The Canadian ICT Capabilities Seminar
Keynote Address
Monday, 18 December 2006
Mutiara Ballroom, Sheraton Utama Hotel
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, Wassalatu Wassalamu ` Ala
Asyrafil Mursaleen, Saidina Muhammaddin, Wa`ala Alihiee Wasah Bihee
Ajma`een.
Your Excellency
Mr. Leopold Battel, High Commissioner
of Canada
Permanent Secretaries,
Deputy Permanent Secretaries,
Senior Government officials,
Representatives from the private sector
Distinguished speakers and presenters
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Assalamualaikum Warrahmatullahi Wabarakatuh and a very
good morning to all of you.
First of all, thank you for inviting me to officiate
this seminar. I would like to express my utmost gratitude to His
Excellency Mr Leopold Battel, High Commissioner of Canada for organizing
the ‘Canadian ICT Capabilities Seminar’ today Seminar is indeed a
bridge that will link our private sector and also provides a valuable
channel for exchange of experience and knowledge as well as a platform for
networking.
Your Excellency,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang
Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam acknowledges the significant role ICT
plays nowadays, which can be accurately described as the engine for
growth. With ICT, developments are enabled and businesses are facilitated.
We should also acknowledge the crucial role of the private sector, which
can be regarded as one of the prime movers and shakers of the industry.
Thus, we continue to encourage and facilitate the participation of the
private sector in this arena.
In September 2005, the Ministry of Communications
organized the National Summit on Information Society (NASIS). NASIS has
produced the National e-Strategy Paper, which was developed in
collaboration with the various stakeholders in this industry, including
representatives from our private sectors. Among others, this document sets
out core strategies in realizing the vision towards an Information Society
in Brunei Darussalam, which includes, promoting a competitive-driven
environment, encouraging businesses, private sector investment and
participation. It also highlights several crucial focus areas such as
e-Government, e-Business, e-Education, e-Society as well as an Action
Plan.
Our commitment to develop the ICT industry, by making
the environment more conducive and supportive for our private sector to
participate, is further illustrated with the structural changes in the
local ICT scene. On 1st April 2006, we have corporatised
Telecommunications Department into Telekom Brunei Berhad. We have also
established our regulator and developer of the ICT industry, the Authority
for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AiTi).
With such development and the establishment of our regulator, we are now
further able to explore more ways to help our private sector gain a more
secure and sustainable footing in the ICT industry, not just domestically,
but also regionally and internationally. This can be achieved among others
through initiatives on e-Commerce as well as human capacity building.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Ministry of Communications, led by either myself or
my Deputy Minister has conducted several work visits to some countries,
including Singapore, Malaysia, India, USA and Canada. From these work
visits, we know that we have a lot to learn from our more developed
counterparts, including from Canada. Also from these work visits, I
observe that Brunei Darussalam is not that far behind as some countries
have only started to gain their ICT prominence in the past ten years.
During my visit to Canada last May, I am impressed by
the achievements made by the Waterloo Region, known as Canada Technology
Triangle. The success of the Waterloo region clearly proves the results of
the success of a synergy and close cooperation between government,
businesses and University of Waterloo and other academic institutions.
The landscape of the towns of Kitchener-Waterloo and
Cambridge have been transformed from shoemaker, textiles, furniture and
food-processing townships and roll into the new economy – world leading
Blackberry wireless communications devices, the product of their Research
Technology Park.
The Accelerator Center which forms part of the
Technology Park encourage the growth of high tech firms and act as a
catalyst for the creation of new products and services. It provides a
fertile environment to commercialize the innovative work done by
universities, colleges, hospitals and laboratories and private sector
research facilities.
Today, Waterloo region is home to internationally
recognized companies and institutions that are leaders in their respective
fields of research, education, innovation, products and processes and
turning innovation into commercial success stories.
This is my dream and vision for Brunei Darussalam where
creative ideas of our young people can be turned into success stories. I
believe this can be done and I look forward to the SME Innovation Center
which will be launched next year. It will provide a good venue for our
creative minds to turn their ideas into success stories. This was true in
the cases of Canada, India and Vietnam. The ICT and telecommunication
industry is one of the many areas that can contribute to the
diversification of Brunei Darussalam’s economy from oil and gas.
David Johnson, President of Waterloo University said
that "What happens in Kitchener-Waterloo in knowledge creation and
dissemination and creation of high-value innovation is a metaphor for the
21st century Canadian economy".
The Report on Business, April 25, 2006 states that
"If Canada is to prosper beyond the current commodities boom, we must
learn from Waterloo’s success, or risk becoming a global economic
backwater".
Ladies and gentlemen,
The presentations by various Canadian companies this
morning will definitely enrich participants with valuable experiences and
knowledge gained by the respective companies in their success journey in
ICT industry.
Through seminars like this, I am certain we can create
new links and strengthen present relationships. We warmly welcome such
links and relationships, particularly from investors to come to Brunei
Darussalam, not just to implement your programs and activities but
preferably to forge alliances with our local players. By learning from
your experiences and knowledge, I am sure our capacity will be
strengthened and that our local companies can enhance their sustainability
and competitiveness.
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is noted that Canada is one of the lead countries in
the bandwagon of the e-Government implementation and I must admit we have
a lot to learn from you.
In this seminar we will have the opportunity to be
better acquainted with what Canada can offer in terms of ICT capabilities,
particularly from all the well known and established Canadian companies
that we are having today.
It has been our goal to welcome refutable ICT companies
to set up base in Brunei Darussalam and participated in our ICT
development, among others, in the implementation of our e-Government
Program.
Our e-Government Program allocated with the B$1b budget
in the 8th National Development Plan are also aligned with the goals of
the National Development Plan on diversification of the national economy
from oil and gas.
In pursuing the agenda of the ICT development in Brunei
Darussalam, there has been several key milestones so far, for example we
have established the National IT Strategic Plan, The IT2000 & Beyond
and also the Brunei IT Council in year 2000. We have implemented our
e-Government Program for the first five years i.e 2001 to 2005. This year
we did a review of the 5 year implementation to define the way forward for
continuing the implementation for the next five years i.e 2006 to 2010.
In the globalised world we live in today, the advance
in ICT, has to some extent, created a degree of dependency among us and
thus underlines the importance of regional and international
collaboration. Brunei Darussalam is an active participant of regional and
international organizations. In September 2006, we have hosted the 6th
ASEAN Telecommunications & IT Ministerial Meeting where the
discussions were not only limited to ASEAN Ministers. We also have
sessions with our dialogue partners from China, Japan, Republic of Korea
and India. The ASEAN ministers also have a session with the East ASEAN
Business Council. As a result of this meeting, the Brunei Action Plan was
produced which embodies the agreement on
a Plan of Action, as well as listing the ASEAN ICT Priority Projects for
implementation in 2007.
In this aspect, between Brunei Darussalam and Canada,
we are members of several common organizations such as Commonwealth, APEC
and ITU. I am confident that further networking and business opportunities
will spurn from such fora. We can also pursue a strengthened bilateral
relation for the sake and benefits of our people in general, and private
sectors in particular.
Your Excellency,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I believe the Seminar today serves many important and
useful purposes as well as interests. I sincerely hope that the event
today will bear fruitful discussions as well as opens more opportunities.
The event today may be short but without a doubt we are here today opening
more opportunities for a strengthened and a long term relationship.
Thank you.
