BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) was allocated a total budget of BND543,640,540 for the Financial Year 2026/2027, aimed at strengthening fiscal stability, advancing economic transformation, and ensuring social sustainability in line with the national vision.
The allocated budget was presented during the sixth day of the First Meeting of the 22nd Session of the Legislative Council (LegCo) by Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Datuk Paduka Seri Awang Halbi Mohd Yussof, in which LegCo members convened for the policy debate on the Supply Bill for the PMO.
Of the total budget, BND319,635,230 will be allocated for staff salaries, while BND224,005,310 will be designated for recurrent expenditures.
The minister proposed that expenditure estimates are designed to support the national budget theme for FY2026/2027, ‘Together Achieving Wawasan Brunei 2035’.
“As the central coordinating body of government policies and initiatives, the PMO aims to strengthen public service delivery as a catalyst for resilient and sustainable economic growth while safeguarding national stability, peace, and social harmony,” he said.
Referencing earlier consultations with LegCo members on Jan 13, the allocated budget highlighted several key areas of focus, which not only include Brunei Vision 2035, but also human capital development and employment opportunities, security and law enforcement, public service governance, and the energy sector affairs.
The minister said, “Emphasis will be placed on achieving value for money in government spending to maximise economic benefits and public welfare, with some of the key initiatives include strengthening financial governance practices, enhancing public sector service delivery effectiveness, and continuing audits by the Audit Department and Internal Audit Unit to ensure compliance with financial regulations and procedures.” Additionally, under a fiscal consolidation approach, large-scale procurement will be implemented to optimise national resources.
He added, “One example is the first phase of a vehicle leasing project involving 534 vehicles for national enforcement agencies, including the Royal Brunei Police Force, Internal Security Department, Narcotics Control Bureau, and the Land Transport Department, with plans to expand to other security agencies.”
The minister then highlighted three key pillars to strengthen public sector excellence, with a focus on the people and workforce development, organisation regarding institutional effectiveness, and service delivery improvement.
Among the programmes to improve these sectors are the Prime Minister’s Innovation Award, an annual competition encouraging innovation across public sector agencies and public–private partnerships, the Civil Service Leadership Pipeline (CSLP) programme, aimed at nurturing future leadership in the public sector, and the International capacity-building collaborations with foreign training institutions.
“Legal literacy initiatives are also being implemented through seminars jointly organised with the Attorney General’s Chambers to equip government officers with stronger legal awareness,” the minister added.
To support a business-friendly environment, the PMO is working closely with the Ministry of Finance and Economy to identify and address policy and procedural gaps affecting industrial and business ecosystem development.
“Another major initiative is the development of the Labour Market Information System (LMIS), which will provide integrated workforce planning data and future projections of employment demand and skill requirements.”
The minister noted how Pusat Pekerjaan Brunei (PPB) is also implementing digitalisation projects under the National Business Service Platform, including the Clearance Letter Application Management Module to streamline application processing.
“Meanwhile, economic diversification efforts continue in the oil and gas downstream sector, with developments involving value-added products such as acetic acid, aniline, and formaldehyde, as well as progress on Phase 2 of the Pulau Muara Besar development project.”
In safeguarding national security and social stability, the minister emphasised the continued strengthening of coordination among enforcement and security agencies, with measures such as enhancing crime prevention efforts, improving national crisis response capabilities, and strengthening cross-border security preparedness being taken to achieve said goals.
On workforce development, PPB will continue to play a crucial role as it implements training programmes to enhance the employability of local job seekers.
These programmes include SPIN, SkillsPlus, iSkill, Programme Jati Diri, TVET Scheme, TechInspire, Clinical Supervisory Program, Soft Skills Courses, as well as Industry-led programmes under the Manpower Industry Steering Committee (MISC).
“Additionally, 22 new short courses have been introduced in fields such as finance, ICT, health and safety, leadership, and human resource management to meet evolving industry demands, while a study titled ‘Root Causes of Unemployment’, conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS), is also underway to better understand unemployment factors and improve policy responses.”
Shifting towards discussion on the energy sector, the minister highlighted how it remains central to Brunei’s economic stability and energy security.
Development efforts are guided by several strategic directions, such as sustaining upstream oil and gas production, expanding downstream industries to diversify the economy, ensuring a reliable electricity and petroleum supply, and accelerating the transition to low-carbon energy.
Despite this, the minister also emphasised that renewable energy development is gaining momentum, with national installed capacity increasing tenfold compared to 2024 levels.
“A 30MW solar project in Belimbing Subok, currently under construction, is expected to begin contributing to the national power supply by late 2026, while several large-scale private solar projects are also progressing.”
The minister reassured that Brunei remains committed to global climate action under the Paris Agreement, targeting a 20-per-cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 relative to the Business-As-Usual scenario, and is also developing a National Adaptation Plan to address the growing impact of climate change and extreme weather events.
Government media agencies, including Radio Television Brunei and the Information Department, will continue to play a vital role in disseminating government policies and engaging the public.
“Community outreach initiatives such as the ‘Sua Muka’ programme, which facilitates dialogue between government representatives and village communities, will be further strengthened. Budget allocations have also been set aside to maintain and upgrade broadcasting infrastructure, ensuring nationwide access to radio and television services.”
Before concluding the presentation, the minister noted that five agencies under the PMO are classified as closed departments due to their involvement in national security matters.
These include the Narcotics Control Bureau, Anti-Corruption Bureau, Internal Security Department, Royal Brunei Police Force, and the Brunei Research Department, with the minister requesting that their budget allocations not be debated publicly, as discussions concerning these agencies may involve sensitive security issues.
The PMO reaffirmed its commitment to implementing policies guided by Brunei Vision 2035, emphasising a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach to ensure sustainable national development. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN
