OPENING ADDRESS BY
ABDUL MUTALIB PEHIN DATO YUSOF DEPUTY PERMANENT SECRETARY MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
Yang Mulia Pengiran Haji Mohd Zain bin Pengiran Haji Abd Razak, Chairman of the BIMP-EAGA TIICTD Cluster Group,
Heads of Delegation from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines,
Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
ﻪﺘﺎﻜﺭﺒﻭ ﷲﺍ ﺔﻤﺤﺮﻮ ﻢﻜﻴﻟﻋ ﻡﻼﺴﻟﺍ
A very Good Afternoon to you all.
1. First
of all, let me on behalf of the Government of His Majesty the Sultan
and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, welcome all delegates to the
9th BIMP-EAGA Transport, Infrastructure and ICT Development (TIICTD)
Cluster Meeting.
2. With the 9th Cluster Meeting convening today,
the main objective for the formation of this group is
well-strengthened. As the platform for government officials of the
BIMP-¬EAGA transport, ICT and infrastructural development sectors, the
group has been able to promote sharing of experiences in transport
management, as well as in resolving transport infrastructure facilities,
ICT connectivity and logistical services development in the East ASEAN
Growth Area or EAGA.
Ladies and gentlemen,
3. We have seen
an increasing and encouraging interest by the private sector in joining
efforts with the governments of BIMP EAGA to identify problems and
create opportunities for the long-term development of the EAGA region.
Public-Private Sector Partnership through the BIMP-EAGA Business Council
(BEBC), is a significant vehicle in helping towards achieving our
strategic goals for the BIMP EAGA. Allow me to take this opportunity to
acknowledge the contributions made by the Asian Development Bank (ADB)
and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) in
supporting the BIMP-EAGA processes and initiatives.
4. The
transportation sector is one of the key enablers, as well as key
beneficiaries in realizing the BIMP-EAGA goals to increase trade and
investment and tourism within the sub-region. It consists of the land,
air and maritime transportation's physical infrastructure,
transportation connectivity and multi-model transportation systems.
Their availability and quality will influence how and where particular
businesses will be located or developed. This in turn, will lead to
potential economic spin-offs and enhanced quality of life for the people
in BIMP-EAGA.
5. Let me take this opportunity to share with you, a
recent development concerning the transportation sector in Brunei
Darussalam. According to recent statistics, Brunei Darussalam has about
200,000 registered vehicles. An estimated average of 15,000 new
vehicles are registered every year. For a country with about 60,000
households, this will translate to about 3 cars per household. Looking
at these figures, we realize that there is a need for a holistic
approach towards our national land transport system.
6. This is
where we are going. On 5th June 2012, a big public policy exercise
commenced with the signing of the Review and Formulation of Roadmap and
Draft Masterplan for a Sustainable Land Transportation System. This
initiative will address key issues to achieve an integrated, efficient
and sustainable land transport service network. Among the issues are
limited public transport network, high dependence on private vehicles,
increasing traffic congestion, road safety and better integration
between transportation and land use planning. Multi-modal and cross
border transport connectivity will also be addressed. This public
policy exercise involves key stakeholders, namely the Centre of
Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS), the Ministry of Communications, the
Ministry of Development and other relevant stakeholders. Among the key
deliverables of this 12-month project will be a multi-modal land
transportation strategy (White Paper) and a detailed implementation plan
for Brunei Darussalam, in line with Brunei Darussalam’s Vision 2035.
Ladies and gentlemen,
7. I
believe the same urgency is also shared in the BIMP EAGA region. In
realizing its importance, during the 8th BIMP-EAGA Summit in April 2012,
our leaders commended the transport sector for moving the connectivity
agenda forward and for the achievements in improving transport and
logistics in the sub-region. The Summit also noted with encouragement
the commencement of the inaugural flight of Kalstar, MASwings and Mid
Sea Express to serve BIMP-EAGA routes. Our leaders also supported the
initiative to identify additional points outside of BIMP-EAGA as part of
expanding co-terminalization operations to sustain air services on
existing routes. New entrants to sub-regional air connections are also
encouraged.
8. We must build upon this momentum created by our
leaders. We should play our part in helping to facilitate and
effectively realize the objectives set out by our leaders in promoting
trade, commerce, tourism and people exchanges within the sub¬-region.
There must also be emphasis on the coordination of multi-sectoral
efforts in sub-regional transport development. This could stimulate
trade, tourism and investment flows narrowing the development gaps in
the sub-region. Hence, we must focus on the enhancement of the
transport sectors with other BIMP-EAGA clusters such as Tourism to
ensure that projects and action plans are convergent and supportive of
each other. This, I believe, is in line with the four main pillars of
BIMP-EAGA: Connectivity, Food Basket, Tourism and Environment.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
9. Looking
to the future, there is no doubt that much remains to be done. Despite
the challenges, I can see that BIMP-EAGA has managed to achieve what
others take years to agree upon. To continue this progress, efforts and
a timely implementation plan must be further co-ordinated in order to
realize our goals and objectives.
10. I am confident that with
your continued commitment and in the spirit of cooperation of BIMP-EAGA,
this meeting will bring about some fruitful deliberations. On this
note, I wish you all the best and have a very pleasant stay in Brunei
Darussalam.
With the kalimah `Bismillah Hirrahman Nirrahim' I
declare the 9th BIMP-EAGA Transport, Infrastructure and ICT Development
Cluster open.
Thank you, Terima Kasih and Maraming Salamat.
