New Approaches Needed To Develop Defence Capability
By Za'im Zaini

Bandar Seri Begawan - A new menu of development approaches is needed to develop the best possible defence capability, the Deputy Minister of Defence said yesterday.

Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Paduka Haji Mohammad Yasmin said, "In supporting His Majesty's titah on economic diversification, and also in line with our Defence White Paper, the Ministry of Defence is looking for the provision of various products and services using public-private partnership arrangements, those that can be provided by the private sector (e.g. provision of infrastructure, including maintenance and logistics services, training and e-government).

"We seek to exploit the strengths of our supplier base to provide the range of services, taking advantage of market efficiencies from economies of scale and scope, as well as allocate risks to the party that is best able to handle them.

"In order words, we want to concentrate on our core business, which is defence capability," he said in his keynote address at the opening session of the Understanding Public Private Partnerships workshop yesterday at Rizqun International Hotel.

"How does public- private partnership relate to building a sound defence capability for Brunei?" he said.

"His Majesty's government has committed to spending up to around 3.3 per cent of GDP on defence in 2005. For the fiscal year 2006, the defence budget is some $489 million (Brunei dollars). A significant proportion of this budget and the capital expenditure is meant to develop the next generation Royal Brunei Armed Forces over the next five years or so.

"The Ministry of Defence is mindful that we need to transform to better support the realisation of the next generation Royal Brunei Armed Forces. In doing so, a Public Private Partnership and a force capability development unit have been established. We are mindful of the need to link strategy to planning and budgeting, and to ensure good governance of the financial resources through accountability, transparency, and effective and efficient processes," he said.

The Deputy Minister said, "I believe government needs a mindset shift too. There is too much mistrust of the intentions of business and misunderstanding of the role that business can play.

We must have higher expectations of what business can deliver, of how business can provide not only enterprise but also help government with infrastructure and the delivery of public goods."  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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