| Azlan Othman |

THE Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry (MEMI) has been allocated a proposed budget of BND18,994,350 for financial year 2019/2020, while the Electrical Services Department will be getting BND159,419,289.

Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Mohd Hussein revealed this during elaboration for his ministry’s proposed budget at yesterday’s Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting.

He added that the MEMI fully supports the budget’s theme for this year, ‘Investment in Our Future’, as well as the priority areas under it.

“The ministry will continue to place its trust in all four of the budget’s focusses, especially in ‘Investing for Next Generation’, ‘Facilitating Business’, and ‘Maintaining Public Prosperity’,” he said.

“This is in accordance with the titah of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam at the opening ceremony of the 15th LegCo session. His Majesty urged the ministry to carry out its role in facilitating and generating competent and employable human resources.”

In this direction, the minister said the ministry’s vision is to move in line with the current national development via a diversified and sustainable economy, led by the people of Brunei Darussalam for the sake of the nation’s prosperity.

“This vision is manifested in the main agenda of the MEMI, which is to execute the forenamed three main portfolios,” he said.

“The portfolios are (aimed at) addressing the unemployment rate among locals, through increasing compatibility between manpower and the (current economy and industry requirements); promoting the industrial sector to stimulate economic growth and contributing to creating job opportunities; and to take steps to improve stability in oil and gas production, as well as mitigating the effects of drops in global crude oil prices on the country’s revenue.”