His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday called on the relevant authorities to determine the root cause of low employment in the private sector.

In his 67th birthday titah delivered at the Istana Nurul Iman yesterday, the monarch also stressed on human capacity building in the national education system.

In analysing the policies, we should take heed of the statistics and data gathered. According to statistics from the Local Employment and Workforce Agency (APTK) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, by the end of 2012, of the over 6,000 job opportunities available in the private sector, only 2,000 or 33 per cent were filled by Bruneians, the monarch pointed out.

The relevant government agencies should analyse and identify the root cause of such problem. In line with this effort, a task force known as ‘The Special Committee Responsible for the Provision of Human Resource Policy’ has been set up to determine long term human resource development, the ruler said.

Our efforts contribute towards development for us to live comfortably. This needs better management, without which it would be chaotic.

“Even vast cash resources would not guarantee anything if it is not dealt with wisely, just like people who overspend and practise wastage. Hence, the saving culture is crucial for all.

His Majesty also touched on subsidies offered to the people of Brunei.

Based on statistics, the oil subsidy for 2011 amounted to $500 million, while per capita usage of water was 450 litres a day, the highest in this region compared to the average usage of 250 litres per day in neighbouring countries.

This does not include other subsidies like housing, medical, education and basic food commodities, all of which require the government to be prudent and wise in tackling it.

His Majesty also said the nation stresses on inclusive development that covers human dimension by providing opportunities to every level of the community to get involved in contributing and to acquire benefits from such development.

Realising such fact, my government has taken concerted efforts not only in establishing job oppor-tunities, but also in ensuring that every youth that enters the job market is able to enhance their ability and skills.

Speaking on youths and productive workforce, the monarch said that the national education system should stress balanced human capacity building that covers the mentality and attitude development as well as creativity and entrepreneurship capabilities.

These aspects require assimilation at an early education level. - Borneo Bulletin (16 September 2013)