Keynote Speech

Yang Berhormat

Dato Seri Setia Awang Abdul Mutalib

bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohammad Yusof

Minister of Transport and Infocommunications

For

The Thirteenth (13th) Edition of

The Brunei Chevening Youth Forum (BCYF)

Themed

"Smart Youth for a Smart Nation"

Saturday

15 Rejab 1442/27 February 2021

Time: 8:30 am

The Core, Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Negara Brunei Darussalam

Yang Berhormat Dayang Khairunnisa binti Awang Haji Ash’ari

Brunei Legislative Council Member 

as President of the Chevening Brunei Association

Your Excellency Mr. John Virgoe

British High Commissioner to Negara Brunei Darussalam

Yang Mulia Ms. Fatin Arifin

Founder and Convener for The Brunei Chevening Youth;

Members of the Chevening Alumni Brunei;

Speakers, Friends from the media;

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

Assalamualaikum Warah Matullahi Wabarakatuh and good morning,

1. With the theme of this 13th edition of the Brunei Chevening Youth Forum today, “Smart Youth for a Smart Nation”, I would like to share some of my thoughts and perspectives on the journey towards a Smart Nation. For this purpose, let me humbly share my views and perspectives in 4 key areas:

i. Firstly, the transition of the industrial revolutions;

ii. Secondly, the global and regional perspectives of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4th IR);

iii. Thirdly, our national digital transformation journey through the Digital Economy Masterplan 2025; and

iv. Lastly, Menjayakan Wawasan Negara – 2035 and beyond.

Ladies and gentlemen,

2. On my first point, the transition of the industrial revolutions, I’m sure that you are all aware of the broad technology developments that have influenced early industrial developments up to where we are now.  It started with the First Industrial Revolution in the 18th century with the mechanization of production facilities brought about by the Steam Engine. 

3. The Second Industrial Revolution furthered this trend which enabled mass production with the developments in electrical power. This was soon followed by the Third Industrial Revolution with the rise of automation enabled by the growth of electronics and information technology.

4. And now, the Fourth Industrial Revolution or the 4th IR, it has come quicker than its predecessors, illustrating the rapid changes in technology, knowledge and expectations.  The 4th IR is paving the way for digitalization and smart automation through the increased use of cyber-physical technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

5. The impacts of each industrial revolution cannot be understated. The improvement in information technology has dramatically changed how we work, live and play. The youth of today may not be as familiar, but not too long ago in the late 80s to early 90s, we used to communicate using Internet Relay Chat or IRC for short. This was eventually replaced by the use of MSN Messenger and AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) in the late 90s saw the rise of social media such as MySpace and Friendster.  Today, of course, we have all manner of tools to connect on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, SnapChat, and TikTok, amongst others. The new player on the rise being ClubHouse. 

6. Globally, the transition to the 4th IR has driven innovation with the increasing adoption of Artificial Intelligence and IoTs. For example smart devices (mobile phones, smart watches, online transaction), the rise of collaborative robots and 5G networks, to name a few.  Digital transformation is also making its mark regionally, where during the recent 1st ASEAN Digital Ministers meeting last month, saw the launching of the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025. This Masterplan serves as the roadmap towards secure and transformative digital services, technologies and ecosystem in ASEAN. 

7. Thirdly, at the national level, Brunei Darussalam also recently launched our very first national Digital Economy Masterplan 2025 with the vision of “Smart Nation through Digital Transformation”. This has always been a priority for Brunei Darussalam, with the steer, guidance and wisdom from 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. Throughout 2018 and 2019, His Majesty has on several occasions, shared his wisdom and encouragement on the need to explore the benefits of digital economy, which befits and supports our aspirations of Wawasan 2035.

8. Taking the launch of the Digital Economy Masterplan 2025 further, significant priority is now being emphasized on digital transformation.  This call was also indicated in His Majesty’s recent Titah to welcome the New Year 2021 this year. Encouraged by the development in digital transformation towards elevating Brunei Darussalam as a Smart Nation, His Majesty emphasized on continuous strategic collaboration amongst all stakeholders in providing skilled resources to realise the progress towards a Smart Nation and a Smart City. 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

9. In pursuing this vision, we must be very honest with ourselves, how “Smart” are we today? As an example, take the apps that we use for our local scenario. In the private sector, we have apps like Dart, HeyDomo, Mobile Wallets and even the mobile apps from the service providers. On the Government’s end, we have apps such as TransportBN, BruneiWeather and BruHealth. As of October 2020, we have 34 online systems provided by various Ministries, agencies and departments to enable online transactions and services. Now on one hand, I certainly feel there is still much room for improvement. Are these apps largely informational and transactional? Is there any intelligence built into these platforms that enables individuals or organizations to make better and smarter decisions? 

10. On the other hand, Alhamdulillah, we heard about it and we must all be aware of the strides being made by BruHealth.  This was also emphasized by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in a Titah on 15th July 2020. His Majesty emphasized that in line with current trends and development, the usage of AI and Big Data Analytics have certainly helped us in increasing innovation and productivity, as illustrated through the usage of BruHealth.  His Majesty also shared the view that digital technologies have high potentials to drive economic progress and development.  

11. Against such backdrop, it is very timely to consider the need to extend the usage of AI and other digital technologies beyond BruHealth. The pertinent question is, how can we then extend this towards all sectors?

12. Under the Digital Economy Masterplan 2025, three Flagship Projects have been identified for immediate implementation, namely:

i. Firstly, Digital Identity or Digital ID;

ii. Secondly, Digital Payment Hub – to support interoperable mobile payments; and

iii. Thirdly, National Information Hub – to support data sharing amongst government agencies in a more secured manner.

13. While all three are critical to enabling the Smart Nation, the Digital ID is truly at the core of delivering our vision, Insha Allah.  Your identity is the key that will enable each and every one of us to access all the services that we are entitled to.  When you interact with the government for example, you need to prove who you are. The same goes whenever you open a bank account or sign up for a mobile subscription. Your identity is key. To implement this solution, we are looking at the feasibility of a Blockchain based solution that will increase the resilience of our systems, as well as creating new opportunities for innovation.

14. Taking these into account, the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Negara Brunei Darussalam has implemented and is actively pursuing key policy directions to further support our digital transformation journey.  You may have noticed the ICT industry restructuring in Brunei Darussalam, which started on 24th January 2020, with the formation of Unified National Networks (UNN) as the sole network infrastructure provider, as well as the emergence and rebranding of retail service providers, namely Datastream Digital which was DST before, Imagine which we used to refer as TelBru before and Progresif.   As a result of this industry restructuring, Alhamdulillah, we have recorded very positive growth, which include, amongst others:- 

i. 30% increase in Fixed Broadband Subscribers in Brunei Darussalam between January to September 2020;  

ii. Growth in utilisation of Internet bandwidth by more than 60% at the same time; 

iii. In terms of affordability, entry level or base price of postpaid mobile services has also been reduced by 50%;  

iv. Removal of the $25 annual mobile licence fee; and 

v. For fixed broadband, prices have been reviewed in accordance with the doubled quota and speed.  

15. Meanwhile, amongst 10 ASEAN member states:- 

i. With the Improvement in our telecommunications infrastructure, Brunei Darussalam is at 2nd place in the Telecommunications Infrastructure Index, as recorded in the United Nations E-Government Survey 2020; and 

ii. We are also within the Top 2 countries of ASEAN in the Measuring Digital Development: ICT Price Trends 2019 Report published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).  The report monitors the affordability of ICT services by analysing and comparing price data for mobile-voice services, mobile data and fixed broadband.

16. However, we are not staying complacent.  To sustain such positive growth and momentum, current works have started to trial and study into the development of 5G technologies in Brunei Darussalam.  Inshaa Allah, by April 2021, a series of pilot projects showcasing the 5G experience will be deployed at several strategic locations in the country. With this initiative, it is certainly hoped that we will be able to stimulate interests among our youth to come up with innovation and new ideas leveraging on 5G technologies.

  

17. To add on further, MTIC has recently launched Brunei ICT Awards 2020/2021 (BICTA) as the platform to hone your innovation and competitiveness.  In fact, I am very pleased to see past BICTA winners as among the speakers for today’s event.  This event is certainly where you can inspire and be inspired, and I hope it will motivate you to be participants of BICTA 2020/2021 this year.

18. Lastly, to relate to the theme of Brunei Darussalam’s 37th National Day, Menjayakan Wawasan Negara, for year 2035 and beyond, at this point I would like to call upon everyone’s role in driving the Smart Nation. With the Whole of Government and Whole of Nation approach, we are striving hard towards digitalization and adding intelligence to our processes. However, true innovation will always be driven from industry and equally important, our people. And I do believe that this is where our youth can lead the way for our nation to innovate. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

19. As with the rise of any technology and its use for industrial development, there are also misapplications and misuse of technologies. The utilization of big data presents cybersecurity threats and invasion of privacy, as well as the rise of Deep Fakes, posing great threats to society in general.

20. On policy and regulatory perspectives, we are now working on the necessary legal frameworks to address these concerns.  This includes the Cyber Security Order to ensure the protection of our Critical Information Infrastructures (CII), as well as the Personal Data Protection Order to prevent unauthorized and unconsented sharing of personal data and information. 

21. Lastly, I would like to congratulate the young Brunei leaders for organising this session.  Today, I am surrounded by and interacting with, which was described by the International Telecommunication Union way back in 2013, as digital natives.  In fact, to us, you are not just the digital natives, you are our digital future. Insya Allah, with your support and through the Whole of Nation approach, we are able to come and work together towards achieving the vision of Brunei Darussalam as a Smart Nation. 

Wabillahi Taufik Walhidayah Assalamualaikum Warahmahtullahi  Wabarakatuh.