| Azaraimy HH |
MINISTER of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office, Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar said yesterday that international operators in the oil and gas industry should not ‘hide’ or ‘cover up’ any corruption investigation for the sake of their image.
Corruption will harm the fabric of society and has no place in Brunei, he said in an interview on the sidelines of the Total E&P Borneo ‘Block B’ 25 years celebration and MLJ3 1st Gas Event.
He said he wanted to make the message clear to all international operators that Brunei will not tolerate corruption.
He warned international operators not to request the ministry to stop any corruption investigations or interfere in any probes.
When asked, the minister said the money involved in corruption is usually large. Thus corruption is not only harmful but is also wasteful because the money in corruption could be channelled to areas that can benefit Brunei such as increasing production, efficiency and cost effectiveness that can bring long-term benefits such as creating jobs for the locals, he said.
Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office, Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar in an interview. – AZARAIMY HH
Earlier in his speech at the event to celebrate Block B’s 25 years anniversary and the 1st gas delivery from the Maharaja-Lela Jamalul Alam 3 (MLJ3) Platform, the minister said His Majesty 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’s Government does not tolerate breaches of business integrity and will not hesitate to use the full force of the law to deal with offenders.
Meanwhile, the minister congratulated Total E&P Borneo BV on the auspicious occasion.
“On behalf of the Government of His Majesty, I would like to congratulate all parties involved in the success of MLJ3’s 1st gas delivery for a job well done.
“I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to Total for your strong support and commitment to Brunei Darussalam and to our local business development drives. I understand that currently, there are 69 local Bruneians out of 104 employed with Total E&P Borneo BV. This is good to hear and I hope that in future, this figure will increase further. I am also pleased to note that there are 10 Bruneian scholars who are currently undertaking the Total Education Scholarship Scheme. I believe that Total E&P Borneo BV will continue to support our local youths in their education and their career in the foreseeable future.”
The minister stressed the need to work hand in hand in the drive to further the local business development and increase local content.
“Involvement of our very own local companies and workforce in the services sector is still very minimal and there is still so much more that we can do. I certainly want to encourage our local MSMEs to participate more.
“The fact that Total E&P Borneo BV chose to do the fabrication of the MLJ3 platform in Brunei Darussalam shows the faith that they have in the commitment and the capabilities of our local workforce and local companies, which have paved the way for more projects of that scale to be done in Brunei Darussalam,” he said.
The minister also noted that despite the volatility in the current market oil prices, Total E&P Borneo BV and its joint venture partners have continued to show strong commitment towards the development of the resources at the Maharaja Lela Jamalul Alam Field which shows their confidence in Brunei Darussalam’s upstream sector.
He also said, “Most importantly, we must adhere strictly to the laws and rules in force in Brunei Darussalam, especially those pertaining to Health, Safety, Security and Environment”.
He was impressed that Total E&P Borneo BV has clocked more than 16 years without any Lost Time Injury since its first production in 1999.
The minister said that a national authority on Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) will be launched early next year in support of the HSE culture in Brunei Darussalam.
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