DAY 1 MORNING
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26TH FEB 2025 MORNING
(Meeting begins at 10:00 AM)
Yang Mulia Jurutulis
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The First Meeting of the 21st Session of the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara convenes today, Wednesday, 27th Syaaban 1446 corresponding to 26th February 2025, preceded by the Doa Selamat.
DOA SELAMAT
[Doa Selamat was recited by Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Khatib Dato Paduka Awang Haji Mustapa bin Haji Murat, Imam Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah]
Yang Berhormat Yang Di-Pertua
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you. Praise be to Allah, we are grateful to Allah Almighty as, through His grace and permission, we are able to be present this morning in the First Meeting of the 21st Session of the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara.
Blessings and peace upon our Great Prophet Muhammad, his family, companions, and loyal followers until the end of times.
Your Honourable Members. Today's session is truly significant and magnificent because today is the Official Opening Ceremony of the First Meeting of the 21st Session of the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara, which will be inaugurated by Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
Your Honourable Members. Before us, there are meeting matters we need to resolve first. Therefore, I suggest we move on to resolving them.
Yang Mulia Jurutulis
Rectifying the Meeting Minutes for the First Meeting of the 20th Session of the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara.
Yang Berhormat Yang Di-Pertua
Your Honourable Members. Before us now is the Meeting Minutes for the First Meeting of the 20th Session of the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara, which has already been circulated in advance to all Your Honourable Members.
I believe Your Honourable Members must have had the opportunity to review these meeting minutes. So, I would like to give the opportunity if any Your Honourable Members wish to provide corrections to these meeting minutes. I invite Your Honourable Members who wish to make a statement.
It appears that there are no Your Honourable Members who wish to make any statements at this point, so I conclude that the Meeting Minutes for the First Meeting of the 20th Session of the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara are correct, and with that, we approve them.
Your Honourable Members. Soon, the Official Opening Ceremony for the First Meeting of the 21st Session of the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara, which will be inaugurated by Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
Therefore, to allow this ceremony to honor the presence of His Majesty at this event, I adjourn this session of the Majlis Mesyuarat. Thank you, Wabillahit Taufik Walhidayah, Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Ta’ala Wabarakatuh.
[The Majlis Mesyuarat is adjourned]
ROYAL ADDRESS
KEBAWAH DULI YANG MAHA MULIA PADUKA SERI BAGINDA SULTAN HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH MU’IZZADDIN WADDAULAH IBNI AL-MARHUM SULTAN HAJI OMAR ‘ALI SAIFUDDIEN SA’ADUL KHAIRI WADDIEN, SULTAN AND YANG DI-PERTUAN OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM ON THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY OF THE FIRST MEETING OF THE 21ST SESSION OF MAJLIS MESYUARAT NEGARA ON WEDNESDAY, 27TH SYAABAN 1446 CORRESPONDING TO 26TH FEBRUARY 2025 AT THE DEWAN MAJLIS BUILDING, JALAN DEWAN MAJLIS, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM.
Peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you. In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and with His help, we endeavor upon the matters of this world and the hereafter, and blessings and peace upon the most honorable of the prophets and messengers, and upon his family and all his companions.
All praise be to Allah, we give thanks to Allah Almighty for, through His grace and permission, we are gathered in this honorable Assembly Meeting for the First Meeting of the 21st Session of the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara.
I am delighted to express my highest appreciation for the commitment shown by Your Honourable Members appointed in the efforts to advance the national development agenda through dialogue sessions, discussions, and work visits as important means for sharing views between the Government and the People in this country.
It is clear that the role of the Members of the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara is to debate key matters, including providing feedback on every Government policy to truly yield a positive impact on the people's well-being.
Therefore, the integrity and competence of each Member of the Majlis are measured by their ability to think openly, negotiate in an orderly manner, and act proactively for the country's interest.
In light of this, I have approved changes regarding the frequency of this council meeting to twice a year starting this year. This includes updates on procedures and work processes in accordance with the Standing Orders for each member to fully practice.
In related matters, I also see the need for a Code of Ethics for Members of the Majlis to perform their duties more effectively and with high integrity.
These changes will further enhance the effectiveness of council meetings through more organized, focused, and continuous discussions and reflect the maturity and professionalism of Your Honourable Members working together with the Government to safeguard the welfare and well-being of the people in this country.
Additionally, I have approved for the Ministry of Health to update the existing service charge policy for Permanent Residents who are stateless to be granted healthcare services similar to those given to Brunei Darussalam citizens.
Regarding the economy, our efforts to diversify the economy have also begun to show promising results.
The contribution of Gross Domestic Product or GDP (for the Non-Oil and Gas Sector) has shown significant progress in terms of average growth from 2017 to 2023, which is 4.3 percent annually. This increase has contributed to the rise in national goods exports, including the export of new products and penetration into new markets such as Chile, Mozambique, Colombia, Peru, and Mexico. Among the mentioned progress is in the downstream oil and gas sector, which has experienced extraordinary growth, with the GDP contribution at constant prices increasing from BND136 million in 2017 to BND1,241 million in 2023. Clearly, the establishment of the petrochemical industry producing products such as petroleum, methanol, and urea has become a major driver.
Additionally, the services sector also recorded an increase from BND1,485 million in 2017 to BND1,721 million in 2023, with an average annual increase of 2.5 percent, contributed by trade and business service activities.
God willing, we will continue to drive economic growth through new economic activities such as the production of Petroleum Intermediate Derivatives, which will generate additional activities in the downstream oil and gas sector: making the country a hub for the chemical, manufacturing, and food sectors, and exploring energy transition activities towards a sustainable environment.
Furthermore, at the micro level, the Government will continue to strive in moving more economic and tourism activities to this country, which can bring positive overflow effects to local traders.
However, we must not be complacent. Our economy still depends heavily on oil and gas. Therefore, we must continue transforming to increase productivity and national output across sectors such as agriculture, transportation, education, health, tourism, security, and public services as well as new industries, considering the rapid pace of technology.
Touching on the technology revolution, especially Artificial Intelligence, it opens new opportunities that require us to continue empowering human resources and the nation's capabilities.
Certainly, the journey towards Brunei Vision 2035 requires cooperation, innovation, and high fighting spirit from all parties. Therefore, each proposal and idea submitted in this Chamber is valuable to be considered, taking into account emerging issues at the global level for action by the relevant parties according to their suitability.
In line with this, I always hope that this council meeting will continue to consult honestly, think creatively, and act strategically towards achieving a glorious future for our country.
Thank you, Wabillahit Taufeq Walhidayah, Wassalamu 'Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
DOA SELAMAT
[Doa Selamat was recited by Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr.) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned, State Mufti, Negara Brunei Darussalam]
[Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu‘izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam departs the ceremony accompanied by Yang Berhormat Yang Di-Pertua Majlis Mesyuarat Negara and National Dignitaries].
Yang Di-Pertua
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Your Honourable Members, praise be to Allah, we are grateful to Allah Almighty as, through His grace, mercy, and permission, the Official Opening Ceremony of the First Meeting of the 21st Session of the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara has been completed and perfectly inaugurated by Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, during which he delivered a speech.
To allow this ceremony to honor Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and then have a group photo with Your Honourable Members and subsequently leave the Dewan Majlis Building, I adjourn this session of the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara, and, God willing, we will reconvene tomorrow, Thursday, 28th Syaaban 1446 corresponding to 27th February 2025, starting from 9:30 AM.
Thank you, Wabillahit Taufeq Walhidayah, Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
[The Majlis Mesyuarat is adjourned]
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