His Majesty presents keys to 179
recipients of houses under Landless Indigenous Citizens Housing Scheme
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah
Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei
Darussalam, Tuesday consented to present keys to recipients of houses
under the Landless Indigenous Citizens Housing Scheme at Kampung
Mata-Mata Katok ‘B’ in the Brunei-Muara District. The event took place
at the Civil Service Institute in Rimba, Gadong.
On arrival, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang
Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam was greeted by the Minister of Home
Affairs, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Adanan; the Minister of
Development, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdullah; the Deputy
Minister of Development, Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Mat Suny and the Brunei-Muara
District Officer, Dato Paduka Haji Mohd. Yusof bin Bakar.
The function began with the recitation of
Surah Al-Fatihah led by the Brunei-Muara Subordinate Syariah Court
Judge, Awang Haji Hassan bin Haji Metali.
In his welcoming speech, the Brunei-Muara
District Officer said the presentation of the house keys indeed
reflected His Majesty’s enduring attention in the ongoing efforts
towards providing comfortable and conducive dwellings for his subjects.
His Majesty consented to present the keys to
179 recipients of houses under the Landless Indigenous Citizens Housing
Scheme at Kampung Mata-Mata and Katok ‘B’. Of these, 98 received type
‘D’ houses with the remainder of 81 receiving ‘E’ type housing. To
date, 2,883 houses and four land lots have been handed over to
successful recipients under the Landless Indigenous Citizens Housing
Scheme.
His Majesty’s Government first allocated a
provision for housing development under the 3rd National Development
Plan which ran from 1975 to 1979. The housing development, which is a
continuous programme, is aimed at providing comfortable homes for
landless Brunei citizens, especially government employees who are
entitled to obtain loans for housing.
To conclude the event, Doa Selamat was read
by the Brunei Muara Subordinate Syariah Court Judge.
After the presentation, Brunei Monarch
consented to tour the Civil Service Institute, during which His Majesty
was pleased to note and witness, among other things, penghulus and ketua
kampungs undergoing a computer course. This is in fulfillment of His
Majesty’s aspiration towards creating a knowledgeable society that among
others is also ICT literate. The Civil Service Institute is an
important national training institution responsible for coordinating the
training needs of government departments, designing and delivering short
courses, and updating and implementing retraining programmes needed. The
institute is mandated to provide short-term training programmes,
developed collaboration with other government departments and ministries
as the need arises.
Subsequently, His Majesty consented to visit
some of the houses of the new recipients. First, His Majesty went to the
house of Awang Kamis bin Salleh. It is indeed a great honour for the
recipients when His Majesty consented to enter their homes. For those
who live nearby, this was their opportunity to invite His Majesty to
their homes as well. To qualify for the Landless Indigenous Citizens
Housing Scheme, applicants must be citizens of His Majesty the Sultan
and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam who fall in the indigenous
Belait, Bisaya, Brunei, Dusun, Kedayan, Murut and Tutong ethnic groups.
Meanwhile, more houses are being built in
Katok ‘B’. At present, the construction for 113 units of ‘D’ type
housing is well in progress. The project is expected to be completed in
September this year. The rest of the project in the area will be
implemented under the Ninth National Development Plan.
His Majesty then visited the Business School
in Jalan Pasar Baharu, Gadong. The school offers Diploma and
Pre-National Diploma in Business and Finance as well as Diploma and
Pre-National Diploma in Secretarial Studies. At present, the school has
23 teachers and more than 200 students. His Majesty proceeded to the
Lexus NBT Brunei Sendirian Berhad car dealer and showroom in Gadong.
The company currently employs 100 employees which include many locals.
Continuing the visit, His Majesty toured Syarikat Perniagaan dan
Perusahaan Melayu Berhad Petrol Station. Among other things, there His
Majesty observed the implementation and the workflow of the newly
introduced Fleetcard Management System, a cooperative initiative between
Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam and Brunei Shell Marketing Company with the
support of the Ministry of Finance. The system was introduced to
replace the manual indent payment that had been used by the Government
of His Majesty to purchase petrol from petrol stations.
From the Menglait Filling Station, His
Majesty proceeded to the house of the Ketua Kampung Menglait, Awang Haji
Mohdar bin Haji Ahmad. Kampung Menglait is one of the 20 villages in
Mukim Gadong and located in the rapidly growing business area. At the
kampung, His Majesty consented to view an exhibition of traditional
products put up by the kampung residents. Ending the visit, His Majesty
proceeded to the Empire Hotel and Country Club in Jerudong for a
luncheon.
