya, media tidak akan terikut-ikut mempersenda pemimpin-pemimpin negara, menyebarkan sensasi, mencari titik-titik perbalahan, menimbulkan isu-isu yang boleh menjadi ‘anti-thesis’ kepada pembangunan negara dan mencemarkan konsep Negara Melayu Islam Beraja atau MIB.

Dalam ucapannya itu, Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Wahab turut menyentuh mengenai kebebasan pernyataan atau freedom of expression yang juga dikaitkan dengan media sebagai hak fundamental.

Katanya, sungguhpun kebebasan penyataan ini merupakan hak fundamental untuk kebebasan media tetapi ia bukanlah hak yang mutlak atau ‘absolute right.’

Kedudukan ini, katanya adalah disebabkan yang kehidupan manusia ini mempunyai objektif-objektif mulia yang lain.

Antaranya ialah objektif mulia dalam kehidupan bernegara untuk mencapai kesejahteraan bersama, keamanan, perpaduan, keselamatan dan keadilan.

Menurut Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Wahab, setengah pihak dalam media terlalu taksub mengenai kebebasan penyataan ini seolah-olah tidak ada pertimbangan lain selain dari kebebasan media.

“Dalam media kita tidak semata-mata ditentukan oleh kepentingan komersil. Kepentingan dan kesejahteraan awam adalah salah satu objektif mulia kerajaan. Oleh itu adalah menjadi tanggungjawab kerajaan untuk memastikan media kita bertanggungjawab, profesional, beretika, pro perpaduan, mendukung ‘good governance’, adil dan peka pada setiap masa mengenai keselamatan, kesejahteraan dan keutuhan negara.

“Sungguhpun pada asasnya media itu mendahulukan prinsip-prinsip kejujuran, objektiviti, keadilan dan ketepatan maklumat, keseimbangan perlu ada dalam membuat laporan atau kenyataan supaya kepentingan awam dan negara tetap dijaga.

“Setiap hak seperti kebebasan penyataan adalah mengikut konteks negara, sosio-budaya dan kepercayaan. Sungguhpun ianya bersifat universal, tidak ada satu amalan kebebasan penyataan yang sama untuk semua. Begitulah juga peraturan yang menjaganya.

Sementara itu, Setiausaha Tetap di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Awang Haji Mohd Rozan bin Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yunos dalam ucapannya berkata, majlis hari ini bertujuan untuk mengeratkan lagi perhubungan di antara pegawai-pegawai serta pengamal-pengamal perhubungan awam kerajaan dengan media-media tempatan di negara ini.

Pada masa yang sama juga majlis ini diadakan untuk memberikan penghargaan kepada pihak media yang selama ini telah memberikan kerjasama yang baik dan padu kepada agensi-agensi kerajaan.

“Seperti yang kita ketahui, peredaran zaman terutama sekali dengan kemudahan teknologi yang membuka ruang untuk media baru ataupun ‘new media,’ pada masa ini telah membolehkan bagi maklumat lebih mudah diperolehi dan disebarkan oleh segenap pelosok masyarakat.

“Ini seharusnya dilihat sebagai salah satu cabaran kepada kita selaku pengamal perhubungan awam yang menjadi lidah kerajaan dengan kerjasama pihak media tempatan di dalam memberigakan sesuatu maklumat yang sahih, tepat dan cepat.

“Globalisasi dan perubahan teknologi telah menjadikan pemberigaan dan penyebaran maklumat dan informasi tidak lagi bersempadan.”

Penggunaan media-media baru dan penyebaran maklumat melalui media-media baru ini seperti laman-laman web, blog, aplikasi Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter dan Instagram jelas sekali menjadi cabaran yang tidak kurang hebatnya untuk diatasi oleh agensi-agensi kerajaan, swasta mahupun individu. Apatah lagi apabila maklumat yang disebarkan tersebut adalah tidak tepat dan tidak mempunyai kesahihan dan berunsurkan negatif.


Sumber - Media Permata

East and South China Sea disputes need creative diplomacy: Kemp

(Reuters) - China and the United States appear headed for a damaging confrontation over the extent of China's territorial claims in the South and East China Seas.

Now that China has become the world’s largest importer of oil, and energy more generally, the country’s need to develop more indigenous energy supplies has become urgent.

Expecting China to put the South and East China Seas off limits to exploration and production until disputes over sovereignty can be resolved through some undefined legal or diplomatic process is unrealistic.

Part of the problem is that western analysts and policymakers still fail to appreciate the strategic importance of these areas. It is common to hear maritime disputes between China and its neighbors characterized in terms of uninhabited islands, submerged reefs, historic fishing grounds and unfinished business from World War Two.

In reality, the disputes center on control over areas which are thought to contain substantial quantities of oil and gas, which could be vital to the economic development of all states in the area.

U.S. diplomats were reportedly dismayed when China started to claim the South China Sea was among the country’s “core national interests” along with Tibet and Taiwan.

But given the potential for developing substantial oil and gas fields in both the South and East China Seas it should have been obvious that they could not be treated as unimportant claims that could be deferred indefinitely.


UNFROZEN CONFLICTS

U.S. diplomats sometimes appear to want to freeze the disputes, a position which is both unhelpful and dangerous.

According to U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the United States takes “no position on competing territorial claims” in both seas, but wants disputes peacefully resolved “in accordance with international law.”

At a regional security conference in Singapore in May 2014, Hagel singled out what he termed China’s “destabilizing, unilateral actions asserting its claims in the South China Sea,” without apportioning blame to other countries, a one-sided approach that drew a furious protest from China.

Subsequently, General Martin Dempsey, the top US military officer, has become the first chairman of the joint chiefs of staff to visit Vietnam since 1971, fuelling China’s suspicions about encirclement and quiet U.S. backing for neighboring states over maritime disputes.

The United States has also refused to recognize China’s self-declared Air Defence Indentification Zone in the East China Sea and insisted the disputed Senkaku-Diaoyu islands are covered by its mutual defense pact with Japan, even while U.S. officials insist they do not take a view on the underlying issue of sovereignty.

This strategy (expressing no view on sovereignty while trying to freeze the status quo pending an unlikely diplomatic resolution of the disputes) is dangerous and threatens to worsen the standoff because the status quo is not remotely stable.


OIL AND GAS POTENTIAL

Western analysts and policymakers tend to downplay the potential oil and gas resources of the disputed areas, but this probably understates the amount of energy which could be recovered if the areas were thoroughly developed.

Both the South and East China Seas contain sedimentary basins with thick layers of mud, silt and organic material deposited on the floor of ancient seas and lakes. Both have already seen significant oil and gas discoveries (link.reuters.com/vug72w).

The South China Sea is ringed with known oil and gas fields off China’s Pearl River Delta, Hainan Island and the coasts of Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines.

In 2010, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the South China Sea contains about 11 billion barrels of oil and 145 trillion cubic feet of natural gas that have yet to be discovered (“Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of Southeast Asia” March 2010).

In global terms, these are relatively modest amounts. For China, however, they are much more significant.

The assessment focused exclusively on coastal areas and did not include potential resources in the deeper waters in the center of the sea around the islands and reefs which are at the heart of the dispute.

The South China Sea remains comparatively unexplored and there is the potential for substantial additional discoveries. China’s oil companies believe the area has strong hydrocarbon potential and they have published resource estimates which are an order of magnitude higher than western analysts.

The hydrocarbon potential of the East China Sea is even less well known. But there are good reasons to believe that it could hold significant quantities of recoverable oil and gas. Several oil and gas fields have already been found in sea areas claimed by both China and Japan.

The sea borders on the Songliao and Bohaiwan basins have been in production for decades and account for most of China’s current oil and gas output. There is therefore a high probability more oil and gas could be found further offshore in the East China Sea itself.


LAW OF THE SEA

With advances in ultra-deepwater drilling the potential for far offshore exploration and production has never been greater and the dispute over sovereignty in the East and South China Seas is unlikely to remain frozen.

U.S. diplomats have suggested the disputes could be resolved through international law, norms and diplomacy, without outlining how that might actually be achieved.

In its maritime boundary dispute, the Philippines has filed a claim against China under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) with the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

UNCLOS is cited by many outside observers as a suitable legal framework for resolving disputes between China and its neighbors.

But UNCLOS is not really relevant to the dispute because the core of the disagreement concerns ownership and sovereignty over the islands and other outcrops.

Once sovereignty has been established, UNCLOS can help assign rights and responsibilities to all the parties, including control of shipping, fishing and oil and gas drilling.

But UNCLOS cannot resolve the underlying disputes about sovereignty in the first place.

China has already rejected the arbitrators’ jurisdiction, which suggests the process is headed for failure.


CREATIVE DIPLOMACY

The parties to the various disputes are all now raiding their archives for ancient books, letters and artifacts to bolster their claims to historic control over the disputed islets.

Such historical research is unlikely ever to resolve the claims persuasively (just look at Britain’s and Argentina’s unresolved dispute over the Falklands-Malvinas).

The only real solution is diplomatic. The coastal states around the South and East China Seas will have to agree to divide, share or pool their sovereignty in the interests of security and to permit the peaceful exploitation of the resources.

There are plenty of examples of such shared resource development, ranging from the Spitsbergen Archipelago in the Arctic to the Neutral Zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Before the recent flare up, China and Japan had agreed jointly to develop the Chunxiao gas field, which straddles the maritime boundary.

The challenge for diplomats, especially from the United States, is to help the parties discover creative solutions that benefit all the coastal states.

Instead, U.S. diplomats have encouraged all parties to harden their positions and suggested the entire dispute can be frozen until some ill-defined legal process runs its course.

This strategy will not work and is escalating rather than defusing tensions in the area, encouraging coastal states to pursue maximal claims rather than compromise and negotiate common solutions.

It is time that western policymakers recognized that hydrocarbon exploration is both necessary and desirable in both the South and East China Seas.

Oil and gas exploration must be a stabilizing force for cooperation, rather than a source of conflict and competition.


Sumber - Reuters

Remote, gas-rich islands on Indonesia's South China Sea frontline

(Reuters) - The word "sleepy" could have been invented for Ranai, the largest town in Indonesia's remote and sparsely populated Natuna archipelago.

It has few cars and only two sets of traffic lights. The cloud-wreathed mountain looming over it resembles a slumbering volcano. Nearby beaches lie pristine and empty, waiting for tourists.

From Ranai, it takes an imaginative leap to see Natuna - a scattering of 157 mostly uninhabited islands off the northwest coast of Borneo - as a future flashpoint in the escalating dispute over ownership of the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest waterways.

But that's precisely what many people here fear.

They know Natuna is quite a prize. Its fish-rich waters are routinely plundered by foreign trawlers. Lying just inside its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone is the East Natuna gas field, one of the world's largest untapped reserves.

And any quarrel over Natuna would also upset a delicate strategic balance, undermining Indonesia's role as a self-appointed honest broker in the myriad territorial disputes between its Southeast Asian neighbors and regional giant China.

Jakarta's foreign ministry insists there is no problem with China over the status of Natuna, but the Indonesian military has in recent months struck a more assertive tone.

In April, Indonesian armed forces chief Moeldoko accused China of including parts of Natuna within its so-called "Nine-Dash Line," the vague boundary used on Chinese maps to lay claim to about 90 percent of the South China Sea.

EARLY WARNING SYSTEM

With maritime tensions rising between China and the Philippines and Vietnam, Moeldoko later vowed to send more troops to Natuna "to anticipate any instability in the South China Sea and serve as an early warning system for Indonesia".

The airforce plans to upgrade Ranai's airbase to accommodate fighter jets and attack helicopters.
Officially, China and Indonesia don't contest the sovereignty of the islands: both agree they are part of Indonesia's Riau Province. Nor is Indonesia among the five countries - Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei - challenging Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea.

This has allowed Jakarta to play a neutral role and seek to mediate in an increasingly bitter and volatile dispute.

But Natuna's bit-part in this regional drama reflects "growing concern within Indonesia about China's actions within the Nine-Dash Line," said Ian Storey, a security expert at the Institute of Southeast Asia Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore.

Rising maritime tensions with China have induced many Southeast Asian countries to seek closer strategic ties with the United States.

Since 2010 Indonesia has unsuccessfully sought clarification through the United Nations of the legal basis for the Nine-Dash Line. Indonesia's foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, told Reuters in April that Indonesia had "inferred" from China that the line did not cross Indonesian territory.

Locals remain unconvinced. "We're worried they'll take over this territory," Ilyas Sabli, Natuna's regent, or district chief, told Reuters, referring to the Chinese. "That's why it has become our first priority to protect this homeland."

DEFENDING OIL AND GAS

About 80,000 people live on 27 of Natuna's islands, mostly in Ranai and other places on the main island of Natuna Besar.

Ranai airbase was developed after Indonesia's independence in 1949, and the town grew up around it. Today, a new civilian passenger terminal is being constructed in the hope of attracting more investors and tourists.

There was no evidence of an Indonesian military build-up. Two small naval ships lay idle at the end of a nearby pier.

Plans to upgrade the airbase were "not a new thing", but part of a longer-term strategy to improve the airforce's far-flung facilities, base commander Lieutenant Colonel Andri Gandhy told Reuters.

The plans include lengthening Ranai's runway to handle larger aircraft. Work will start in 2015 or 2016, depending on the funding, said Gandhy.

Any military build-up would be hampered by budget restraints and fear of antagonizing China, said Yohanes Sulaiman, a security analyst at the Indonesian National Defense University.

"The Indonesian military really wants to defend the islands, but with what? How can they fight China?" he said.

Neighboring Malaysia has a more convincing blueprint to beef up its military presence in the South China Sea.

In October, Malaysia announced plans to build a navy base in Bintulu on Sarawak, the closest major town to the James Shoal, a submerged reef about 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of Malaysia's Sarawak claimed by Malaysia, China and Taiwan. Chinese warships conducted exercises nearby in 2013 and 2014.

The base will host a new Marine Corps, modeled on, and possibly trained by, its U.S. counterpart. Without mentioning China, Malaysia's defense minister said the aim was to protect Malaysia's oil and gas reserves.
China has never protested against Indonesia's search for oil and gas in Natuna waters, said Storey. The state-owned Pertamina is co-developing the East Natuna gas field with Exxon Mobil Corp, Total SA and PTT Exploration and Production.

FISHING WARS

As in Vietnam and the Philippines, it is Indonesia's fishing fleet that feels China's growing maritime presence most acutely.

Natuna fish stocks plummeted with the arrival of big-net trawlers from China, Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan, said Rusli Suhardi, 40, a leader of the local fishermen's cooperative.

"Before 2010, we could catch 100 kg (220 lbs) of fish a day. Now it takes three days to catch that amount," he said.

A nearby bay is littered with the disintegrating wrecks of a dozen or more boats, mostly Vietnamese trawlers confiscated by the Indonesian authorities for fishing illegally. That no Chinese trawlers rot in this marine graveyard is testament to China's growing maritime muscle.

In March 2013, armed Chinese vessels confronted a patrol boat from Indonesia's maritime and fisheries ministry and demanded the release of Chinese fishermen who had just been apprehended in Natuna waters. Fearing for his safety, the captain of the Indonesian boat complied.

Similarly, in 2010, a Chinese maritime enforcement vessel compelled an Indonesian patrol boat to release another illegal Chinese trawler.

Storey, of ISEAS, said Indonesia has downplayed such incidents, not wanting them to overshadow relations with China.

Those relations are historic. Predating Ranai's airbase is the ethnic Chinese community of Penagi, a ramshackle village built on stilts along a nearby pier. One of its oldest residents is Lim Po Eng, 78, a retired laborer, who said Penagi was founded by his grandfather and others fleeing chaos and poverty in China.

"We settled here and began to develop the place," he said. The island was already inhabited by indigenous people, added Lim, "but they lived in the bush."

Every morning, an Indonesian flag is raised over Penagi's pier. Many locals say the Indonesian government cares little about the fate of Natuna, which lies closer to Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur than it does to Jakarta.

But this apparent indifference is bred partly by a desire to keep the status quo, said security analyst Sulaiman.

"The government knows there are no good options," he said. "They can't fight China, but if they don't push their claims Indonesia will become a laughing stock."


Sumber - Reuters

1962 Brunei rebellion, a British instigation

The UN does not normally intervene in the internal matters of member countries.

KUCHING: The United Nations (UN) office in Kuala Lumpur struck a cautionary note when activists from Sarawak handed it a Peoples’ Petition which was signed in Miri on Aug 9 by activists in Borneo.

This was disclosed by Lina Soo, the President of Sarawak Association of People’s Aspiration (SAPA), in a statement issued in Kuching after her return.

“We had useful discussion with an UN officer who indicated that the UN does not normally intervene in the internal matters of member countries,” said Soo.

However, she also learnt there may be exceptional situations where it may be possible for the people to raise issues directly with the UN.

Furthermore, in exceptional situations a member country may call for investigation of serious issues arising in another member country on behalf of the people who may not have “standing” to bring their case, she added.

Apparently, the Petition was presented to the UN office in KL to keep it informed.

The full Petition will be delivered to the UN headquarters in New York after it has been signed by at least 300,000 people in Sabah and Sarawak. The signature campaign has begun in both states and is expected to be completed before too long.

The Petition calls on the UN to review the arbitrary manner in which Britain had surrendered Sarawak and Sabah to the Federation of Malaya on 16 September 1963 to be absorbed in a renamed Federation called Malaysia.

The current Peoples’ Petition is an effort to revisit the original petition for self-determination submitted 52 years ago by Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo political parties to the UN and accepted for hearing in mid-December 1962 before the world body.

However, the delegation abandoned the journey to the UN after the outbreak of a rebellion in Brunei on December 8 1962.

There’s some suspicion that the Brunei rebellion followed the instigation of British secret agents for an excuse to crush all opposition to their Malaysia Plan.


Sumber - Free Malaysia Today

KDYMM: Negara berkembang dengan baik atas faktor 'keberkatan'

Titah Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam Sempena Sambutan Ulang Tahun Hari Keputeraan Baginda Yang Ke- 68 Tahun 1435H/2014M pada hari Khamis 18 Syawal 1435 bersamaan 14 Ogos 2014

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

ALHAMDULILLAH, kita bersyukur ke hadrat Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala, kerana dengan limpah kurnia-Nya jua, dapatlah kita meraikan Hari Keputeraan beta pada tahun ini, dalam suasana aman dan sejahtera.

Terlebih dahulu, beta dengan tulus ikhlas ingin merakamkan ucapan terima kasih dan penghargaan kepada tetamu-tetamu khas beta yang sudi hadir ke istiadat ini, dan juga kepada semua pihak yang telah menyembahkan perutusan ucap selamat kepada beta serta keluarga, bersempena dengan perayaan ini.

Sekali lagi pada tahun ini, istiadat perayaan diadakan selepas umat Islam di negara ini selesai menyempurnakan ibadat puasa Ramadan dan menyambut Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Alhamdulillah, dengan menyedari akan keberkatan berpegang teguh kepada ugama, maka kita telah dapat meneruskan lagi kehidupan ini dengan penuh selesa serta dengan rancak dapat membangun di bidang-bidang yang diperlukan.

Beta sangat meyakini akan faktor keberkatan itu, yang menjadikan Negara Brunei dapat berkembang dengan baik. Di bidang ekonomi, penumpuan adalah sedang diberikan kepada, mempelbagai dan menaikkan lagi kadar pertumbuhan ekonomi. Ini, termasuklah antara lain, dengan memudahkan kemasukan Pelaburan Langsung Asing dalam pelbagai sektor, memajukan sektor swasta, memperkasa Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana, meningkatkan produktiviti dan mewujudkan iklim pro-business.

Dalam usaha mempelbagaikan ekonomi, beta sangat gembira mengetahui, adanya inisiatif untuk menarik Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) yang berkualiti ke negara ini, yang sudah pun menampakkan tanda-tanda pencapaian awalnya yang positif.

Di sektor hiliran minyak dan gas pula, Pulau Muara Besar kini telah pun mula dimajukan bagi penyediaan tapak projek pembinaan kilang penapisan minyak bersepadu atau integrated oil refinery dan industri-industri berkaitan yang menjanjikan banyak peluang pekerjaan.

Sementara itu, sebuah kilang pembuatan ubat atau pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, yang bertaraf dunia telah pun siap dibina dan kini sudah mula beroperasi.

Selain itu, sebuah syarikat terkemuka antarabangsa di bidang simulation training juga, telah membina Multi-Purpose Training Centrenya di Brunei Darussalam, sebagai pusat latihan utamanya di rantau ini. Ia juga sudah mula beroperasi.

Bio Innovation Corridor (BIC), seluas 500 hektar untuk menarik pelaburan dalam Penyelidikan dan Pembangunan, R&D, pembuatan dan komersial, adalah merupakan satu lagi sektor berpotensi untuk memantapkan lagi ekonomi serta mampu bagi membuka peluang-peluang pekerjaan secara lebih meluas.

Dalam ekonomi, objektif negara ialah untuk menjadi sebuah 'kuasa ekonomi' yang dinamik, yang mampu untuk menduduki tempat ke sepuluh teratas di dunia dari segi pendapatan per kapita.

Ini bererti, kita adalah dikehendaki untuk meningkatkan pendapatan negara ke tahap BND80 bilion menjelang tahun 2035, berbanding hanya BND20 bilion sahaja ketika ini. Ini juga turut merujuk kepada ekonomi negara supaya ia dapat tumbuh sekitar 5 ke 6 peratus setahun.

Oleh yang demikian, beta berharap supaya semua pihak, sama ada kerajaan mahupun swasta, akan dapat melipatgandakan usaha masing-masing untuk mencapai sasaran ini.

Khusus mengenai peluang pekerjaan pula, mengikut Banci Awal Majikan dan Pekerja 2013, dari seramai 140,000 tenaga kerja di dalam kira-kira 10,000 buah syarikat yang aktif, kira-kira 65 peratus adalah terdiri daripada pekerja asing. Maka sehubungan ini, dengan mengambil kira kadar pengangguran yang ada, kita adalah wajar untuk mempunyai satu dasar pengisian pekerjaan yang seimbang.

Alhamdulillah, sejauh ini kita sudah dapat memenuhi sebahagian dari sasaran untuk mengurangkan pengangguran. Di sektor minyak dan gas sahaja misalnya, sasaran sehingga 2014 untuk memberikan 3,000 peluang pekerjaan kepada anak-anak tempatan telah pun hampir tercapai.

Namun begitu, kita juga tidak boleh lepas pandang terhadap peluang-peluang pekerjaan di sektor bukan minyak dan gas. Ke arah ini, kerajaan beta telah memperkenalkan satu dasar baru untuk dilaksanakan secara berperingkat. Dasar itu pada asasnya adalah bertujuan untuk menyeimbangkan di antara pengambilan pekerja tempatan dan pekerja asing, melalui kaedah-kaedah pengawalan tertentu.

Di bidang pendidikan, kerajaan beta sangatlah prihatin terhadap semua sektor pendidikan bagi memenuhi keperluan sosioekonomi dan kesejahteraan di negara ini.

Di antara langkah yang telah dibuat ialah menyediakan satu skim, yang dipanggil Skim Perkhidmatan Tenaga Akademik Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Awam, bagi tujuan untuk menarik minat sumber tenaga manusia dari kalangan tenaga akademik yang berkualiti dan bertaraf dunia.

Beta juga telah memperkenankan satu Perintah Penubuhan Institut Pendidikan Teknikal Brunei selaku peneraju kepada kemajuan pendidikan teknikal dan vokasional.

Ini penting, bagi melahirkan golongan berpendidikan mahir lagi marketable sebagai persiapan kita menghadapi cabaran-cabaran ekonomi yang bersifat global yang berteraskan knowledge-based.

Satu langkah untuk memberikan peluang kepada pelajar-pelajar yang tidak mampu memenuhi syarat menerima biasiswa, supaya mereka itu dapat melanjutkan pengajian di institusi-institusi pengajian tinggi tempatan dan luar negara, maka beta juga telah memperkenankan satu Skim Kemudahan Pinjaman Pendidikan. Skim ini akan memberikan kemudahan pinjaman kewangan yang affordable kepada pelajar-pelajar berkenaan bagi menampung kos pengajian dan sara hidup mereka.

Untuk mengatasi kelemahan-kelemahan tertentu, khasnya bagi mata-mata pelajaran Bahasa Inggeris dan Matematik, beta jugatelah memperkenankan satu peruntukan tambahan berjumlah BND220 juta untuk tempoh selama tiga tahun, bagi menampung kos mendatangkan tenaga pengajar daripada luar negara bagi mengajar mata-mata pelajaran berkenaan.

Di bidang infrastruktur perhubungan pula, Pelan Induk Pengangkutan Darat telah pun siap disediakan. Selain menyediakan jaringan perkhidmatan jalan raya yang efisien, pelan ini juga mengandungi blueprint kemajuan ekonomi di bawah sektor ini.

Projek meningkatkan infrastruktur pelabuhan dan memodenisasikan lapangan terbang yang sedang berjalan pada masa ini, akan membuka luas pengkomersialan perkhidmatan-perkhidmatan di bawahnya, bagi menjana lebih banyak lagi peluang perniagaan dan pekerjaan.

Di bidang kesejahteraan, perhatian adalah terus diberikan untuk menangani jenayah. Dalam hal ini, beta ingin mengingatkan mengenai ancaman siber yang berbahaya terutama kepada kanak-kanak.

Kementerian Perhubungan adalah sedang giat merangka kerja-kerja untuk 'Child Online Protection' bagi melindungi kanak-kanak yang menggunakan internet, daripada terdedah kepada pengaruh-pengaruh negatif dan ancaman cybercrime.

Mengenai Program Khidmat Bakti Negara (PKBN), insyaaAllah, tidak lama lagi ia akan mempunyai fasiliti khemahnya sendiri di Daerah Temburong. Satu struktur organisasi baru untuknya telah pun beta perkenankan bagi memperkasakan lagi program ini.

Untuk memantapkan segala agenda pembangunan, beta telah memperkenankan penubuhan Majlis Wawasan 2035 yang akan bekerjasama rapat dengan Jawatankuasa Tertinggi Rancangan Kemajuan Negara dan Unit Penggerak di Jabatan Perdana Menteri. Peranan utama majlis ini ialah untuk membantu secara insentif dan sistematik pelaksanaan usaha-usaha agensi-agensi kerajaan beta dalam merealisasikan hasil pencapaian objektif-objektif Wawasan 2035.

Di arena antarabangsa, negara kita akan terus mengekalkan dasar berbaik-baik dan saling hormat-menghormati dengan negara-negara sahabat, di samping mengukuhkan kerjasama di pelbagai bidang dan peringkat, bagi keamanan dan kesejahteraan bersama.

Menyebut perkara keamanan dan kesejahteraan ini, Negara Brunei Darussalam adalah sangat bersimpati terhadap rakyat dan negara Palestin yang sedang diragut keamanan dan kesejahteraan mereka oleh musuh yang tidak berperikemanusiaan. Musuh ini begitu tergamak membunuh kanak-kanak, kaum perempuan, orang tua dan lain-lain warga awam yang tidak berdosa. Mereka juga memusnahkan bangunan, tempat kediaman dan tidak terkecuali rumah ibadat dan sekolah, tanpa mengambil kira, jenayah ini dilakukan dalam bulan suci Ramadan, di mana orang-orang Islam sedang melaksanakan ibadat puasa.

Akhirnya, beta dengan tulus ikhlas merakamkan setinggi-tinggi penghargaan dan ucapan terima kasih kepada seluruh lapisan rakyat dan penduduk, warga Perkhidmatan Awam, pasukan-pasukan keselamatan serta mereka yang berkhidmat di sektor swasta, termasuk mereka yang bertugas di luar negara, di atas sumbangan dan sokongan mereka kepada kerajaan beta.

Penghargaan yang setinggi-tingginya juga disampaikan kepada seluruh Ahli Jawatankuasa Perayaan di kedua peringkat kebangsaan dan daerah, atas segala khidmat usaha untuk menjayakan perayaan ini.

Beta berdoa semoga kita semua serta Negara Brunei Darussalam akan sentiasa kekal aman dan makmur, dikurniakan dengan limpah rahmat dan perlindungan oleh Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala. Amin.

Sekian, Wabillahit Taufeq Walhidayah, Wassalamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.