Brunei Begins New Journey With SPN21
By Malek Hashim

Bandar Seri Begawan - This year marks an important milestone for Brunei Darussalam's education system with the official launching of the Sistem Pendidikan Negara Abad Ke-21 (SPN 21) or 21st Century National Education System at all educational institutions in the country.

"Today, we start a new journey with an open mind and have full confidence that SPN21 is for the sake of improving the level of education achievement in the country towards realising the Brunei Vision 2035 to make Brunei well known in the eyes of the world for its educated, highly-skilled and successful citizens, high quality of living among its citizens, as well as for its dynamic and sustainable economy," said the Minister of Education.

Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Dato Setia Awang Haji Mohamed Taib spoke as the guest of honour during the launching of SPN21, held by the Ministry of Education at Rimba 1 Primary School, yesterday.

Pehin Dato Awang Haji Abdul Rahman said the ministry as the national education trustee has outlined eight education strategies for equipping the country's citizens with knowledge and skill in order for them to be competitive, successful and resilient under any circumstances and changes.

The ministry, the minister said, is confident that the contents of SPN21 would answer the nation's high expectations of seeing all students have the opportunity to achieve the highest education they could potentially attain and reduce the achievement gap among the students with different interests, abilities and backgrounds.

"In the fast changing world faced with an uncertain future, the Ministry of Education is focusing on equipping the younger generation with quality education so they would be more dynamic, could improve their living and contribute to the development of the nation," said Pehin Dato Awang Haji Abdul Rahman.

The minister touched on the evolution of SPN21, which began with the setting up of a committee with a goal to create an education system relevant to the current and future needs in 2004.

As education is dynamic and the education system in Brunei Darussalam is now standing on a new pedestal, the effort to improve the system in the country should be continued, said the minister.

He also added that the Ministry of Education is continuously thinking and planning to provide high quality facilities in educational institutions at all levels and improving the school curriculum, the school inspectorate system, the examination status and the knowledge and skills of educators for the sake of supporting the main objective of the sector.

Pehin Dato Awang Haj i Abdul Rahman said according to the McKinnsey Report 2007, a research based on 25 education systems in the world, the success of an education system depends on the quality of the educators, the school leaders and the learning environment in the classrooms.

"Whatever reformations are undertaken, without quality education manpower we cannot fulfill the needs of the education system. The reformations then would not reach their intended goal.

"In realising the fact, the Ministry of Education is cooperating closely with higher educational institutions, especially Universiti Brunei Darussalam, to ensure that teachers' training would generate quality teachers and in-service teachers would be provided diverse professional development training in the country and abroad," said the minister.

He said the culture of research among teachers would be instilled and strengthened. "The research culture would help the younger generation to be more analytical, creative and innovative, as well as being confident during competitions.

"As the research culture among schools is important, the ministry is planning for a strategy to instill and strengthen the culture among schools," he added.

"During the 2009-2010 financial year, the Ministry of Education would continue to improve the infrastructure in various education institutions through an ongoing project called Projek BISAI'. The project would provide an environment for conducive and effective teaching and learning," the minister said.

"The government has allocated six per cent of the 2007-2012 National Development Plan budget for 95 projects in education, the provision and upgrading of school facilities, Info-Communication Technology, research in science and technology, as well as improving the capacity of the human resource. Some of these projects will be continued this year," he added.

"The budget allocated for the national education is a huge investment that is hoped to generate a profitable return to the nation in the long-term. In this regard, the Ministry of Education has developed a first class education system that gives opportunities for all Brunei citizens and residents to fulfill the needs of the ever changing economy and promote life-long learning, as well as aim for achievements in sports and arts," said the Minister of Education.

In measuring the successes of the national, education system in accordance with international standards, an accredited international standard needs to be put in place. "The Ministry of Education is planning to be part of the Programme International Student Assessment (PISA), a programme of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in assessing the status of Brunei's Education at the international level and assisting the nation in overcoming any weakness in its system," he added. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Unemployment May Affect Stability
By James Kon

Bandar Seri Begawan - Statistics from the Labour Department last year showed that 113,621 foreigners and locals were employed in the private sector. Out of the total, 78,658 or 69.2 per cent are foreign workers, while the rest (30.8 per cent) are locals and permanent residents.

Most of the foreign workers are employed in construction, mining and manufacturing. While most of the local and permanent resident workers are employed in the financial, insurance and commercial sectors.

The statistics show that there are areas in confronting the issue of unemployment, especially by attracting more locals to seek employment in the private sector.

This observation was made by Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Awang Hj Md Yusof, the Minister of Home Affairs in his capacity as chairman of the first
meeting of the committee on tackling unemployment, yesterday.

The minister noted, "With the establishment of the committee on tackling unemployment, I hope that we together also can curb social problems like crime and drug abuse and at the same time support His Majesty's (the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam) aspiration in achieving further stability."

"Unemployment is a national issue that needs to be addressed and tackled by all stakeholders in the private and public sectors and the community itself. If left unchecked, it will have a negative impact on the social-economic stability and prosperity of the country."

Held at the new Ministry of Home Affairs building, the meeting was told by the Minister of Home Affairs said that in August 2008, a total of 6,025 jobseekers were registered with the Labour Department with 92.9 per cent of them holding qualifications below '0' Level.

"Many of these jobseekers still prefer to look for jobs that do not match their qualification," he said.

"Although jobseekers are employed in the private sector, many couldn't fulfill their obligations, causing very high turnover in the private sector.

"The sad part is that most of the jobseekers are classified in the productive group and are physically fit, however couldn't contribute to the economy of the country."

To tackle the worrying trend of unemployment, a committee on tackling unemployment was set up with the consent of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

He said the committee on tackling unemployment is comprised of officials from the private and public sectors. Among the aims of establishing such the committee are to examine real situation in the job market; to identify the causes of unemployment among locals; to prepare policies and action plans as well as mechanism in tackling unemployment; to prepare and organise courses or programmes and activities that are more comprehensive as well as effective. "The committee also can invite any relevant authorities that can contribute information and opinions to tackle unemployment issues. The committee can also appoint a working committee to oversee the effectiveness of the committee."

The co-chairpersons of the committee are Pehin Orang Kaya Dewa Pahlawan Dato Paduka Haji Awang Dani bin Haji Ibrahim, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, and Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Eusoff Agaki Haji Ismail, Deputy Minister at Prime Minister's Office. Other members of the committee include senior government officials and prominent figures from the private sector. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle5412689.ece

Terrorist. And she's a mother of seven.

Use E-Commerce To Improve Competitiveness, SMEs Told
By Faez Hani

Bandar Seri Begawan - Local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should consider engaging in e-commerce to improve their competitiveness and help define their niche markets as Brunei is "not very developed" in e-commerce, a senior Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources said yesterday.

Citing from the Internet World Stats as saying that e-commerce in Brunei is not very developed as of January 2008, Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Hamid Hj Mohd Jaafar said that e-commerce is vital and cost-effective for SMEs, especially those who are venturing into the international market, despite its challenges.

He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Isesco) National Training Programme on the "Potential of Electronic Commerce for SMEs' Development and Marketing in the Global Economy", which began at Institut Teknologi Brunei yesterday.

"It is through the help of these kinds of training programmes that we hope to improve our state of development, especially regarding e-commerce, and we should start now by building on from what we already have," he said.

He emphasized on e-commerce and SME development as two areas that are important to the country. "SMEs are socioeconomically important throughout the world because they are considered as engines of future growth and sustainahility of many of the world's economies, including Brunei while e-commerce, on the other hand, allows SMEs to market their goods and services globally which is a particularly interesting perspective for countries that have small domestic markets like Brunei."

"E-commerce refers to the buying and selling of goods and services online and among its major benefits are the reduction in costs associated with marketing and selling of products and/ or services as well as its potential for global market outreach," Dato Hj Mohd Hamid said.

He gave Amazon.Com and eBay as two examples of success stories that have capitalised on e- commerce and made huge profits, while local company QQeStore, which started out as company that offered web design solutions is now the largest online retailer in Brunei.

"However, the success of SMEs engaging in e-commerce is not only a matter for the government and SMEs as consumers' acceptance and use of e-commerce is equally important," he said.

The permanent secretary added that SMEs or any businessperson should adopt e-commerce only when consumers will accept and readily use it as a means of purchasing good quality and competitively priced products that are delivered on time and in good condition.

"It is here, I believe, that the government and SMEs can work together to enhance consumers' confidence about the trustworthiness and security of e-commerce transactions as well as the availability, reliability and cost effectiveness of a delivery or logistics system." -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Brunei Joins Gas States To Finalise Producer Club

Moscow – Ministers from gas-exporting countries are to meet in Moscow today to finalise the rules of their new club and douse expectations it will act as the gas equivalent of the Opec oil cartel.

The forum, which groups Russia, the world's biggest gas producer, with other gas-rich states such as Brunei, Iran and Qatar, has been greeted with suspicion in the West over fears it could seek to influence prices like Opec.

But officials from member states of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum have been at pains to emphasise that the purpose of the meeting is to put the finishing touches on the body rather than create a cartel.

"I emphasise that we have no intention of creating a cartel of producers," Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said in an interview with the government daily Rossiskaya Gazeta
yesterday.

"Our aim is to guarantee an indispensable equilibrium between gas suppliers and to coordinate policies between consumer and producer countries. '

At the meeting, "we are thinking about the way to establish the 'rules of the game"', he said.

According to a statement from the Russian energy ministry, the goal of the meeting is to adopt the statutes for the forum as well as give the appropriate directives to formalise its creation.

Members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) meet regularly to agree their production quotas in order to influence the price of crude oil on global markets.

But ministers, as well as analysts, agree that a cartel for natural gas makes far less sense.

Vyacheslav Bunkov, an analyst with Aton investment group, said: "Consumer countries have no reason to fear the creation of an Opec for gas.

"There is a serious difference between the oil and the gas market, which renders the idea of the gas cartel superfluous.

"Gas is delivered through pipes. If a producer stops selling, you can't just replace it with another. Free price setting does not exist. It is a bilateral market."

The forum groups Algeria, Bolivia, Brunei, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. Equatorial Guinea and Norway will attend as observers. -- Courtesy of AFP

25 Learn Bookkeeping To Boost Job Prospects
By James Kon

Bandar Seri Begawan - Twenty-five unemployed locals are attending a three-day bookkeeping course to upgrade their skills and boost their job prospects in the private sector.

The 13th Bookkeeping Course which started yesterday is organised by the Labour Department and Deloitte & Touche at the Job Centre.

Present at the opening ceremony were Anisa Hj Taib, the Assistant Commissioner of Labour, as well as officials from Deloitte and Touche.

Dk Zainariah binti Pg Hj Tuah, the Acting Assistant Commissioner of Labour, said "Previously known as the Local Employment Services Section, the Job Centre was moved to the building in August 2008. Local jobseekers were informed to register and renew their registration at the Job Centre."

She said, "Forty-four participants from Brunei-Muara District and Tutong District registered to attend the course but only 25 participants were selected.

The selection of participants was based on their qualification in the English language, Mathematics and Accounting, she said. "This is to help the participants to better understand the course."

Pengiran Hj Moksin bin Pg Hj Yusof, a partner in Deloitte & Touche (Brunei), in an interview said, "I hope that this course can help the participants to enhance their ability and opportunity to get employment.

"The course also helps the participants to apply what they had learnt while they were in school."

Pengiran Hj Moksin, who is one of the facilitators, hopes that the participants can make full use of the course to build their confidence in seeking employment.

Other objectives of the course include providing practical applications on bookkeeping, as well as being a stepping stone to consider opportunities in the accountancy profession. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Smarter To Create More Jobs For Autistic
By Nana Roslan

Bandar Seri Begawan - Autism Centre Smarter Brunei plans to create more employment opportunities for autistic adults and improve its facilities, said its president, Malai Hj Abdullah Hj Malai Othman.

During the centre's end of year celebration at its headquarters in Kg Sengkurong yesterday, he said that he hopes to open three or more family-owned companies in airconditioning, car services, furniture and printing services to provide employment to students at the Brunei Autism Centre for Adults (Baca).

In its ongoing vision to create the competency levels and the cultivation of skills and talents of their students, the president pledged to continue enhancing their programmes.

"We will live up to our philosophy of "Walking Alongside Individuals with Autism" in helping them face the challenges they go through in their
everyday life," he said.

He said that Smarter hopes to have a bigger building to facilitate and upgrade more of their programmes and services, as well as provide social clubs and recreation centres for students and their families.

The children and adults of Smarter and Baca also gave a costume parade that focused on community adaptation, a programme provided in Smarter that gave the students a better understanding of daily routine work, including going to the supermarket or the dentist.

Dressed in costumes such as burgers and waiters for their restaurant theme and doctors for their clinic theme, the students awed the audience, with several parents getting on the stage to get close-up pictures of their children.

The students involved in the costume parade were the Early Intervention and Independent Living Skills 1(ILS1) students, Independent Living Skills (ILS2) students and the pre-Baca and current Baca students.

There were also singing and dance performances by the Kuala Belait students, friends and siblings on their version of American boyband N'Sync's song entitled It's Gonna Be Me and another two upbeat dance songs by the ILS2 students.

Medals, certificates, prizes and plaque were also awarded to the students by Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health Dato Paduka Hj Abd Salam Abd Momin.

Smarter was formed by families whose children were diagnosed with autism. Currently, it has 80 students in the Brunei-Muara and Belait districts.

In the six years since its formation, Smarter has seen several developments such as becoming a member of the World Autism Organisation Society, opening up a sister branch in Belait, providing autism awareness workshops for teachers and nurses in Brunei, as well as organising the annual Brunei National Conference on autism.

They have also opened a Smarter shop in Wisma Jaya in the capital and set up Baca for vocational management programmes for adolescents and adults with autism. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Jerudong Park Playground To Become More Family-Oriented
By Faez Hani

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei's 15-year-old Jerudong Park Playground may no longer be enjoying its glory days of yesteryear, but it is now rebranding itself as a family-oriented theme park to attract visitors, despite public perceptions of its dwindling image and loss of major rides.

"We are moving towards a more family-oriented theme park, focusing on rides and events that draw in mum, dad and the children as they are our main target market," said Russell Finney, general manager of Jerudong Park and Country Club.

This is a more feasible choice as bringing in "white-knuckle rides" for adrenaline junkies, such as rollercoasters, are not only expensive to bring in, but also costly to maintain, he told The Brunei Times.

"We refurbished what used to be the Simulator building, that was sold off, into a performance stage where people can come in and enjoy shows by either local acts or by our hired staff of performers."

He said that performance-based events and activities not only brings customers to the park, but it also brings back a stable demand of children and families because they enjoy what the park has to offer.

"This performance stage is also inexpensive and easy to maintain plus we use materials that are already available in this country as well as employing local staff for the lighting and sounds and even performing," he said, adding they have been assessing what could and should be done with the park for the past two years.

"With rollercoasters and other adrenaline filled rides, it caters to a very unstable market of teenagers and adults who may get tired of it after 10 or a dozen-so rides. However, with playgrounds and shows like these, it could be there for 10 years and you would still see children coming back because it never gets boring for them, that is the type of attraction that we are focusing on right now."

He further said that what they hope to achieve with the direction of the theme park is a family friendly place where people can have their outings and have a good time.

Finney identified the local weather was a problem in increasing the park's attendance as Brunei rains 35 per cent of the time.

"We see the theme park attendance drop especially during the wet season as not a lot of people like to get on the rides in the rain. It is pretty difficult trying to have a constant influx of theme park goers in such a tropical climate."

However, he said that there were instances where people visit despite the rain, especially during weekends, where the park gets a high number of customers.

The general manager remarked that Jerudong Park is not alone in the list of world theme parks that are in a state of declining appeal.

"What we are seeing now is that these theme parks are evolving and mixing elements of eco-tainment and edutainment as their main attractions to bring in more demand."

"People nowadays, especially children who are very aware and conscious of the times, want to have interactive attractions that are ecologically friendly and contain educational value and those are the things that we are currently focusing on," he added.

Finney also assured that all rides and attractions are maintained and scrutinised on a regular basis to the manufacturer's specifications and a team of people was set up to constantly maintain the park and manage the conservation of the surrounding landscape.

Security personnel are usually on standby even though the park rarely sees any acts of violence, he said.

"Teenagers do come here in the evenings, but they're pretty harmless as all they do is hang out, and we rarely hear any reports of misbehaviour from them in the park."

Jerudong Park plans to bring in local artistes Zul F and Maria, as well as the top 11 finalists of P2F to usher in the new year. There will also be a fireworks display and a performance from the Giggles clowns who are part of the Jerudong Park act.

"The future of Jerudong Park has to be a logical balance between what is Brunei's fun park which will attract people, and what is a fair and reasonable price that will make them want to return frequently." Finney said. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Worst Fears Confirmed — Man's Body Found
By Hj Minor Absah

Bandar Seri Begawan - The body of Md Ali bin Brahim, 46, was found late yesterday afternoon in the Tutong River (near Kg Suran) nearby the area where his boat was found adrift by Fire and Rescue personnel.

Despite the loss, his family was relieved to have found his body, which was discovered at 3.25pm yesterday afternoon.

Police and Rescue Department received the distress call on Saturday at 8.11am. The search operation involved police personnel, police marine divers, fire and rescue services as well as the family and residents.

The wife of the deceased, Dyg Minah binti Mail, 49, when interviewed said that her husband liked to go fishing on his off-days.

She also prepared some packed food for the husband before the fateful trip. Around 9am, she was informed of the incident and rushed to the scene. She also found the packed food in the boat as evidence.

The deceased was brought to the Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota Hospital Tutong for further investigation and was then buried at Kg Panjang cemetery. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Fishing Trip Turns Tragic
By Hj Minor Absah

Bandar Seri Begawan - Forty-six-year-old local man is feared drowned after his boat was found drifting along Tutong River near Kampong Suran at around Sam yesterday.

It is believed that Md Ali bin Brahim who hails from Kg Bukit Bendera in Tutong may have fallen off his boat when he went on a fishing trip along the river. The police informed the Sunday Bulletin that the father of four is civilian personnel for the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

According to the Fire & Rescue Services, a distress call was made after a passer-by spotted a boat drifting along the river at 8.11 am.

Personnel from the Tutong Fire & Rescue Station promptly conducted a search and rescue operation with assistance from the Marine Police.

Relatives of the missing man and members of the public also lent a hand in the search and rescue operation. Family members of Md Ali told the Sunday Bulletin that he had decided to go fishing that morning despite the unpredictable weather that the country is currently experiencing.

The police tried calling Md Ali's mobile phone number. However, the phone rang unanswered. The search and rescue operation was temporarily suspended at around 8pm last night because of bad weather.

In March this year, the body of a fisherman was found near the same area after he had fallen off his boat during a fishing trip. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Car Down Payment: Bruneians Have Reservations
By Junaidi Bahrum

Bandar Seri Begawan - The directive issued by The Ministry of Finance with regard to down payment at the time of purchasing automobiles was greeted with less enthusiasm by local consumers. The directive issued out years ago was previously unknown or simply dismissed by most consumers due to the lack of enforcement by the Ministry.

Three days ago, the Second Minister of Finance emphasised the need for enforcing the directive by finance companies during the launching of Baiduri Finance new branch in Beribi, where he reiterated that creditors of finance companies are required by the Ministry of Finance to pay the minimum deposit as stated for their car purchase.

In response to this, a bank officer who wishes to be known as Hj Abas, said that the enforcement of this law could strike a devastating blow to the one of the most thriving industries in the country. "I fully respect the government's authority and its rules and regulations to better the lives of the citizens. But sometimes, I feel there are restrictions on businesses that need to be
reviewed," he said.

He added that maybe the authorities should look at imposing deposits on luxury vehicles only and leave out the economical ones. Most of the problems are caused by people who purchase expensive luxury vehicles and are not able to pay the instalments.

A car salesman, who also wishes to remain anonymous, also emphasised that it is vital that deposits be introduced only on the luxury models to make sure that only those who can afford them actually purchase them in order to protect the finance companies from the risk.

He also added that during his 12-year experience in the industry, most of his sales are generated from either vehicles with no deposits imposed or very minimal should there be any. He added that the first question a person asks when he intends to purchase a car is "No deposit?” This demonstrates that the most decisive factor for prospective buyers to make up their minds is the zero retainers.

"I am not sure of how we are going to sell a car especially luxury automobiles when most people are not willing to impart with a big sum of money at one time. They would rather loan the amount and pay it in instalments," he said, adding that they should look into the feasibility of enforcing deposits on the fastest growing industry besides oil and gas in the Sultanate.

Matali Hamid, a low income earner, reiterated that he only earns $700 a month. If he does not own a car and decide to buy one, he will not be able to afford the deposit as the lump sum required would put a toll on his savings.

"If I was a high income earner, it would be a different scenario. I only earn a measly pay but a car is necessary for my daily runs. It will dent my savings if deposits are made compulsory. I have children to send to school, my wife to pick up and so on. I feel sorry for people who earn as much as I do and are now trying to purchase a car as I know how they would feel," he said.

"Although my comments are little one-sided but I cannot rely on public transport to bring me around and we in Brunei definitely need to have at least one car," he said. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

New National Library Soon
By Melvin Jong

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei is set to have a new national library to accommodate the growing reading community in the country, with the Language and Literature Bureau in the process of inviting consultants for feasibility studies, its director said yesterday.

The new library is expected to be located beside the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah School, said Dr Mataim Bakar.

"Our experience with the (libraries) of the other Asean countries and their book fairs have shown that Brunei needs to improve," he told The Brunei Times in an interview.

Building this national library will support the national agenda of producing a knowledgeable society and as a national landmark to boost the tourism industry, he said.

"It will be a symbol of intellectual power, further cementing Brunei as a centre of excellence," he added.

Dr Mataim further said that the library will serve as a motivational tool for the younger generation to visit libraries more often.

"The level of awareness on the importance of reading is increasing but it is still below the standard of other European or Asian countries such as Japan and Korea," he said.

He attributed this increase of awareness to parents who understand the importance of reading.

"Our children will be responsible for bringing the country forward, that is why we have to feed them quality education," the director said.

He added that it was a necessity for the country to develop better reading habits. "Reading is knowledge and knowledge is a powerful tool for the development of a society," he said.

Dr Mataim and Chief Librarian of the Language and Literature Bureau Hj Sahari Hj Nassar, said that the new library will not only house a large collection of local and international books, but also a range of other services such as an ICT room, an Audio-Visual Room, a National Heritage Information Centre, a theatre and a children's corner.

They also spoke of a new online network system which will link the national library to other libraries around the world, enabling users to obtain more information from across the world. "This will provide the users with a larger variety of more advanced books," said Hj Sahari.

Other plans of improving the country's reading culture include the construction of a library in every government housing area and the implementation of an electronic library and electronic book system as part of the e-government proposal.

Dr Mataim said that the idea to build a new national library received strong support from the Department of Economic Planning.

However, the director did not give a timeline or mention the allocated budget for the national library. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Downpayment For Car Loans To Be Enforced

Bandar Seri Begawan - Car buyers who have enjoyed downpayment-free purchases maybe up for stringent enforcement of a rule that requires any borrower in Brunei to shell out a minimum amount before taking that new vehicle out of the showroom.

The Ministry of Finance issued this directive years ago and the Second Minister of Finance yesterday emphasised to financing companies the need to enforce it in line with the call for prudent practices in the banking and finance sector.

Second Minister of Finance Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Abd Rahman Hj Ibrahim said: "I wish to draw industry players' attention to the directive issued a few years ago by the Ministry of Finance requiring borrowers of finance companies to contribute to the downpayment of their car purchases via the stated minimum down payment requirement."

He made the reminder yesterday at the opening ceremony of the new head office of Baiduri Finance Bhd at Sumbangsih Bahagia, where he emphasised the ministry's work in reviewing its standards and updating them in line with international best practices.

"This measure (requiring downpayment for car purchases via financing schemes) is put in place to help finance companies mitigate some of the borrowing risks relating to automobile purchases," said Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Abd Rahman.

While the directive was issued years ago, it remains common knowledge in Brunei that anyone opting for car financing can actually drive a new car out of a showroom without a downpayment.

Liberal car loans have apparently helped keep the automobile market vibrant. Last year, car dealers sold 14,354 units, u