Bandar Seri Begawan - Civil servants in the Sultanate yesterday gathered at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas yesterday to commemorate the 19th Civil Service Day. His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Deputy Sultan, graced the annual celebration.

Also present was HRH Prince Abdul Malik.

Themed "United towards achieving Brunei Vision 2035", the event this year aspires to transform Brunei into a prominent nation that is home to people who are thriving and highly skilled, with high quality of living, and who are striving to achieve a dynamic and resilient economy.

In his welcoming speech, Hj Mohd Abdoh bin Dab o Seri Setia Hj Abdul Salam, Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and also Chairperson of the event this year, said that the event is seen as a platform for agencies in the civil service to review and measure their individual achievements. He added that the diversity of the civil service today is due to factors surrounding its environment that drives changes.

"We believe that civil service agencies will continue to find new approaches to simplify the realisation of our country's vision, in one strong team, to become the backbone of our country's engine of growth," he said.

HRH Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah in a sabda announced a fast -track method for the promotion of civil servants in Division II and above. Among the other highlights in the sabda were the Deputy Sultan's call for the reassessment of administrative processes within the Civil Service to be in line with Islamic teachings and for ICT achievements in the Civil Service to be measured accurately.

A total of 35 Civil Service officers and staff from 12 government ministries received accolades as recognition for their relentless contributions and hardwork in the Civil Service. These exemplary individuals were honoured with the 'Outstanding Civil Service Employee Awards' for excellent delivery of performance, quality and productivity in their jobs, as well as for demonstrating superior personality traits. HRH Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah consented to present the respective individuals with their awards which consisted of a trophy, certificate of appreciation and a cash prize of B$1,000.

The event also saw the announcement of the winners for the "Outstanding Civil Service Award" in two categories, namely the Finance Category and the Service Delivery Category Thirteen nominations were received from various government departments in the Civil Service.

The Corporate and Trade Unit of the Ports Department, Ministry of Communications emerged the winners of the bronze award in the Finance Category with their project, 'Maximising revenue through rental of un-utilised warehouse and open areas'. For this category, there were no nominations for the silver and gold awards. Three other nominees received consolation prizes.

For the Service Delivery Category, three nominees received consolation prizes while the Management and Administration Department of the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital, Ministry of Health and the Laboratory Services Department from the same ministry bagged the bronze and silver awards, respectively.

The gold award went to the Royal Excise and Customs Department, Ministry of Finance with their project, "Customs Service: Delivery and process of declaration forms online". HRH Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah consented to present the awards to the respective winners of the categories.

The Deputy Sultan also consented to present certificates of service to retiring government officers, who were represented by permanent secretaries from the respective ministries.

Prior to the conclusion of the event, the Deputy Sultan also toured an exhibition held to coincide with the celebration, themed, "Construction Industry Generates Sustainable Development".