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Bandar Seri Begawan - Muara Port Container and Commercial Berth

It looks like there has been somewhat of a snafu somewhere by someone along the line.

And that leads to a number of questions that the public would like to know the answers.

We are talking, of course, about the hot issue of Muara Container Terminal (MCT) that has currently assumed, sad to say, the likes of a fiasco.

To begin with, why the public was not kept informed about this most important development, an issue which touches the everyday life of the people, is anybody's guess.

Why the secrecy? It took the local newspaper to break the news that surprised and worried everyone. Why have the relevant authorities embarked on a sudden decision to take over Brunei's Muara Container Terminal, which the Port Authority of Singapore (PSA) had so systemically built up over the past seven years?

Surely, the relevant authorities should have prepared the public far in advance. The administration of government is not a private or personal matter. It is of vital public interest and concern. Therefore, the people have the right to know.

Even after the news had become public, it remained a matter of speculation. Information from the relevant authorities has been sparse and of general nature. Their pronouncements contained no specific details.

True, after some prodding, the worried local staff were called in for a meeting. But those who attended say they are far from satisfied or significantly happy. As usual, there were no particulars provided, only generalities to assuage their legitimate concerns about their future.

Very few would believe that they deserve such treatment or should be subjected to this state of anxiety.

And what about the foreign staff? The authorities would say it is no concern of theirs and would tend to leave it to PSA to sort it out the mess. But surely, some sort of cooperation and coordination would be in order to ensure smooth transition.

There are 26 foreign operation staff who are key personnel and six locals in that top position. They are important for the smooth operation of the container port. Whereas in the maintenance side, there are four local staff and six foreigners, and in the lower category there are 26 local operation assistants and five foreign workers in the same status.

All in all, therefore, there are 52 locals and 40 foreign staff running the port. Considering the category of the foreigners, one could hardly deny the importance of these overseas workers for the efficient running of the port.

Yet, they are left hanging so callously, with hardly a word of assurance or solace from anyone. Would anyone think, under these circumstances, that these disgruntled foreigners would whole-heartedly participate in the technology transfer the authorities are talking so much about in taking over the operation?

Talking about the hand-over time frame, the Brunei port authorities have now less than two months to assume charge.

Here we are getting mixed signals. Some officials are saying that a private contractor will be brought in as a stop-gap measure. There is confounded confusion, apparently. Especially where staff is concerned.

If things go wrong, as it is most likely to be, you can always put the blame on the interim contractor. The authorities will, in this instance, would be sitting pretty. Pass the buck, man, that is the way.

In the worst scenario, in the months to come, one can imagine people rummaging through the hundreds of containers, trying to find theirs. A regular mayhem may break out, in that case.

On the other hand, miraculously the Port authorities may be able to handle the elaborate container cargo handling system that PSA had put together, and then it will be all systems go.

Otherwise it will be disaster for the country.

Another question asked is why PSA has made such a sudden exit? Do the authorities think that they are able to do better than the most accomplished maritime outfit in the region, with its wide regional world seaport links, that happens to be PSA?

Can Brunei do it alone in the face of stiff worldwide competition? Is the Brunei Port Authority better than PSA, which is a world class operator?

Nearer home, we have neighbours waiting for a chance. Bintulu in Sarawak is one, and Kota Kinabalu, where they have just built a new Container Terminal, is another. Between them, without substantial and experienced outside help like from PSA, Brunei could be squeezed out of the game.

Perhaps, not many could see the bigger picture. It is not only a matter of operating a port. Most importantly, it is developing a network. For a small country like Brunei, it is a large mountain to climb.

The parting of the ways has been sudden although rumblings were heard since two years ago. But one would think that there was room for negotiation, however, and at least, a slow and more gradually paced withdrawal.

It is pure fantasy to think that one could just walk in and take over a complex organisation like a modern container port in a couple of months without significant disruption of a major sort.

And that is the sort of thing Brunei cannot afford because it has only one Container Terminal. We cannot divert our ships anywhere else in the country.

The more we think about it, the more you tend to ask the question: Has anyone thought this thing through before the take-over?

On the face of it, perhaps not many have given it sufficient thought. The complexity of a modern Container Terminal with its state-of-the-art electronic gadgets is an awesome prospect to handle. One can only wait and watch and pray that nothing will go wrong. But many people think that, in any case, an inquiry as to what has happened is in order so as to avoid such dramas in future.

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