Research looks into educators' competencies
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Thursday, August 28, 2008
THE production of quality human capital needs quality education dispensed by skilled, qualified educators, but such local educators may not all be knowledgeable or passionate about the subjects they teach.
This issue was addressed by Liana Artini Hj Mohd Noor from the Department of Business and Management at Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB), when she presented her research on "The Significance of Specialisation for Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) Educators" during the Human Resource Compendium on Best Practices in Brunei Darussalam.
Liana Artini stated that the competencies of teaching staff can contribute to a more effective, motivated and valuable workforce in VTE, adding that it is necessary for the teaching staff to acquire comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience in their teaching subjects in order to fully complement the requirements of VTE services to the community, government and the private sector.
She also highlighted that the foundation to sustaining and enhancing the quality of service providers are skilful and competent educators. These educators play a significant role in producing the human capital that is adapted to the globally dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy.
In her research, Liana Artini investigated local professional teaching staff from a variety of VTE institutions and examined whether their specialist background fit with their teaching area in order to conclude if there was any evidence of teaching subject mismatch.
She had a sample of 71 respondents who have answered interviews and questionnaires regarding the matter.
Of this sample, the feedback revealed that 68.1 per cent of the educators interviewed found that their teaching subjects were relevant to their area of expertise or qualifications.
Meanwhile, 25 per cent said that it was "somewhat relevant" and the rest declared that what they taught did not relate to their qualifications.
From the pool of educators interviewed, it was also discovered that 31 individuals expected to take on the teaching profession.
The other 40 individuals "resorted" to teaching as a result of other influencing factors, with the most common reason being that the individual was bonded to service with the government.
However, from her research, it was found that there was "very little" evidence to support teaching subject mismatch among teaching staff in the VTE institutions surveyed.
Liana Aritini suggested that the study be expanded to include more institutions and a broader sample.
She also expressed her hope that the study would raise awareness to the existence and concerns brought about teaching subject mismatch.
One of the audience members later suggested that students should be given courses that have been "tailored" to the demands of the organisations. "We must realise that the community is our stakeholder," said a representative from Universiti Brunei Darussalam.(ODM1)
The Brunei Times
Thursday, August 28, 2008
His Majesty tours Iskandar Development Region
His Majesty tours Iskandar Development Region
Royal visit: His Majesty (3rd L) being briefed on the Iskandar Development Region by CEO of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Dato Ikmal Hijaz (4th L) as Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (2nd R) looks on in Johor yesterday. Picture: Infofoto
IZAM SAID YA'AKUB
JOHOR, MALAYSIA
Thursday, August 28, 2008
THE involvement of Brunei Darussalam in the Iskandar Development Region could very well be realised after the development corridor in Johor received a royal visit by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
His Majesty had a closer look at the Iskandar Development Region during an indepth briefing by Chief Executive Officer of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Dato Ikmal Hijaz Hashim. During the briefing the Chief Executive Officer highlighted that a delegation from the Brunei Investment Agency had earlier visited the area in March 2008.
The Iskandar Malaysia Project comprises five zones within the multi-billion dollar mega project. Each of the zone plays a vital role in establishing the five existing pillars of the project. They are electrical and electronics, petro-chemical and oleo-chemical, food and agro processing, logistics and related services, with the last pillar being the tourism.
There are four other clusters which will be implemented, Health Services, which comprises a Medical Park and Medical City; Education Services, which will feature universities and industry centric research and development clusters, whilst courses will also feature a wide variety; Financial services which will see an extension of Malaysia's role in Islamic Financing and the region's premier Islamic Financial Hub; Creative Industries, with a 1,000 acre park dedicated to an extensive digital content industry, the creative entertainment hub will look to open new and available opportunities for multimedia graduates.
Earlier, the Prime Minister of Malaysia and also joint Chairman of the Iskandar Malaysia project, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that "the Sultan has indicated his desire to consider whatever investment opportunities that are available in the region. And his visit to the area also enables him to observe the development that has taken place in Iskandar Malaysia."
His Majesty took a hands on approach with viewing the region, piloting a helicopter alongside HRH Tunku Ibrahim Ismail, the Tunku Mahkota of Johor. After landing in the Iskandar Malaysia region, His Majesty and the Tunku Mahkota of Johor met the Malaysia Prime Minister and a delegation from IRDA, who took His Majesty on a brief tour of the projects.
Following his visit to the Iskandar Malaysia development, His Majesty attended a luncheon hosted in his honour by Sultan Iskandar of Johor at Istana Bukit Serene in Johor Baharu.The Brunei Times
Royal visit: His Majesty (3rd L) being briefed on the Iskandar Development Region by CEO of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Dato Ikmal Hijaz (4th L) as Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (2nd R) looks on in Johor yesterday. Picture: Infofoto
IZAM SAID YA'AKUB
JOHOR, MALAYSIA
Thursday, August 28, 2008
THE involvement of Brunei Darussalam in the Iskandar Development Region could very well be realised after the development corridor in Johor received a royal visit by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
His Majesty had a closer look at the Iskandar Development Region during an indepth briefing by Chief Executive Officer of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Dato Ikmal Hijaz Hashim. During the briefing the Chief Executive Officer highlighted that a delegation from the Brunei Investment Agency had earlier visited the area in March 2008.
The Iskandar Malaysia Project comprises five zones within the multi-billion dollar mega project. Each of the zone plays a vital role in establishing the five existing pillars of the project. They are electrical and electronics, petro-chemical and oleo-chemical, food and agro processing, logistics and related services, with the last pillar being the tourism.
There are four other clusters which will be implemented, Health Services, which comprises a Medical Park and Medical City; Education Services, which will feature universities and industry centric research and development clusters, whilst courses will also feature a wide variety; Financial services which will see an extension of Malaysia's role in Islamic Financing and the region's premier Islamic Financial Hub; Creative Industries, with a 1,000 acre park dedicated to an extensive digital content industry, the creative entertainment hub will look to open new and available opportunities for multimedia graduates.
Earlier, the Prime Minister of Malaysia and also joint Chairman of the Iskandar Malaysia project, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that "the Sultan has indicated his desire to consider whatever investment opportunities that are available in the region. And his visit to the area also enables him to observe the development that has taken place in Iskandar Malaysia."
His Majesty took a hands on approach with viewing the region, piloting a helicopter alongside HRH Tunku Ibrahim Ismail, the Tunku Mahkota of Johor. After landing in the Iskandar Malaysia region, His Majesty and the Tunku Mahkota of Johor met the Malaysia Prime Minister and a delegation from IRDA, who took His Majesty on a brief tour of the projects.
Following his visit to the Iskandar Malaysia development, His Majesty attended a luncheon hosted in his honour by Sultan Iskandar of Johor at Istana Bukit Serene in Johor Baharu.The Brunei Times
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
'Use research to draw up policies'
'Use research to draw up policies'
Forum: Participants at the Seameo Voctech forum, which looks at the best practices in institutional research. Picture: Courtesy of Seameo Voctech
Qistina Rangga
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
WITH more than half the wealth of the world's most advanced industrial societies derived from knowledge capital, there is a renewed emphasis in Southeast Asia to develop knowledge-based societies.
However, to do so, a nation's policies and practices should be based on research and not merely on intuition.
This was said by deputy director (Professional) cum research manager at the Seameo Voctech, Dr Paryono in his welcoming remarks at the half-day forum on "Institutional Research: Sharing Best Practices".
"Much data and information around us could be analysed, interpreted and informed to policymakers and practitioners," he said. "It can only be accomplished by rigorous research activities, knowledge management and information sharing." He argued that without research and development, the people of Brunei "will be just users, not innovators or creators".
Dr Paryono learned during previous meetings with other Seameo Voctech members that in Southeast Asia, there is a lack of research activities, management and sharing. "Much of the research findings cannot be accessed by others due to limited networking and limited shared database," he said.
The forum was thus aimed to initiate and nurture institutional research among representatives from various schools and colleges and the Ministry of Education. It was also attended by 19 representatives from the 10 Seameo Voctech member countries.
Dr Paryono said that Seameo Voctech is in the process of compiling research information in online database that can be accessed by anyone.
At the forum, two local lecturers Dr Gilbert Fung Chai Wing of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Dr Hj Supry Hj Awg Ladi of the Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) shared their respective institute's best practices, particularly in the conduct of institutional research.
One of the presentations by Dr Hj Supry was about ITB's research initiatives through its research and development (R&D) activities such as the first Brunei International Conference on Engineering and Technology and CIPTA award competition.
These activities, through the establishment of R&D Unit in the Department of Civil Engineering in 2001, help promote research skills in their students. The institute also focuses on marketable activities, as noted by the forum's moderator, Punang Amaripuja. "In the case of the CIPTA award, new products, processes or technologies are created, which attract local and international companies," he said.
The Brunei Times
Forum: Participants at the Seameo Voctech forum, which looks at the best practices in institutional research. Picture: Courtesy of Seameo Voctech
Qistina Rangga
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
WITH more than half the wealth of the world's most advanced industrial societies derived from knowledge capital, there is a renewed emphasis in Southeast Asia to develop knowledge-based societies.
However, to do so, a nation's policies and practices should be based on research and not merely on intuition.
This was said by deputy director (Professional) cum research manager at the Seameo Voctech, Dr Paryono in his welcoming remarks at the half-day forum on "Institutional Research: Sharing Best Practices".
"Much data and information around us could be analysed, interpreted and informed to policymakers and practitioners," he said. "It can only be accomplished by rigorous research activities, knowledge management and information sharing." He argued that without research and development, the people of Brunei "will be just users, not innovators or creators".
Dr Paryono learned during previous meetings with other Seameo Voctech members that in Southeast Asia, there is a lack of research activities, management and sharing. "Much of the research findings cannot be accessed by others due to limited networking and limited shared database," he said.
The forum was thus aimed to initiate and nurture institutional research among representatives from various schools and colleges and the Ministry of Education. It was also attended by 19 representatives from the 10 Seameo Voctech member countries.
Dr Paryono said that Seameo Voctech is in the process of compiling research information in online database that can be accessed by anyone.
At the forum, two local lecturers Dr Gilbert Fung Chai Wing of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Dr Hj Supry Hj Awg Ladi of the Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) shared their respective institute's best practices, particularly in the conduct of institutional research.
One of the presentations by Dr Hj Supry was about ITB's research initiatives through its research and development (R&D) activities such as the first Brunei International Conference on Engineering and Technology and CIPTA award competition.
These activities, through the establishment of R&D Unit in the Department of Civil Engineering in 2001, help promote research skills in their students. The institute also focuses on marketable activities, as noted by the forum's moderator, Punang Amaripuja. "In the case of the CIPTA award, new products, processes or technologies are created, which attract local and international companies," he said.
The Brunei Times
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Do we still need WTO aids?
Do we still need WTO aids?
JAHANGIR BIN ALAM
DHAKA
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
THE World Trade Organisation (WTO) came into being in Marakkesh on January 1, 1995 following the successful completion of eight years of prolonged negotiations from 1986 to 1994 as a sequel to Uruguay Round of negotiations. The organisation's current membership strength is 153 as on July 23, 2008.
This rule based multilateral institution, which is a successor to the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (Gatt) was created in line with the WTO agreements, negotiated, signed and ratified by majority of the UN member countries with a view to helping the producers of various goods and services in pursuit of their respective trade and commerce under a uniform set of rules. It may be noted that Gatt was created in 1947 with a view to reducing tariffs, removing trade barriers and facilitate trade in goods through multilateral negotiations. However, the WTO Agreement encompasses trade in services in addition to trade in goods.
The broad functions of the organisation are: to administer and monitor WTO agreements, act as a forum for trade negotiations, resolve trade related disputes, monitor trade policies of member countries and to cooperate with other international organisations.
The objectives of the organisation as stated in the preamble of the WTO Agreement are: raising standards of living; ensuring full employment; achieving sustainable development; protecting environment and ensuring that developing countries, especially the least developed ones (LDCs) their due share in the growth of international trade.
However, with the passage of time the organisation's emphasis has gradually slipped from concentrating on its avowed objectives of seeing itself primarily as "an organisation for trade liberalisation" and declaring that "the system's overriding purpose is to help trade flow as freely as possible".
This is perhaps the prime reason of prevailing tensions surrounding the mandate and activities of the organisation. The developing countries and NGOs would like to see that it puts added emphasis on achieving public interest goals, while others, for instance - private companies, both localised and multinationals and some industrialised countries favour faster removal of barriers to free trade to enable them to reap benefits out of it at a faster pace.
On the face of it one may find WTO to be stronger and a more democratic institution in comparison with other international organisations like—the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as it follows the practice of one member one vote and consensus based decision making.
Other positive aspects of the organisation that one would come across are: its special emphasis on sustainable trade related developmental aspects of its members; creation of increased number of committees and undertaking additional programmes towards providing technical; policy and financial assistance to its LDC members; ensuring transparency through prevention of green room negotiations and effective use of web-page; enhancement of its monitoring capacity through publication of World Trade Report and Trade Policy Review; increase in the volume of trade of its members; removal of tariff, non-tariff and para-tariff barriers to the maximum possible extent; widening the scope of trade governance from trade in goods to trade in services, intellectual property rights and investment.
Formulation of new enforceable rules and evolving newer mechanisms to handle matters relating to dispute settlement; bringing trade in agriculture and textiles under its umbrella and inclusion of development policies in the WTO agenda could be seen as no less achievements. However, people have started questioning the nature of democratic practices that the organisation has been pursuing lately.
One could observe lack of transparency and accountability in the decision making process, as at times it takes place through informal meetings. Also there are significant failures of the organisation such as - its lack of human resources and limitations in effective monitoring and enforcement of regulations and decisions, especially in respects of dispute settlements involving its powerful members; failure to involve NGOs as integral part of world trade governance.
Other major failures of WTO that a dispassionate observer would come across are: It inability to fully liberalise trade in agriculture and to some extent - textiles; partial and unbalanced implementation of services agreement like - failure to ensure free movement of labour; increasing the burden on developing countries through fixation of rather limited transition periods in respect of Trips, Trims and Gats; failure in effective implementation of rules relating to providing special and differential treatment for example Swiss formula in Nama agreement to deserving members; absence of clear policy regarding protection of environment and labour rights and last but not the least overloading the WTO agenda by turning it into a forum for discussion rather than a place for resolving critical issues.
Currently, an increasing number of voices are being raised to the effect that free trade should not be an end in itself; rather, it should be a tool for achieving equitable and sustainable development that would help create a better world.
Now a days there are criticisms galore that WTO is dominated by the rich and the mighty and that it functions in a secretive manner to serve the causes of the rich in the garb of trade liberalisation. Failure of the latest Doha Round ministerial negotiations held in Geneva from July 21 - 29, 2008 could be cited as an example to the effect.
However, in spite of the shortcomings and limitations, there is no denying that there has been a significant increase in the volume of world trade as an aftermath of the creation of WTO. The increase could be much more had organisation followed its avowed path both in letter and spirit.
Jahangir Bin Alam is Former Secretary, Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bangladesh
The Brunei Times
JAHANGIR BIN ALAM
DHAKA
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
THE World Trade Organisation (WTO) came into being in Marakkesh on January 1, 1995 following the successful completion of eight years of prolonged negotiations from 1986 to 1994 as a sequel to Uruguay Round of negotiations. The organisation's current membership strength is 153 as on July 23, 2008.
This rule based multilateral institution, which is a successor to the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (Gatt) was created in line with the WTO agreements, negotiated, signed and ratified by majority of the UN member countries with a view to helping the producers of various goods and services in pursuit of their respective trade and commerce under a uniform set of rules. It may be noted that Gatt was created in 1947 with a view to reducing tariffs, removing trade barriers and facilitate trade in goods through multilateral negotiations. However, the WTO Agreement encompasses trade in services in addition to trade in goods.
The broad functions of the organisation are: to administer and monitor WTO agreements, act as a forum for trade negotiations, resolve trade related disputes, monitor trade policies of member countries and to cooperate with other international organisations.
The objectives of the organisation as stated in the preamble of the WTO Agreement are: raising standards of living; ensuring full employment; achieving sustainable development; protecting environment and ensuring that developing countries, especially the least developed ones (LDCs) their due share in the growth of international trade.
However, with the passage of time the organisation's emphasis has gradually slipped from concentrating on its avowed objectives of seeing itself primarily as "an organisation for trade liberalisation" and declaring that "the system's overriding purpose is to help trade flow as freely as possible".
This is perhaps the prime reason of prevailing tensions surrounding the mandate and activities of the organisation. The developing countries and NGOs would like to see that it puts added emphasis on achieving public interest goals, while others, for instance - private companies, both localised and multinationals and some industrialised countries favour faster removal of barriers to free trade to enable them to reap benefits out of it at a faster pace.
On the face of it one may find WTO to be stronger and a more democratic institution in comparison with other international organisations like—the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as it follows the practice of one member one vote and consensus based decision making.
Other positive aspects of the organisation that one would come across are: its special emphasis on sustainable trade related developmental aspects of its members; creation of increased number of committees and undertaking additional programmes towards providing technical; policy and financial assistance to its LDC members; ensuring transparency through prevention of green room negotiations and effective use of web-page; enhancement of its monitoring capacity through publication of World Trade Report and Trade Policy Review; increase in the volume of trade of its members; removal of tariff, non-tariff and para-tariff barriers to the maximum possible extent; widening the scope of trade governance from trade in goods to trade in services, intellectual property rights and investment.
Formulation of new enforceable rules and evolving newer mechanisms to handle matters relating to dispute settlement; bringing trade in agriculture and textiles under its umbrella and inclusion of development policies in the WTO agenda could be seen as no less achievements. However, people have started questioning the nature of democratic practices that the organisation has been pursuing lately.
One could observe lack of transparency and accountability in the decision making process, as at times it takes place through informal meetings. Also there are significant failures of the organisation such as - its lack of human resources and limitations in effective monitoring and enforcement of regulations and decisions, especially in respects of dispute settlements involving its powerful members; failure to involve NGOs as integral part of world trade governance.
Other major failures of WTO that a dispassionate observer would come across are: It inability to fully liberalise trade in agriculture and to some extent - textiles; partial and unbalanced implementation of services agreement like - failure to ensure free movement of labour; increasing the burden on developing countries through fixation of rather limited transition periods in respect of Trips, Trims and Gats; failure in effective implementation of rules relating to providing special and differential treatment for example Swiss formula in Nama agreement to deserving members; absence of clear policy regarding protection of environment and labour rights and last but not the least overloading the WTO agenda by turning it into a forum for discussion rather than a place for resolving critical issues.
Currently, an increasing number of voices are being raised to the effect that free trade should not be an end in itself; rather, it should be a tool for achieving equitable and sustainable development that would help create a better world.
Now a days there are criticisms galore that WTO is dominated by the rich and the mighty and that it functions in a secretive manner to serve the causes of the rich in the garb of trade liberalisation. Failure of the latest Doha Round ministerial negotiations held in Geneva from July 21 - 29, 2008 could be cited as an example to the effect.
However, in spite of the shortcomings and limitations, there is no denying that there has been a significant increase in the volume of world trade as an aftermath of the creation of WTO. The increase could be much more had organisation followed its avowed path both in letter and spirit.
Jahangir Bin Alam is Former Secretary, Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bangladesh
The Brunei Times
Monday, August 25, 2008
Asean, India set to seal trade deal
Asean, India set to seal trade deal
From the ground up: An Indonesian labourer works at a construction site in Jakarta, on Friday. Asean ministers will finalise this week a trade deal with India. Picture: EPASINGAPORE
Monday, August 25, 2008
ASEAN is set this week to finalise a free trade agreement with India and hold talks with Australia and New Zealand, signalling the importance of regional pacts amid fading hopes for a global trading regime.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) economic ministers, meeting in Singapore from today to Friday, are expected to put the final touches on an Asean-India trade in goods pact agreed on by senior officials earlier this month.
The deal covering billions of dollars is expected to be signed during the Asean-India Summit in December, officials have said.
Asean economic ministers will also hold talks with their counterparts from Australia and New Zealand in an effort to have a trade agreement ready for signing by December, a Southeast Asian diplomatic source said.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said recently Canberra hoped to conclude the talks with the 10-member Asean in Singapore, but the source said this might not be possible because certain issues still have to be resolved.
But the source added the issues, one of them concerning the rights of New Zealand's indigenous peoples, were minor. He was confident a deal will be reached in time for the Asean Summit in Bangkok in December.
Asean has agreed to gradually tear down barriers to trade in goods and services with China and South Korea and has signed a wide-ranging economic partnership deal with Japan, which also covers investments.
Forging the trade links with India and the two Pacific nations will complete the bloc's ties with all its key Asia-Pacific trading partners, and could be a catalyst for a region-wide free-trade zone, officials said.
Asean has a combined population of about 550 million people. It is a diverse group which ranges from high-tech Singapore to poverty-stricken Myanmar, and the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia.
Asean is already a free-trade area with 90 per cent of goods traded having tariffs between zero and five per cent.
This week the ministers are expected to discuss the impact of high oil and food prices and the escalating global economic slowdown on their economies.
But officials said the overriding focus would be on efforts to achieve a single market and manufacturing base by 2015 to raise Asean's profile in the face of competition from China and India.
"To stay in the game, Asean must become a strong integrated region," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.
He warned that, individually, Asean states are "only tiny blips on the radar screens of investors".
Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said Asean is likely to focus more on implementing and strengthening its free-trade agreements (FTAs) than on planning for a massive 16-nation pact including its key regional trading partners and covering about half of the global population.
But she agreed the FTAs could evolve in the future.
"What we are seeing is that Asean is at the focal point of all these trade agreements," Pangestu told AFP, noting that all the Asean deals with individual countries are similar in structure.
"Eventually, when you consolidate the FTAs, it is possible that you could end up with something like that (an Asia-wide FTA)."
Regional FTAs could gain fresh momentum after the latest attempt to end a seven-year deadlock in the so-called Doha Round of global trade talks broke down in July because of a dispute between India and the United States over agricultural tariffs.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in a recent study on Asian regionalism, said "substantial gains could be realised from consolidating the many FTAs into a single, region-wide one" and from adopting practices to guide future regional and sub-regional FTAs.
But while Asia is forging ahead with trade linkages, the region has a major task in integrating its financial markets which are now larger, deeper and more sophisticated than they were a decade ago, it said.
The region also has to make sure the benefits of economic progress reach a larger number of people, especially the poor, the Manila-based ADB said.
"Governments need to connect the poor to the thriving regional economy by eliminating labour market barriers, investing in workers' capabilities, and building infrastructure to connect disadvantaged regions with economic centres," said the agency, which aims to reduce poverty.
The region was on the right track, however, the ADB said.
"We are witnessing the beginnings of a strong, prosperous, outward-looking Asian economic community, regionally integrated yet connected with global markets, and with responsibility and influence to match its economic weight," the ADB said.AFP
From the ground up: An Indonesian labourer works at a construction site in Jakarta, on Friday. Asean ministers will finalise this week a trade deal with India. Picture: EPASINGAPORE
Monday, August 25, 2008
ASEAN is set this week to finalise a free trade agreement with India and hold talks with Australia and New Zealand, signalling the importance of regional pacts amid fading hopes for a global trading regime.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) economic ministers, meeting in Singapore from today to Friday, are expected to put the final touches on an Asean-India trade in goods pact agreed on by senior officials earlier this month.
The deal covering billions of dollars is expected to be signed during the Asean-India Summit in December, officials have said.
Asean economic ministers will also hold talks with their counterparts from Australia and New Zealand in an effort to have a trade agreement ready for signing by December, a Southeast Asian diplomatic source said.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said recently Canberra hoped to conclude the talks with the 10-member Asean in Singapore, but the source said this might not be possible because certain issues still have to be resolved.
But the source added the issues, one of them concerning the rights of New Zealand's indigenous peoples, were minor. He was confident a deal will be reached in time for the Asean Summit in Bangkok in December.
Asean has agreed to gradually tear down barriers to trade in goods and services with China and South Korea and has signed a wide-ranging economic partnership deal with Japan, which also covers investments.
Forging the trade links with India and the two Pacific nations will complete the bloc's ties with all its key Asia-Pacific trading partners, and could be a catalyst for a region-wide free-trade zone, officials said.
Asean has a combined population of about 550 million people. It is a diverse group which ranges from high-tech Singapore to poverty-stricken Myanmar, and the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia.
Asean is already a free-trade area with 90 per cent of goods traded having tariffs between zero and five per cent.
This week the ministers are expected to discuss the impact of high oil and food prices and the escalating global economic slowdown on their economies.
But officials said the overriding focus would be on efforts to achieve a single market and manufacturing base by 2015 to raise Asean's profile in the face of competition from China and India.
"To stay in the game, Asean must become a strong integrated region," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.
He warned that, individually, Asean states are "only tiny blips on the radar screens of investors".
Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said Asean is likely to focus more on implementing and strengthening its free-trade agreements (FTAs) than on planning for a massive 16-nation pact including its key regional trading partners and covering about half of the global population.
But she agreed the FTAs could evolve in the future.
"What we are seeing is that Asean is at the focal point of all these trade agreements," Pangestu told AFP, noting that all the Asean deals with individual countries are similar in structure.
"Eventually, when you consolidate the FTAs, it is possible that you could end up with something like that (an Asia-wide FTA)."
Regional FTAs could gain fresh momentum after the latest attempt to end a seven-year deadlock in the so-called Doha Round of global trade talks broke down in July because of a dispute between India and the United States over agricultural tariffs.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in a recent study on Asian regionalism, said "substantial gains could be realised from consolidating the many FTAs into a single, region-wide one" and from adopting practices to guide future regional and sub-regional FTAs.
But while Asia is forging ahead with trade linkages, the region has a major task in integrating its financial markets which are now larger, deeper and more sophisticated than they were a decade ago, it said.
The region also has to make sure the benefits of economic progress reach a larger number of people, especially the poor, the Manila-based ADB said.
"Governments need to connect the poor to the thriving regional economy by eliminating labour market barriers, investing in workers' capabilities, and building infrastructure to connect disadvantaged regions with economic centres," said the agency, which aims to reduce poverty.
The region was on the right track, however, the ADB said.
"We are witnessing the beginnings of a strong, prosperous, outward-looking Asian economic community, regionally integrated yet connected with global markets, and with responsibility and influence to match its economic weight," the ADB said.AFP
Get ready to say hello to 'made in Brunei' mobile
Get ready to say hello to 'made in Brunei' mobile
Ubaidillah Masli
BRUNEI-MUARA
Monday, August 25, 2008
EXPECT to see mobile phones which bear the label "made in Brunei Darussalam" in the market within the near future as Dina Brunei held the launching of the mobile phone manufacturing industry. By January 2009, a factory to introduce and assemble GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) mobile phones in the Sultanate will become fully operational.
As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dina Brunei and Christel Technologies Singapore, a new company, Business Time Technologies Sdn Bhd had been formed to handle the production of these locally-made cell phones. The MoU was signed yesterday during the ceremony, which was held at the theatre of the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Signing on behalf of Dina Brunei was its president, Azlan Yussuf, who stated that the factory would commence production with the introduction of its first line of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) mobile phones as well as "everyday" handphones.
Azlan highlighted that the new industry was in line with the nation's aim of diversifying its economy and reducing its dependency on oil and gas. He expressed the hope that the manufacturing of mobile phones would place Brunei on the map as an industrial and commercial hub.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Augustine Yap, was on hand to sign the MoU on behalf of Christel Technologies Singapore. He also delivered a speech where he outlined that the cooperation of the two companies was a "clear reflection" of Dina Brunei's initiative to penetrate the global stage.
Yap said that the cooperation between Christel Technologies and Dina Brunei "fitted well". Since the Singaporean company had the necessary ICT knowledge and expertise while Dina Brunei had the "strong financial capacity", Yap expressed his belief that together, they would be able to combine their resources to "deliver the best product" to the market.
He also said that the world mobile phone industry was growing and quoted a 2006 survey which forecast an expected compound annual growth of 14 per cent. He added that in 2011, worldwide mobile phone shipment will reach a total of 1.46 billion sets.
"It is the desire of this new company to capitalise on this growing market demand," he said.
Yap also announced that once the factory becomes operational, a research and development department would be established to create new innovative products designed by local engineers. In this light, the CEO mentioned that the industry would open up a host of job opportunities, ranging from logistics to engineers.
He added that the products would be exported, targeting "high-end markets" such as oil-importing countries.
Carrying the brand, D-Time, 1,000 limited edition models of these phones would be released by the end of next month to give the customers a taste of what the company has to offer in the future. A teaser trailer was also played to give the audience of Dina group members a brief glimpse of the new product. The president of Dina Global, Hasri Md Nor, was present to launch the trailer as the guest of honour at the event.
The Brunei Times
Ubaidillah Masli
BRUNEI-MUARA
Monday, August 25, 2008
EXPECT to see mobile phones which bear the label "made in Brunei Darussalam" in the market within the near future as Dina Brunei held the launching of the mobile phone manufacturing industry. By January 2009, a factory to introduce and assemble GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) mobile phones in the Sultanate will become fully operational.
As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dina Brunei and Christel Technologies Singapore, a new company, Business Time Technologies Sdn Bhd had been formed to handle the production of these locally-made cell phones. The MoU was signed yesterday during the ceremony, which was held at the theatre of the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Signing on behalf of Dina Brunei was its president, Azlan Yussuf, who stated that the factory would commence production with the introduction of its first line of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) mobile phones as well as "everyday" handphones.
Azlan highlighted that the new industry was in line with the nation's aim of diversifying its economy and reducing its dependency on oil and gas. He expressed the hope that the manufacturing of mobile phones would place Brunei on the map as an industrial and commercial hub.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Augustine Yap, was on hand to sign the MoU on behalf of Christel Technologies Singapore. He also delivered a speech where he outlined that the cooperation of the two companies was a "clear reflection" of Dina Brunei's initiative to penetrate the global stage.
Yap said that the cooperation between Christel Technologies and Dina Brunei "fitted well". Since the Singaporean company had the necessary ICT knowledge and expertise while Dina Brunei had the "strong financial capacity", Yap expressed his belief that together, they would be able to combine their resources to "deliver the best product" to the market.
He also said that the world mobile phone industry was growing and quoted a 2006 survey which forecast an expected compound annual growth of 14 per cent. He added that in 2011, worldwide mobile phone shipment will reach a total of 1.46 billion sets.
"It is the desire of this new company to capitalise on this growing market demand," he said.
Yap also announced that once the factory becomes operational, a research and development department would be established to create new innovative products designed by local engineers. In this light, the CEO mentioned that the industry would open up a host of job opportunities, ranging from logistics to engineers.
He added that the products would be exported, targeting "high-end markets" such as oil-importing countries.
Carrying the brand, D-Time, 1,000 limited edition models of these phones would be released by the end of next month to give the customers a taste of what the company has to offer in the future. A teaser trailer was also played to give the audience of Dina group members a brief glimpse of the new product. The president of Dina Global, Hasri Md Nor, was present to launch the trailer as the guest of honour at the event.
The Brunei Times
Get ready to say hello to 'made in Brunei' mobile
Get ready to say hello to 'made in Brunei' mobile
UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BRUNEI-MUARA
Monday, August 25, 2008
EXPECT to see mobile phones which bear the label "made in Brunei Darussalam" in the market within the near future as Dina Brunei held the launching of the mobile phone manufacturing industry. By January 2009, a factory to introduce and assemble GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) mobile phones in the Sultanate will become fully operational.
As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dina Brunei and Christel Technologies Singapore, a new company, Business Time Technologies Sdn Bhd had been formed to handle the production of these locally-made cell phones. The MoU was signed yesterday during the ceremony, which was held at the theatre of the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Signing on behalf of Dina Brunei was its president, Azlan Yussuf, who stated that the factory would commence production with the introduction of its first line of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) mobile phones as well as "everyday" handphones.
Azlan highlighted that the new industry was in line with the nation's aim of diversifying its economy and reducing its dependency on oil and gas. He expressed the hope that the manufacturing of mobile phones would place Brunei on the map as an industrial and commercial hub.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Augustine Yap, was on hand to sign the MoU on behalf of Christel Technologies Singapore. He also delivered a speech where he outlined that the cooperation of the two companies was a "clear reflection" of Dina Brunei's initiative to penetrate the global stage.
Yap said that the cooperation between Christel Technologies and Dina Brunei "fitted well". Since the Singaporean company had the necessary ICT knowledge and expertise while Dina Brunei had the "strong financial capacity", Yap expressed his belief that together, they would be able to combine their resources to "deliver the best product" to the market.
He also said that the world mobile phone industry was growing and quoted a 2006 survey which forecast an expected compound annual growth of 14 per cent. He added that in 2011, worldwide mobile phone shipment will reach a total of 1.46 billion sets.
"It is the desire of this new company to capitalise on this growing market demand," he said.
Yap also announced that once the factory becomes operational, a research and development department would be established to create new innovative products designed by local engineers. In this light, the CEO mentioned that the industry would open up a host of job opportunities, ranging from logistics to engineers.
He added that the products would be exported, targeting "high-end markets" such as oil-importing countries.
Carrying the brand, D-Time, 1,000 limited edition models of these phones would be released by the end of next month to give the customers a taste of what the company has to offer in the future. A teaser trailer was also played to give the audience of Dina group members a brief glimpse of the new product. The president of Dina Global, Hasri Md Nor, was present to launch the trailer as the guest of honour at the event.
The Brunei Times
UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BRUNEI-MUARA
Monday, August 25, 2008
EXPECT to see mobile phones which bear the label "made in Brunei Darussalam" in the market within the near future as Dina Brunei held the launching of the mobile phone manufacturing industry. By January 2009, a factory to introduce and assemble GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) mobile phones in the Sultanate will become fully operational.
As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dina Brunei and Christel Technologies Singapore, a new company, Business Time Technologies Sdn Bhd had been formed to handle the production of these locally-made cell phones. The MoU was signed yesterday during the ceremony, which was held at the theatre of the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Signing on behalf of Dina Brunei was its president, Azlan Yussuf, who stated that the factory would commence production with the introduction of its first line of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) mobile phones as well as "everyday" handphones.
Azlan highlighted that the new industry was in line with the nation's aim of diversifying its economy and reducing its dependency on oil and gas. He expressed the hope that the manufacturing of mobile phones would place Brunei on the map as an industrial and commercial hub.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Augustine Yap, was on hand to sign the MoU on behalf of Christel Technologies Singapore. He also delivered a speech where he outlined that the cooperation of the two companies was a "clear reflection" of Dina Brunei's initiative to penetrate the global stage.
Yap said that the cooperation between Christel Technologies and Dina Brunei "fitted well". Since the Singaporean company had the necessary ICT knowledge and expertise while Dina Brunei had the "strong financial capacity", Yap expressed his belief that together, they would be able to combine their resources to "deliver the best product" to the market.
He also said that the world mobile phone industry was growing and quoted a 2006 survey which forecast an expected compound annual growth of 14 per cent. He added that in 2011, worldwide mobile phone shipment will reach a total of 1.46 billion sets.
"It is the desire of this new company to capitalise on this growing market demand," he said.
Yap also announced that once the factory becomes operational, a research and development department would be established to create new innovative products designed by local engineers. In this light, the CEO mentioned that the industry would open up a host of job opportunities, ranging from logistics to engineers.
He added that the products would be exported, targeting "high-end markets" such as oil-importing countries.
Carrying the brand, D-Time, 1,000 limited edition models of these phones would be released by the end of next month to give the customers a taste of what the company has to offer in the future. A teaser trailer was also played to give the audience of Dina group members a brief glimpse of the new product. The president of Dina Global, Hasri Md Nor, was present to launch the trailer as the guest of honour at the event.
The Brunei Times
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Teachers' role vital in making education reforms a success
Teachers' role vital in making education reforms a success
Education reforms: Hajah Norjum Haji Mohd Yussop, Deputy Permanent Secretary (CS), Ministry of Education, delivers her speech at the SPN21 Diagnostic Assessment Workshop yesterday. Picture: BT/SaifulizamBANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Sunday, August 24, 2008
EDUCATION reforms will fail unless those responsible for strategy implementation consider the importance of teachers in bringing out the best in students' learning, a senior Ministry of Education official said.
Citing consulting firm McKinsey's research on 'How the world's best performing school systems come out on top' last year, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Corporate Services) Hjh Norjum Hj Mohd Yussop reiterated that student learning and development can be facilitated by providing teachers with the knowledge, skills, understanding and support.
"No education system can rise above the quality of its teachers," she said during yesterday's launch of the SPN 21 Diagnostic Assessment Workshop on three core subjects; English language, Science and Mathematics at the Rizqun International Hotel.
She said that based on the research, many school reforms failed in many countries despite massive spending, smaller class sizes and greater school freedom, because the "quality of an education system depends ultimately on the quality of teachers."
Over the years, the Ministry of Health has invested a significant amount in developing good systems in education to provide teachers with the environment and opportunities for personal and professional growth, she added.
Almost 600 primary and secondary school teachers, along with selected officers from departments under the Ministry of Education and Universiti Brunei Darussalam's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE) will participate in the six-day workshop which will starts tomorrow at Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB).
The workshop is part of the Ministry of Education's initiatives to support the 21st Century National Education System (SPN 21) and helping the teaching force to be mindful of developing their capabilities to tackle the challenges ahead.
The programme is led by strategy implementation specialists Optimise International and a team of education specialists from Australia Catholic University, Curtin University and Cengage Learning.
The six-day workshop will focus on further developing the knowledge and skills needed by teachers, school leaders and support staff from the ministry and in schools, to accurately diagnose and assess the abilities, interests, needs and potential of each student.
Hjh Norjum added that the ministry is determined that SPN 21 will be an example of what a well-researched and superbly executed education reform can achieve when there is the will, enthusiasm and commitment of all those involved to making it a success.
The Brunei Times
Education reforms: Hajah Norjum Haji Mohd Yussop, Deputy Permanent Secretary (CS), Ministry of Education, delivers her speech at the SPN21 Diagnostic Assessment Workshop yesterday. Picture: BT/SaifulizamBANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Sunday, August 24, 2008
EDUCATION reforms will fail unless those responsible for strategy implementation consider the importance of teachers in bringing out the best in students' learning, a senior Ministry of Education official said.
Citing consulting firm McKinsey's research on 'How the world's best performing school systems come out on top' last year, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Corporate Services) Hjh Norjum Hj Mohd Yussop reiterated that student learning and development can be facilitated by providing teachers with the knowledge, skills, understanding and support.
"No education system can rise above the quality of its teachers," she said during yesterday's launch of the SPN 21 Diagnostic Assessment Workshop on three core subjects; English language, Science and Mathematics at the Rizqun International Hotel.
She said that based on the research, many school reforms failed in many countries despite massive spending, smaller class sizes and greater school freedom, because the "quality of an education system depends ultimately on the quality of teachers."
Over the years, the Ministry of Health has invested a significant amount in developing good systems in education to provide teachers with the environment and opportunities for personal and professional growth, she added.
Almost 600 primary and secondary school teachers, along with selected officers from departments under the Ministry of Education and Universiti Brunei Darussalam's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE) will participate in the six-day workshop which will starts tomorrow at Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB).
The workshop is part of the Ministry of Education's initiatives to support the 21st Century National Education System (SPN 21) and helping the teaching force to be mindful of developing their capabilities to tackle the challenges ahead.
The programme is led by strategy implementation specialists Optimise International and a team of education specialists from Australia Catholic University, Curtin University and Cengage Learning.
The six-day workshop will focus on further developing the knowledge and skills needed by teachers, school leaders and support staff from the ministry and in schools, to accurately diagnose and assess the abilities, interests, needs and potential of each student.
Hjh Norjum added that the ministry is determined that SPN 21 will be an example of what a well-researched and superbly executed education reform can achieve when there is the will, enthusiasm and commitment of all those involved to making it a success.
The Brunei Times
Innovation key in vocational education teaching methods
Innovation key in vocational education teaching methods
Training concludes: Participants attending the closing ceremony of Basic Workshop Education System Training and Development held at the Civil Service Institute. Picture: BT/Syazwan SadikinSyazwan Sadikin
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Sunday, August 24, 2008
INNOVATIVE, flexible and student-centred approaches in technical and vocational education were required to meet the challenges of the 21st century, said the principal of Jefri Bolkiah Engineering College.
According to Hj Alias Hj Abu Bakar, these would include a reoriented curriculum to take account of new units, new assessment method and issues such as technology and the requirements of rapidly growing services industries.
He made the remarks during the closing ceremony of the Basic workshop on Student Centred Learning, Education System Training and Development held at the Civil Service Institute, yesterday.
"It is important to have a learner-centric teaching rather than traditional teaching, encourage collaborative or peer learning and encourage self-directed learning," said Hj Alias. He added: "Theory and practice should form an integrated whole and be presented in a manner that motivates the learners. The methods and material used in technical and vocational education should be adapted to the learners needs."
The workshop, said Hj Alias, has enabled participants to identify methods or approaches on how to get students excited in learning as the focus of Problem Based Learning (PBL) has shifted from "Teacher Teaching" to "Students Learning".
"The main role of instructor is a facilitator of learning who should encourage and help students to develop a deep approach to learning and stimulate dialogue among learners rather than lecture," the principal said.
As facilitators, according to him, serve as a resource to students and encourage students to be active in the classroom by investigating, asking questions and solving problems.
He added that due to the short amount of time, a follow up training or appropriate systematic training was needed to further develop the PBL, involving all the relevant stakeholders in the implementation of vocational and technical programmes.
In addition, sufficient resources and infrastructure are required to support its successful implementation.
Acting director of Technical Education, Ministry of Education, Ibrahim Hj Abdul Rahman was present at the closing ceremony where he presented certificates to all of the 40 participants comprising of principals, deputy principals and instructors from various vocational and technical institutions, as well as senior officers from the Department of Technical Education.
Among those present were Dr Chirstine Chan, assistant director of Republic Polytechnic International and head of sections of department of technical education.
The three-day basic workshop has provided participants with the knowledge and information on the best practices of teaching and learning approach that has been practiced by the Republic Polytechnic International on a student-centred learning approach.
The Republic Polythechnic International focuses on student-centred learning and employs the One Day-One Problem framework, where problems are used to trigger learning engagement and knowledge construction. The approach encourages students to be confident, resourceful and be self-directed in their learning.
The workshop is jointly organised by Department of Technical Education of MOE and RP Singapore.
The Brunei Times
Training concludes: Participants attending the closing ceremony of Basic Workshop Education System Training and Development held at the Civil Service Institute. Picture: BT/Syazwan SadikinSyazwan Sadikin
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Sunday, August 24, 2008
INNOVATIVE, flexible and student-centred approaches in technical and vocational education were required to meet the challenges of the 21st century, said the principal of Jefri Bolkiah Engineering College.
According to Hj Alias Hj Abu Bakar, these would include a reoriented curriculum to take account of new units, new assessment method and issues such as technology and the requirements of rapidly growing services industries.
He made the remarks during the closing ceremony of the Basic workshop on Student Centred Learning, Education System Training and Development held at the Civil Service Institute, yesterday.
"It is important to have a learner-centric teaching rather than traditional teaching, encourage collaborative or peer learning and encourage self-directed learning," said Hj Alias. He added: "Theory and practice should form an integrated whole and be presented in a manner that motivates the learners. The methods and material used in technical and vocational education should be adapted to the learners needs."
The workshop, said Hj Alias, has enabled participants to identify methods or approaches on how to get students excited in learning as the focus of Problem Based Learning (PBL) has shifted from "Teacher Teaching" to "Students Learning".
"The main role of instructor is a facilitator of learning who should encourage and help students to develop a deep approach to learning and stimulate dialogue among learners rather than lecture," the principal said.
As facilitators, according to him, serve as a resource to students and encourage students to be active in the classroom by investigating, asking questions and solving problems.
He added that due to the short amount of time, a follow up training or appropriate systematic training was needed to further develop the PBL, involving all the relevant stakeholders in the implementation of vocational and technical programmes.
In addition, sufficient resources and infrastructure are required to support its successful implementation.
Acting director of Technical Education, Ministry of Education, Ibrahim Hj Abdul Rahman was present at the closing ceremony where he presented certificates to all of the 40 participants comprising of principals, deputy principals and instructors from various vocational and technical institutions, as well as senior officers from the Department of Technical Education.
Among those present were Dr Chirstine Chan, assistant director of Republic Polytechnic International and head of sections of department of technical education.
The three-day basic workshop has provided participants with the knowledge and information on the best practices of teaching and learning approach that has been practiced by the Republic Polytechnic International on a student-centred learning approach.
The Republic Polythechnic International focuses on student-centred learning and employs the One Day-One Problem framework, where problems are used to trigger learning engagement and knowledge construction. The approach encourages students to be confident, resourceful and be self-directed in their learning.
The workshop is jointly organised by Department of Technical Education of MOE and RP Singapore.
The Brunei Times
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Priming the industrial pump
Priming the industrial pump
Helping build Brunei: The Butra Heidelberg (Brunei Cement) factory in Muara is one of many projects initiated by Hamidjojo Development. The business strategy and development firm aims to help build industries in Brunei Picture: BT/Zamri ZainalDebbie Too
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, August 23, 2008
HAMIDJOJO Development's founder and chief executive Rubyanto A Hamidjojo enjoys building a business, and more specifically developing an industry.
"(It) doesn't just develop projects, we develop industries and then sell (a business project) off to other companies to manage," says Hamidjojo project manager Joseph Sequeira who has been in the company for more than 15 years. To this day, Sequeira still feels the same rush and anticipation he had in the beginning.
Commitment is said to be one of the most important ingredients in a successful business. However, once a business has reached a certain level of success, it is hard to not fall into a routine trap which can make even the most exciting of tasks seem dull. The rush, excitement and anticipation that someone in business feels in the beginning soon starts to wear off and may even result in boredom. But not at Hamidjojo, says Sequeira.
"In the past 15 years being in the company, every new project we have done has always felt like something new because it's always something different."
The company has narrowed its niche down to being a business strategy and development company, which Sequeira explains is due to the nature of the business. It involves developing a company, running it for a couple of years, and once the project has reached its peak, it is sold off to other businessmen.
"Our first project was the first ... mineral water plant, which cost $5 million, and was built and developed in Lumut in 1985," says Sequeira. After a few years, the company was sold off and Hamidjojo started looking to develop another industry, cement.
"Our founder has experience from Indonesia, and he always sees the potential in developing industries in Brunei, so the next feasible project we developed was the cement plant, previously known as Butra Djajanti but sold off to a German company and now called Butra Heidelberg cement." The cement plant cost $90 million to build and was completed in 1993.
Since there are many industries to develop, Sequeira says that the company decides what projects to develop based on two points: Brunei's available resources and whether the products will have export potential.
"Other than the oil and gas industry, Brunei hardly has any industries in manufacturing, and since the (bigger) garment factories closed down, the other big player in manufacturing is the cement plant. Brunei has the potential to develop more industries with its available resources, so one of the projects we were in the midst of developing was a glass factory."
Sequeira says one of Brunei's natural resources is silica sand found in abundance along the main roads connecting the Tutong district to the Belait district. However, due to the lack of power available to support such a plant and other technical difficulties, Hamidjojo Development decided to put that project on hold. The company's current project involves the development of a thin film solar plant, which costs €30 million ($62.6 million).
"In this day and age, with oil prices going up and the limited amount of energy resources, people are looking towards renewable energy, and solar power is becoming more and more popular," he says.
While Hamidjojo seems to land multi-million projects one after another, Sequeira says it is not without its own set of challenges. Apart from the technical challenges that it faces when working on projects, on a whole the project manager says that decision making in Brunei is slow.
"Sometimes it gets frustrating, but we have to live with it and so we try our best to work around it.
"I have been with this company for a very long time and one of the best things is being able to do something new all the time. With new projects, we learn new things, we read books and magazines to learn more about our project and it's just like being back in school and studying."
The most important thing that has kept Sequeira loyal to the company is the job satisfaction from seeing a project flourish.
"Even though we have sold off our developments, there is always a satisfaction knowing that I was a part of building those factories. Every time I see a Butra Heidelberg cement bag, I think to myself that I helped build that plant. I am not a Bruneian, so eventually, I will have to go back to India, but knowing that I was part of developing certain industries and building the plants and factories is good to leave me happy," he says.
The Brunei Times
Helping build Brunei: The Butra Heidelberg (Brunei Cement) factory in Muara is one of many projects initiated by Hamidjojo Development. The business strategy and development firm aims to help build industries in Brunei Picture: BT/Zamri ZainalDebbie Too
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, August 23, 2008
HAMIDJOJO Development's founder and chief executive Rubyanto A Hamidjojo enjoys building a business, and more specifically developing an industry.
"(It) doesn't just develop projects, we develop industries and then sell (a business project) off to other companies to manage," says Hamidjojo project manager Joseph Sequeira who has been in the company for more than 15 years. To this day, Sequeira still feels the same rush and anticipation he had in the beginning.
Commitment is said to be one of the most important ingredients in a successful business. However, once a business has reached a certain level of success, it is hard to not fall into a routine trap which can make even the most exciting of tasks seem dull. The rush, excitement and anticipation that someone in business feels in the beginning soon starts to wear off and may even result in boredom. But not at Hamidjojo, says Sequeira.
"In the past 15 years being in the company, every new project we have done has always felt like something new because it's always something different."
The company has narrowed its niche down to being a business strategy and development company, which Sequeira explains is due to the nature of the business. It involves developing a company, running it for a couple of years, and once the project has reached its peak, it is sold off to other businessmen.
"Our first project was the first ... mineral water plant, which cost $5 million, and was built and developed in Lumut in 1985," says Sequeira. After a few years, the company was sold off and Hamidjojo started looking to develop another industry, cement.
"Our founder has experience from Indonesia, and he always sees the potential in developing industries in Brunei, so the next feasible project we developed was the cement plant, previously known as Butra Djajanti but sold off to a German company and now called Butra Heidelberg cement." The cement plant cost $90 million to build and was completed in 1993.
Since there are many industries to develop, Sequeira says that the company decides what projects to develop based on two points: Brunei's available resources and whether the products will have export potential.
"Other than the oil and gas industry, Brunei hardly has any industries in manufacturing, and since the (bigger) garment factories closed down, the other big player in manufacturing is the cement plant. Brunei has the potential to develop more industries with its available resources, so one of the projects we were in the midst of developing was a glass factory."
Sequeira says one of Brunei's natural resources is silica sand found in abundance along the main roads connecting the Tutong district to the Belait district. However, due to the lack of power available to support such a plant and other technical difficulties, Hamidjojo Development decided to put that project on hold. The company's current project involves the development of a thin film solar plant, which costs €30 million ($62.6 million).
"In this day and age, with oil prices going up and the limited amount of energy resources, people are looking towards renewable energy, and solar power is becoming more and more popular," he says.
While Hamidjojo seems to land multi-million projects one after another, Sequeira says it is not without its own set of challenges. Apart from the technical challenges that it faces when working on projects, on a whole the project manager says that decision making in Brunei is slow.
"Sometimes it gets frustrating, but we have to live with it and so we try our best to work around it.
"I have been with this company for a very long time and one of the best things is being able to do something new all the time. With new projects, we learn new things, we read books and magazines to learn more about our project and it's just like being back in school and studying."
The most important thing that has kept Sequeira loyal to the company is the job satisfaction from seeing a project flourish.
"Even though we have sold off our developments, there is always a satisfaction knowing that I was a part of building those factories. Every time I see a Butra Heidelberg cement bag, I think to myself that I helped build that plant. I am not a Bruneian, so eventually, I will have to go back to India, but knowing that I was part of developing certain industries and building the plants and factories is good to leave me happy," he says.
The Brunei Times
Brunei can excel in non-meat segment of global halal market
Brunei can excel in non-meat segment of global halal market
Others are just as slow: Hajj Abdulhamid David Evans. Picture: BT/Debbie Too
Saturday, August 23, 2008
AN OFT-ASKED question following the recent International Halal Expo was whether Brunei stands a chance in competing with other players in the global halal food industry? Hajj Abdulhamid Evans, managing director of Imarat Consultant, a consulting firm specialising in the halal market and one of the event managers for the expo, said that the key for Brunei is to focus on niche markets in the global halal arena. One of the leading voices of the halal movement around the world, Evans had more than a few words to say in an interview with The Brunei Times.
Is there a global halal standard to begin with?
There isn't a global standard, and its one of the things that has been discussed for the last few years and there are a few different initiatives going on ... Malaysia has a standard, and Brunei has a standard, which are produced by the standards authorities of those countries, and Singaporean Muslims are discussing their standards as well but the predominantly Muslim countries, like the Gulf states are only starting to think about this now.
How does the Brunei halal standard compare?
It is actually very good and stringent. It's a tough standard in terms of whether they allow stunning of animals prior to slaughter and hand slaughter versus mechanical slaughtering and Brunei's standard takes a purist approach, which is good. This makes it more difficult to apply because it's a higher standard so in some aspects of the market, there may be fewer people able to conform to that standard. People will conform to your standards if they want to sell their goods to you.
In a way does the standard become a slight disadvantage to Brunei?
Its disadvantage is that Brunei is a very small market so the number of people who would conform if they want to sell to Brunei is relatively small. Even in Malaysia, they've conformed to Malaysia to get their business but it's still not that big a market. If you're talking about the Gulf Cooperation Council, they have a huge buying power and the standard that they roll out is going to have a different kind of impact in the market, because food exporting markets who want to reach that market will learn to be compliant with the Middle Eastern standards.
What can Brunei focus on?
One of the approaches that came up during the conference and one of the discussions we had recently, in terms of certifying with non-meat products, is that Brunei be more focused on pharmaceuticals, ingredients, health care products, personal care products and non-meat products. The Brunei standard is actually much more suited to that because there's this quality control that matters more if you're looking at all the details. The Brunei standard doesn't just focus on the slaughtering process, but also on manufacturing and auditing procedures. It's comprehensive and very well done.
What niche markets are available in the halal industry?
Look at ingredients, pharmaceutical products, botanicals and things like that. It suits the industry and even some of the downstream products from oil and gas are getting into the field of pharma. I know there is interest from the Japanese to look at the production or packaging or branding of pharmaceutical products in the new industrial park. So a niche like that is somewhere that no one's really gone, and that plays more to Brunei's strengths, so you can leave the mainstream to other people because there's going to be fierce competition in that.
Could you elaborate more on this?
I discussed with Nestle last year, and I remember asking them what the biggest challenges are for expanding their halal production, and they said that the big challenges was going to find small ingredients like emulsifiers, colourings and all those little additives and getting halal sources for those are quite challenging. The industry in general is looking for meat substitutes for example, people are arguing about gelatin and how to source halal gelatin, but gelatin can be made from vegetable sources as well, so if you go there, then the question of whether it's halal or not doesn't really arise and those kind of opportunities present themselves to Brunei. Good joint ventures could come out of that.
You've said before that Brunei "needs to speed things up a bit".
On one hand you can say that Brunei is a bit slow, but on the other hand, it's not, and because I've worked with other countries on this, and they're just as slow. Funnily enough, Brunei's small size actually can become an advantage because they would be able to be a bit more nimble when it comes to adjusting to changes or focus or revisiting certain decisions and strategies with a small size. It should be easier to stay focused and move things along. To be honest, when I've looked at the progress being made in other countries, Brunei isn't any slower actually.
Can you give any examples of the events and activities that have been done that have made you think otherwise?
When I was here in 2006 for the first halal conference, there was no standard developed and by 2007, it was published and it was really well designed and a series of six books comprising of halal standard booklets, with syariah decisions on questions in the food industry, and those were really good products that were done in a really short period of time.
To be continued
The Brunei Times
Others are just as slow: Hajj Abdulhamid David Evans. Picture: BT/Debbie Too
Saturday, August 23, 2008
AN OFT-ASKED question following the recent International Halal Expo was whether Brunei stands a chance in competing with other players in the global halal food industry? Hajj Abdulhamid Evans, managing director of Imarat Consultant, a consulting firm specialising in the halal market and one of the event managers for the expo, said that the key for Brunei is to focus on niche markets in the global halal arena. One of the leading voices of the halal movement around the world, Evans had more than a few words to say in an interview with The Brunei Times.
Is there a global halal standard to begin with?
There isn't a global standard, and its one of the things that has been discussed for the last few years and there are a few different initiatives going on ... Malaysia has a standard, and Brunei has a standard, which are produced by the standards authorities of those countries, and Singaporean Muslims are discussing their standards as well but the predominantly Muslim countries, like the Gulf states are only starting to think about this now.
How does the Brunei halal standard compare?
It is actually very good and stringent. It's a tough standard in terms of whether they allow stunning of animals prior to slaughter and hand slaughter versus mechanical slaughtering and Brunei's standard takes a purist approach, which is good. This makes it more difficult to apply because it's a higher standard so in some aspects of the market, there may be fewer people able to conform to that standard. People will conform to your standards if they want to sell their goods to you.
In a way does the standard become a slight disadvantage to Brunei?
Its disadvantage is that Brunei is a very small market so the number of people who would conform if they want to sell to Brunei is relatively small. Even in Malaysia, they've conformed to Malaysia to get their business but it's still not that big a market. If you're talking about the Gulf Cooperation Council, they have a huge buying power and the standard that they roll out is going to have a different kind of impact in the market, because food exporting markets who want to reach that market will learn to be compliant with the Middle Eastern standards.
What can Brunei focus on?
One of the approaches that came up during the conference and one of the discussions we had recently, in terms of certifying with non-meat products, is that Brunei be more focused on pharmaceuticals, ingredients, health care products, personal care products and non-meat products. The Brunei standard is actually much more suited to that because there's this quality control that matters more if you're looking at all the details. The Brunei standard doesn't just focus on the slaughtering process, but also on manufacturing and auditing procedures. It's comprehensive and very well done.
What niche markets are available in the halal industry?
Look at ingredients, pharmaceutical products, botanicals and things like that. It suits the industry and even some of the downstream products from oil and gas are getting into the field of pharma. I know there is interest from the Japanese to look at the production or packaging or branding of pharmaceutical products in the new industrial park. So a niche like that is somewhere that no one's really gone, and that plays more to Brunei's strengths, so you can leave the mainstream to other people because there's going to be fierce competition in that.
Could you elaborate more on this?
I discussed with Nestle last year, and I remember asking them what the biggest challenges are for expanding their halal production, and they said that the big challenges was going to find small ingredients like emulsifiers, colourings and all those little additives and getting halal sources for those are quite challenging. The industry in general is looking for meat substitutes for example, people are arguing about gelatin and how to source halal gelatin, but gelatin can be made from vegetable sources as well, so if you go there, then the question of whether it's halal or not doesn't really arise and those kind of opportunities present themselves to Brunei. Good joint ventures could come out of that.
You've said before that Brunei "needs to speed things up a bit".
On one hand you can say that Brunei is a bit slow, but on the other hand, it's not, and because I've worked with other countries on this, and they're just as slow. Funnily enough, Brunei's small size actually can become an advantage because they would be able to be a bit more nimble when it comes to adjusting to changes or focus or revisiting certain decisions and strategies with a small size. It should be easier to stay focused and move things along. To be honest, when I've looked at the progress being made in other countries, Brunei isn't any slower actually.
Can you give any examples of the events and activities that have been done that have made you think otherwise?
When I was here in 2006 for the first halal conference, there was no standard developed and by 2007, it was published and it was really well designed and a series of six books comprising of halal standard booklets, with syariah decisions on questions in the food industry, and those were really good products that were done in a really short period of time.
To be continued
The Brunei Times
Friday, August 22, 2008
HRH inspects progress of marine eco-tourism projects
HRH inspects progress of marine eco-tourism projects
Royal working visit: HRH Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah (L), the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, during his working visit to fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites yesterday. Also present were Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab (2nd R) and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail (R). Picture: Courtesy of infofotoBANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, August 22, 2008
HIS Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, continued his series of working visits yesterday with a tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR).
Upon his arrival at the site, the Crown Prince was greeted by Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Ahmad Hj Jumat and Deputy Minister Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail.
The visit was aimed at monitoring the progress and development of businesses and institutions, including the economic activities which are aligned with MIPR's efforts in promoting economic diversification.
The economic activities under the ministry are expected to generate opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), enhance the country's economic competitiveness in the international arena, and attract foreign direct investment to the country.
His Royal Highness' visit began with a tour of HT Enterprise, which handles the fisheries eco-tourism project.
The company, which also lists crab and fish breeding as its business activities, is among one of the successful participants of financial assistance through the Enterprise Facilitation Scheme from His Majesty's Government.
The company's site, located along Brunei Bay's mangrove forest swamp, is around 2.25 hectares in size and is expected to see the completion of construction of 15 chalets, a restaurant and the conference room by December this year.
The Crown Prince also took a closer look at the construction of chalets and other facilities at sites related to the project's implementation.
The visit then continued to the Fish Landing Centre in Muara where His Royal Highness boarded a special vehicle to continue the tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism sites located two nautical miles off the coast in surrounding Pilong-Pilongan Island.
Upon arrival, His Royal Highness was presented with a demonstration of enforcement operations by the Marine Police and Internal Security Division which secure and patrol the safety zone within 500 metres of restricted areas along oil and gas platforms and within Brunei waters.
The demonstration also included a fishing display orchestrated by two trawler fishing vessels which showed His Royal Highness the process and type of fishing that is carried out within the waters.
As of 2008, only 15 commercial trawlers are operating in Zone two (three to 20 nautical miles) in Brunei waters.
The maritime areas within the waters surrounding the Pilong-Pilongan Island are among the many locations rich with diverse marine life and has a high potential for resources within the fisheries industry.
The site has the potential to offer an estimated $27 million within the span of five years through various recreational activities, such as scuba diving, snorkelling, sport fishing and wildlife preservation.
Coral reefs within the area are also among the exotic locations off the west coast. It has been identified as one of the sites for the development of offshore cages for fish breeding with an estimated area of over 200 hectares.
His Royal Highness also took the opportunity to view the highlights that were transmitted through an undersea remote operating vehicle (ROV) followed by a scuba diving demonstration that showed monitoring and assessment procedures carried out to inspect the coral reefs. (SRH1)
The Brunei Times
Royal working visit: HRH Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah (L), the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, during his working visit to fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites yesterday. Also present were Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab (2nd R) and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail (R). Picture: Courtesy of infofotoBANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, August 22, 2008
HIS Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, continued his series of working visits yesterday with a tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR).
Upon his arrival at the site, the Crown Prince was greeted by Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Ahmad Hj Jumat and Deputy Minister Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail.
The visit was aimed at monitoring the progress and development of businesses and institutions, including the economic activities which are aligned with MIPR's efforts in promoting economic diversification.
The economic activities under the ministry are expected to generate opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), enhance the country's economic competitiveness in the international arena, and attract foreign direct investment to the country.
His Royal Highness' visit began with a tour of HT Enterprise, which handles the fisheries eco-tourism project.
The company, which also lists crab and fish breeding as its business activities, is among one of the successful participants of financial assistance through the Enterprise Facilitation Scheme from His Majesty's Government.
The company's site, located along Brunei Bay's mangrove forest swamp, is around 2.25 hectares in size and is expected to see the completion of construction of 15 chalets, a restaurant and the conference room by December this year.
The Crown Prince also took a closer look at the construction of chalets and other facilities at sites related to the project's implementation.
The visit then continued to the Fish Landing Centre in Muara where His Royal Highness boarded a special vehicle to continue the tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism sites located two nautical miles off the coast in surrounding Pilong-Pilongan Island.
Upon arrival, His Royal Highness was presented with a demonstration of enforcement operations by the Marine Police and Internal Security Division which secure and patrol the safety zone within 500 metres of restricted areas along oil and gas platforms and within Brunei waters.
The demonstration also included a fishing display orchestrated by two trawler fishing vessels which showed His Royal Highness the process and type of fishing that is carried out within the waters.
As of 2008, only 15 commercial trawlers are operating in Zone two (three to 20 nautical miles) in Brunei waters.
The maritime areas within the waters surrounding the Pilong-Pilongan Island are among the many locations rich with diverse marine life and has a high potential for resources within the fisheries industry.
The site has the potential to offer an estimated $27 million within the span of five years through various recreational activities, such as scuba diving, snorkelling, sport fishing and wildlife preservation.
Coral reefs within the area are also among the exotic locations off the west coast. It has been identified as one of the sites for the development of offshore cages for fish breeding with an estimated area of over 200 hectares.
His Royal Highness also took the opportunity to view the highlights that were transmitted through an undersea remote operating vehicle (ROV) followed by a scuba diving demonstration that showed monitoring and assessment procedures carried out to inspect the coral reefs. (SRH1)
The Brunei Times
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
ASEAN members viewed as "tiny blips" on investors' radar screens
From Monsters and Critics.com
Business News
ASEAN members viewed as "tiny blips" on investors' radar screens
By DPA
Aug 20, 2008, 6:17 GMT
Singapore - Members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are only 'tiny blips' on investors' radar screens compared to China and India, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Wednesday.
Opening the 29th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) session, Lee said the 10-member group has to struggle to get its share of investments, jobs and growth.
Through hosting the Beijing Olympic, China had shown the world the talents, energy and organizational prowess of its people, Lee said. 'India's economy too has considerable dynamism, and is moving up in terms of skills and technology,' he added.
ASEAN will become a single market and production base by 2015 as long as the organization adheres to its timetable, Lee said. 'To stay in the game, ASEAN must become a strong and integrated region.'
'Then collectively, we will form a bigger blip on the radar screens, and become a more attractive and worthwhile economic partner, whether for multinational corporations or other countries,' Lee said.
He also stressed the importance of all member states ratifying the ASEAN Charter which will turn the group into a rule-based legal entity. It has been ratified by seven members so far.
Future stability cannot be taken for granted, Lee said, citing the problems stemming from the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the failure of the latest round of the Doha trade negotiations in Geneva.
He urged the parliamentarians 'to stand firm against xenophobic attitudes, and to support policies which keep our economies open and integrated.'
ASEAN comprises Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
© Copyright 2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Business News
ASEAN members viewed as "tiny blips" on investors' radar screens
By DPA
Aug 20, 2008, 6:17 GMT
Singapore - Members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are only 'tiny blips' on investors' radar screens compared to China and India, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Wednesday.
Opening the 29th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) session, Lee said the 10-member group has to struggle to get its share of investments, jobs and growth.
Through hosting the Beijing Olympic, China had shown the world the talents, energy and organizational prowess of its people, Lee said. 'India's economy too has considerable dynamism, and is moving up in terms of skills and technology,' he added.
ASEAN will become a single market and production base by 2015 as long as the organization adheres to its timetable, Lee said. 'To stay in the game, ASEAN must become a strong and integrated region.'
'Then collectively, we will form a bigger blip on the radar screens, and become a more attractive and worthwhile economic partner, whether for multinational corporations or other countries,' Lee said.
He also stressed the importance of all member states ratifying the ASEAN Charter which will turn the group into a rule-based legal entity. It has been ratified by seven members so far.
Future stability cannot be taken for granted, Lee said, citing the problems stemming from the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the failure of the latest round of the Doha trade negotiations in Geneva.
He urged the parliamentarians 'to stand firm against xenophobic attitudes, and to support policies which keep our economies open and integrated.'
ASEAN comprises Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
© Copyright 2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Sultanate can be promoted as hub for Islamic tourism
Sultanate can be promoted as hub for Islamic tourism
Niche market: David Smith (R), CEO of Global Futures and Foresight UK, delivers his talk on 'The rise of Islamic Tourism' during the International Halal Products Forum held at International Convention Centre in Berakas. Picture: BT/SaifulizamUbaidillah Masli
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Monday, August 18, 2008
ISLAMIC tourism can provide an avenue for Brunei to develop its tourism industry, in the long term goal of diversifying its economy. A presentation on "Islamic Tourism and Halal Hospitality" was delivered yesterday by David Smith, the chief executive of Global Futures and Foresight UK, during the second day of the International Halal Market Conference which took place at the main conference hall of the International Convention Centre in Berakas.
Smith suggested a few ideas and methods through which the Sultanate could promote itself as hub for Islamic tourism. He acknowledged that Brunei had to compete with neighbouring countries which offered similar eco-tourism products to visitors. However, Smith proposed that the nation could create a product which combined its rainforest and environmental attractions with Islamic tourism products.
"(Brunei) is much more likely to have a halal offering than some of your neighbouring countries," he said. "As long as you make it clear (to the tourists) what is the product (you are offering to them)."
He said that there were tourists who wished to experience the luxuries of staying in prestigious hotels and going on package tours, while keeping to Islamic beliefs and values during the duration of their visit to the country. This was the "niche" market which Brunei could focus on, he said.
He stressed the importance of having the infrastructure developed in order for Brunei to delve into Islamic tourism. Some of this infrastructure was already in place in the country, such as the ban of alcohol, providing prayer rooms and facilities, halal food and other halal-orientated hospitality.
"(These) people want to travel the way everybody else does... It is about knowing that the food is halal without having to ask," he added.
Smith explained that as a concept, Islamic tourism comprises three main components. These elements included the revival of Islamic cultures and the spread of Islamic values, the economic benefit for Islamic societies and the deepening of Islamic self-confidence, identity and beliefs.
According to Smith, Islamic tourism is one of the fastest growing sub-sectors in the tourism market. He said that the global tourism market was expected to "triple in size" from 565 million visitors recorded in 1995 to an estimated 1.6 billion visitors by the year 2020. It was also projected that one per cent of the world GDP (Gross Domestic Product) would come from this sub-sector alone.
The Middle East and East Asia have the largest estimated annual growth rate of tourist visitors by region. These two regions were among the fore-runners in Islamic tourism.
The Middle East would invest US$3.76 trillion in travel and tourism, he said. This investment included the introduction of more than 900 new hotels offering more than 750,000 rooms by 2020, US$1.8 trillion spent on underlying infrastructure and US$1 trillion on leisure developments. Some 170 million tourists were expected to visit the region by 2020.
The Brunei Times
Niche market: David Smith (R), CEO of Global Futures and Foresight UK, delivers his talk on 'The rise of Islamic Tourism' during the International Halal Products Forum held at International Convention Centre in Berakas. Picture: BT/SaifulizamUbaidillah Masli
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Monday, August 18, 2008
ISLAMIC tourism can provide an avenue for Brunei to develop its tourism industry, in the long term goal of diversifying its economy. A presentation on "Islamic Tourism and Halal Hospitality" was delivered yesterday by David Smith, the chief executive of Global Futures and Foresight UK, during the second day of the International Halal Market Conference which took place at the main conference hall of the International Convention Centre in Berakas.
Smith suggested a few ideas and methods through which the Sultanate could promote itself as hub for Islamic tourism. He acknowledged that Brunei had to compete with neighbouring countries which offered similar eco-tourism products to visitors. However, Smith proposed that the nation could create a product which combined its rainforest and environmental attractions with Islamic tourism products.
"(Brunei) is much more likely to have a halal offering than some of your neighbouring countries," he said. "As long as you make it clear (to the tourists) what is the product (you are offering to them)."
He said that there were tourists who wished to experience the luxuries of staying in prestigious hotels and going on package tours, while keeping to Islamic beliefs and values during the duration of their visit to the country. This was the "niche" market which Brunei could focus on, he said.
He stressed the importance of having the infrastructure developed in order for Brunei to delve into Islamic tourism. Some of this infrastructure was already in place in the country, such as the ban of alcohol, providing prayer rooms and facilities, halal food and other halal-orientated hospitality.
"(These) people want to travel the way everybody else does... It is about knowing that the food is halal without having to ask," he added.
Smith explained that as a concept, Islamic tourism comprises three main components. These elements included the revival of Islamic cultures and the spread of Islamic values, the economic benefit for Islamic societies and the deepening of Islamic self-confidence, identity and beliefs.
According to Smith, Islamic tourism is one of the fastest growing sub-sectors in the tourism market. He said that the global tourism market was expected to "triple in size" from 565 million visitors recorded in 1995 to an estimated 1.6 billion visitors by the year 2020. It was also projected that one per cent of the world GDP (Gross Domestic Product) would come from this sub-sector alone.
The Middle East and East Asia have the largest estimated annual growth rate of tourist visitors by region. These two regions were among the fore-runners in Islamic tourism.
The Middle East would invest US$3.76 trillion in travel and tourism, he said. This investment included the introduction of more than 900 new hotels offering more than 750,000 rooms by 2020, US$1.8 trillion spent on underlying infrastructure and US$1 trillion on leisure developments. Some 170 million tourists were expected to visit the region by 2020.
The Brunei Times
Friday, August 15, 2008
Brunei firm plans to launch 'Halalpedia'
Brunei firm plans to launch 'Halalpedia'
Hadi DP Mahmud
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, August 15, 2008
LOCAL firm Langford Media Network, which is responsible for what will be the world's first intellectual property (IP) online encyclopedia when it is launched next January, has announced plans to create a similar product catering exclusively to the halal community.
The aptly-named "Halalpedia", an online database and encyclopedia of halal brands across the globe, aims to allow the policing of valuable halal-related assets on the Internet. Its use is similar to that of "Bukapedia", which is still in the works, but is up-and-running as a mock-up at www.bukapedia.com (a username and password is required to enter).
"At first Bukapedia was supposed to be a 'general' encyclopedia but it became obvious to us once we saw what Brunei was trying to do as far as the Halal expo is concerned — so from that point on it became a very important part of the job," explained firm owner Ron Langford. When a halal brand, such as Ayamas, is found on Bukapedia, it will be repeated in the halal version.
Ron, who married Bruneian Beelian Langford last year, is a holder of significant IP assets and is the first in the world to own the right of using visual images to locate other websites.
His patents have been granted in four countries, including the US.
The couple, who plan to settle permanently in Brunei, said they will be promoting Bukapedia as a product going out of Brunei. The name "Bukapedia" is derived from the Malay word buka, which means "open".
A Malaysian web design team was hired to create the website, which features a comprehensive array of functions — from showing people (who are thinking of registering a trademark) "what they cannot copy" in terms of brand names or logos to related legal issues.
"There is nothing on the Internet now that comes close to having a dedicated site for IP," said Ron.
"We have the patent which allows us to display visual images which even Google doesn't have, so that's a major plus. The copyright alone for Bukapedia gives us the continuing sole right and the monopoly for at least the next 70 years."
He added, "Once you click on a logo, or any logo that appears in Bukapedia, you will be directed straight to the owner's website. And there's 180 countries that are part of the patent cooperation treaty complete with the details, and you will be directed to that patent and trademark office. Which means, this can save people from searching over 180 websites."
Bukapedia has been created with the endorsement of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, which has a directory of legal attorneys specialiszing in IP from all over the world.
"The other thing Bukapedia will do is, for people who want to register their trademark, they will be able to consult with this nominated law group," he said.
Langford Media Network will most likely use a Singaporean law firm that deals with IP issues as a core business function for dealing with legal matters — as there are none in Brunei which specialises in the area.
"Hopefully once we start, somebody will emerge. And then we'll do it out of Brunei because for example, Staedtler (writing instruments manufacturer) has spent US$330 million registering and maintaining their trademarks throughout the world," he said
"Now, that's just business, and it could go through Brunei. But somebody has to become experienced for that."
Ron's firm will also enlist the use of "spiders" to crawl over the Internet to monitor misuse of IP. "We will be able tell you if somebody is using the word 'Audi' for example," he said. What's next?
"We give the owners a monthly report. That will be part of Bukapedia's functions. We may be talking about a service that could cost $50 a month. They may be doing it in their own way, but they're probably spending $10,000 a month. It will be beneficial, especially for the smaller businesses."
The Brunei Times
Hadi DP Mahmud
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, August 15, 2008
LOCAL firm Langford Media Network, which is responsible for what will be the world's first intellectual property (IP) online encyclopedia when it is launched next January, has announced plans to create a similar product catering exclusively to the halal community.
The aptly-named "Halalpedia", an online database and encyclopedia of halal brands across the globe, aims to allow the policing of valuable halal-related assets on the Internet. Its use is similar to that of "Bukapedia", which is still in the works, but is up-and-running as a mock-up at www.bukapedia.com (a username and password is required to enter).
"At first Bukapedia was supposed to be a 'general' encyclopedia but it became obvious to us once we saw what Brunei was trying to do as far as the Halal expo is concerned — so from that point on it became a very important part of the job," explained firm owner Ron Langford. When a halal brand, such as Ayamas, is found on Bukapedia, it will be repeated in the halal version.
Ron, who married Bruneian Beelian Langford last year, is a holder of significant IP assets and is the first in the world to own the right of using visual images to locate other websites.
His patents have been granted in four countries, including the US.
The couple, who plan to settle permanently in Brunei, said they will be promoting Bukapedia as a product going out of Brunei. The name "Bukapedia" is derived from the Malay word buka, which means "open".
A Malaysian web design team was hired to create the website, which features a comprehensive array of functions — from showing people (who are thinking of registering a trademark) "what they cannot copy" in terms of brand names or logos to related legal issues.
"There is nothing on the Internet now that comes close to having a dedicated site for IP," said Ron.
"We have the patent which allows us to display visual images which even Google doesn't have, so that's a major plus. The copyright alone for Bukapedia gives us the continuing sole right and the monopoly for at least the next 70 years."
He added, "Once you click on a logo, or any logo that appears in Bukapedia, you will be directed straight to the owner's website. And there's 180 countries that are part of the patent cooperation treaty complete with the details, and you will be directed to that patent and trademark office. Which means, this can save people from searching over 180 websites."
Bukapedia has been created with the endorsement of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, which has a directory of legal attorneys specialiszing in IP from all over the world.
"The other thing Bukapedia will do is, for people who want to register their trademark, they will be able to consult with this nominated law group," he said.
Langford Media Network will most likely use a Singaporean law firm that deals with IP issues as a core business function for dealing with legal matters — as there are none in Brunei which specialises in the area.
"Hopefully once we start, somebody will emerge. And then we'll do it out of Brunei because for example, Staedtler (writing instruments manufacturer) has spent US$330 million registering and maintaining their trademarks throughout the world," he said
"Now, that's just business, and it could go through Brunei. But somebody has to become experienced for that."
Ron's firm will also enlist the use of "spiders" to crawl over the Internet to monitor misuse of IP. "We will be able tell you if somebody is using the word 'Audi' for example," he said. What's next?
"We give the owners a monthly report. That will be part of Bukapedia's functions. We may be talking about a service that could cost $50 a month. They may be doing it in their own way, but they're probably spending $10,000 a month. It will be beneficial, especially for the smaller businesses."
The Brunei Times
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
India may scrap Brunei oil duty
India may scrap Brunei oil duty
Hadi DP Mahmud
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
THE INDIAN government has reportedly acceded to the Brunei government's request for it to be allowed to export crude oil to India at zero duties, Indian press reported yesterday.
"We have agreed to phase out duties on crude oil over a period of time for Brunei and not for any other country," an Indian government official was quoted as saying by the Indian press.
Crude oil forms the bulk of Brunei's exports, said the Indian government official, adding that this is not the case with neighbouring Malaysia.
It comes as a concession under the Asean-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
During negotiations for the trade pact, which were concluded recently, the sultanate requested that India scrap the duties on crude oil in exchange for the lowering of import duties on a number of goods from one of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (Asean) dialogue partners.
Government officials from the two countries have yet to officially announce the concession.
It is not a binding commitment for India, which has unilaterally scrapped duties on import of crude oil.
India imports 75 per cent of its crude oil requirements. As an "inflation control measure", the Indian government has scrapped the import duty on the commodity, Indian press reported.
Negotiations on the modalities for trade in goods between India and the 10-member bloc reached a conclusion last week at the 4th Meeting of the 39th Asean Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) at The Empire Hotel & Country Club.
Although running late by two years, the FTA is now scheduled for enforcement from January 1 next year after it is ratified by the governments of Asean member countries and India. On August 27 this year, Asean trade ministers will meet top Indian officials in Singapore to formally announce the conclusion of talks.
The key meeting comes closely following the collapse of the Doha round of global trade talks last week, a failure which analysts have said prompted countries to expedite negotiations for regional trade agreements. The Asean-India FTA is the bloc's fourth with a dialogue partner, following similar arrangements with Japan, China and South Korea.
Following the conclusion of talks on modalities for trade in goods, Asean and India will also look at establishing a similar pact which will also include services like the knowledge industry, Indian High Commissioner to Brunei R V Warjri said in an earlier interview.The Brunei Times
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Hadi DP Mahmud
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
THE INDIAN government has reportedly acceded to the Brunei government's request for it to be allowed to export crude oil to India at zero duties, Indian press reported yesterday.
"We have agreed to phase out duties on crude oil over a period of time for Brunei and not for any other country," an Indian government official was quoted as saying by the Indian press.
Crude oil forms the bulk of Brunei's exports, said the Indian government official, adding that this is not the case with neighbouring Malaysia.
It comes as a concession under the Asean-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
During negotiations for the trade pact, which were concluded recently, the sultanate requested that India scrap the duties on crude oil in exchange for the lowering of import duties on a number of goods from one of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (Asean) dialogue partners.
Government officials from the two countries have yet to officially announce the concession.
It is not a binding commitment for India, which has unilaterally scrapped duties on import of crude oil.
India imports 75 per cent of its crude oil requirements. As an "inflation control measure", the Indian government has scrapped the import duty on the commodity, Indian press reported.
Negotiations on the modalities for trade in goods between India and the 10-member bloc reached a conclusion last week at the 4th Meeting of the 39th Asean Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) at The Empire Hotel & Country Club.
Although running late by two years, the FTA is now scheduled for enforcement from January 1 next year after it is ratified by the governments of Asean member countries and India. On August 27 this year, Asean trade ministers will meet top Indian officials in Singapore to formally announce the conclusion of talks.
The key meeting comes closely following the collapse of the Doha round of global trade talks last week, a failure which analysts have said prompted countries to expedite negotiations for regional trade agreements. The Asean-India FTA is the bloc's fourth with a dialogue partner, following similar arrangements with Japan, China and South Korea.
Following the conclusion of talks on modalities for trade in goods, Asean and India will also look at establishing a similar pact which will also include services like the knowledge industry, Indian High Commissioner to Brunei R V Warjri said in an earlier interview.The Brunei Times
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Saturday, August 9, 2008
Are you ready for your A-level results?
Preparing for the future: File photo shows Jerudong International School students gathering for the Earth Day assembly. If you are applying for a Bruneian Ministry of Education scholarship, contact the scholarship department to check that courses and universities have been approved. Picture: The Brunei Times
JOHN PRICE
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, August 9, 2008
IF YOU took your A-levels in June, you will get the results on August 14th. This is obviously an anxious time for all 18 year olds, especially those starting university courses abroad in September.
If you have applied to British universities, you must meet conditional offers to be accepted, although some institutions are flexible. Results reach the universities on Monday 11th August, so universities have time to decide whether they will accept you if you have missed your offer. You can check your status on the UCAS website.
If you miss your offer and are rejected, do not despair. Telephone the university after 4pm (9am UK time) next Thursday and check the exact situation. If you miss a required grade by a few marks, consider asking your school to initiate a priority remark of the offending A-level. The result will come back in about a week. Tell the university, which has rejected you, that you have done this.
Only your school can apply for remarks. The Examination Board will charge the school, which will probably require payment from you. If your marks go up and you meet the offer, the university is under an obligation to accept you.
It must be said that certain boards rarely change their marks. It is always worth contacting a UK university directly, after the results come out, if it has the course you want, and places. The formal system for doing this is known as "clearing". It is permissible to telephone any university, even if you did not apply to it in the first place. If it offers you a place and you accept, UCAS can be informed afterwards. The university will probably do this for you.
The most popular courses at the most prestigious universities will generally be full, but don't accept any old course at a university of low standing. Make sure that the course is really what you want to do. There is no shame in taking your A-levels again, if you have a reasonable chance of improving the grades. If you don't, be pragmatic.
If you are applying for a Bruneian Ministry of Education scholarship, contact the scholarship department to check that courses and universities have been approved and the Ministry is happy for you to proceed.
If everything goes well next Thursday and you meet your UK offer, you are in a fortunate position. Your parents however will be worrying about how much it is all going to cost. No doubt the money changers in Gadong will run out of pounds quite regularly, so it is important to get to them early. You need money to cover you for the initial period, until your bank account in the UK is set up. Universities generally send out useful information about practicalities, as soon as students have been accepted. Your parents will be worried about you in the initial period, so contact them regularly. When I was a student, we had to queue in the pouring rain to get to the phone box. Now there is no excuse. You can text or email or use an Internet telephone line for next to nothing.
Making friends is very important. The majority of students will be British, although most universities have large numbers of international students. You will find every race and religion. One of the best places to make friends is the Junior Common Room, which will be lively most evenings. All first years will be in the same boat, so it should be easy to get to know people. You don't have to drink, if you don't want to. Just stick to your principles. A few students may need educating that it is possible to have an enjoyable evening without alcohol. Just treat them with the appropriate contempt and you'll probably find they become good friends.
However shy or extrovert you are, you will be thrown together with people on your course and you will also make friends through the various clubs and societies you join. Don't take refuge in friendships with other students from your school or country, although of course it's good to be able to chat in Malay or Chinese sometimes. University is supposed to be about breaking down barriers, not consolidating them. If you've chosen the UK for your higher education, there's not much point in going out of your way to isolate yourself from its culture and people.
Freshers' week is great fun. Universities arrange all kinds of briefings for students as well as special sessions for international students. There will be parties and societies fairs and meetings with your tutor and faculty teachers. Enjoy it.
It is probably a good idea not to take the dons too seriously. I remember doing every essay I was set in my first year and ending up knowing nothing properly. A rather dry old professor required me to read an author a week and then come up with coherent insights into his work. I was totally exhausted. I would have done better to take charge and get him to set me a manageable amount of work on fewer authors. Of course, at 19, it isn't easy to take on these greying eminences. What I wrote was probably total rubbish and my supervisor took to setting his clock 10 minutes fast so he could get rid of me sooner.
Some dons cultivate eccentricity as a matter of course and are inveterate gossips. The trivia of college and undergraduate life intrigues them. Just remember that they have probably repeated a thousand times the imposing anecdote they are telling you. The internecine squabbles among university staff about faculty appointments or funding do not always suggest high-mindedness and nobility of spirit. Some cannot admit to themselves that they no longer are excited by the history of the mute e in Medieval French or Bulgarian agrarian reforms of the 15th century and they take it out on you. Your essay is probably not half as bad as they suggest.
The writer is the principal of Jerudong International School.
The Brunei Times
Preparing for the future: File photo shows Jerudong International School students gathering for the Earth Day assembly. If you are applying for a Bruneian Ministry of Education scholarship, contact the scholarship department to check that courses and universities have been approved. Picture: The Brunei Times
JOHN PRICE
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, August 9, 2008
IF YOU took your A-levels in June, you will get the results on August 14th. This is obviously an anxious time for all 18 year olds, especially those starting university courses abroad in September.
If you have applied to British universities, you must meet conditional offers to be accepted, although some institutions are flexible. Results reach the universities on Monday 11th August, so universities have time to decide whether they will accept you if you have missed your offer. You can check your status on the UCAS website.
If you miss your offer and are rejected, do not despair. Telephone the university after 4pm (9am UK time) next Thursday and check the exact situation. If you miss a required grade by a few marks, consider asking your school to initiate a priority remark of the offending A-level. The result will come back in about a week. Tell the university, which has rejected you, that you have done this.
Only your school can apply for remarks. The Examination Board will charge the school, which will probably require payment from you. If your marks go up and you meet the offer, the university is under an obligation to accept you.
It must be said that certain boards rarely change their marks. It is always worth contacting a UK university directly, after the results come out, if it has the course you want, and places. The formal system for doing this is known as "clearing". It is permissible to telephone any university, even if you did not apply to it in the first place. If it offers you a place and you accept, UCAS can be informed afterwards. The university will probably do this for you.
The most popular courses at the most prestigious universities will generally be full, but don't accept any old course at a university of low standing. Make sure that the course is really what you want to do. There is no shame in taking your A-levels again, if you have a reasonable chance of improving the grades. If you don't, be pragmatic.
If you are applying for a Bruneian Ministry of Education scholarship, contact the scholarship department to check that courses and universities have been approved and the Ministry is happy for you to proceed.
If everything goes well next Thursday and you meet your UK offer, you are in a fortunate position. Your parents however will be worrying about how much it is all going to cost. No doubt the money changers in Gadong will run out of pounds quite regularly, so it is important to get to them early. You need money to cover you for the initial period, until your bank account in the UK is set up. Universities generally send out useful information about practicalities, as soon as students have been accepted. Your parents will be worried about you in the initial period, so contact them regularly. When I was a student, we had to queue in the pouring rain to get to the phone box. Now there is no excuse. You can text or email or use an Internet telephone line for next to nothing.
Making friends is very important. The majority of students will be British, although most universities have large numbers of international students. You will find every race and religion. One of the best places to make friends is the Junior Common Room, which will be lively most evenings. All first years will be in the same boat, so it should be easy to get to know people. You don't have to drink, if you don't want to. Just stick to your principles. A few students may need educating that it is possible to have an enjoyable evening without alcohol. Just treat them with the appropriate contempt and you'll probably find they become good friends.
However shy or extrovert you are, you will be thrown together with people on your course and you will also make friends through the various clubs and societies you join. Don't take refuge in friendships with other students from your school or country, although of course it's good to be able to chat in Malay or Chinese sometimes. University is supposed to be about breaking down barriers, not consolidating them. If you've chosen the UK for your higher education, there's not much point in going out of your way to isolate yourself from its culture and people.
Freshers' week is great fun. Universities arrange all kinds of briefings for students as well as special sessions for international students. There will be parties and societies fairs and meetings with your tutor and faculty teachers. Enjoy it.
It is probably a good idea not to take the dons too seriously. I remember doing every essay I was set in my first year and ending up knowing nothing properly. A rather dry old professor required me to read an author a week and then come up with coherent insights into his work. I was totally exhausted. I would have done better to take charge and get him to set me a manageable amount of work on fewer authors. Of course, at 19, it isn't easy to take on these greying eminences. What I wrote was probably total rubbish and my supervisor took to setting his clock 10 minutes fast so he could get rid of me sooner.
Some dons cultivate eccentricity as a matter of course and are inveterate gossips. The trivia of college and undergraduate life intrigues them. Just remember that they have probably repeated a thousand times the imposing anecdote they are telling you. The internecine squabbles among university staff about faculty appointments or funding do not always suggest high-mindedness and nobility of spirit. Some cannot admit to themselves that they no longer are excited by the history of the mute e in Medieval French or Bulgarian agrarian reforms of the 15th century and they take it out on you. Your essay is probably not half as bad as they suggest.
The writer is the principal of Jerudong International School.
The Brunei Times
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