AMONGST the numerous things that could stall
The sultanate's dominant oil and gas production company, Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP), which is also the second biggest employer in the country, has not been spared the phenomenon often referred to as the "big crew change".
"In 8 years time, over 1,000 or 45 per cent of BSP's local staff are due to retire, which in turn will create a massive brain drain at the company and affect all functions across the business…
I am not going to go on about Brunei Oil background. There are more than 1000 Bruneians in a senior positions directly involve in Oil and Gas. Lots of them will be able to paint clear pictures of
Quote from Bruclass Forum:
Sure, sure. What's more terrifying it will NOT JUST be in
I dont agree with your doomsday scenario in 30 years time. We have lots of alternative power sources that could replace oil and gas. The only reason why they are not being used is a simple case of economics. Oil and gas is still one of the most economical source of energy although this fact is changing fast.
Here are some alternatives energy sources.
1. Biodiesel - source from Palm Oil, etc.
2. Methane - source from decaying rubbish, etc.
3. Biofuel (ethanol) - source from corn, sugarcane, etc. Currently being used extensively in
4. Solar power
5. Nuclear
6. Hydro
7. Geothermal
8. Windpower
I was just following the drift of the thread. Anyway, what I said was just a WHAT-IF scenario. I'm aware that lots of efforts have been made the world over to find alternative energy sources. In fact,
The BIG questions are:
1. Can these alternatives be produced cheaply & affordable, faster, safely, and in big & sustainable quantity?
2. Will they be readily available for all (i.e. rich and poor countries) within the next few decades?
I do hope the definite answer to both of these questions is YES. Otherwise, the risk of "doomsday" cannot be adequately avoided.
…as long as the ocean is there, "dooms day" is not applicable until we are faced with the oceans drying up.
sm, this does not meet your... if "1 and 2" is true logic, but it stand true that if one condition is true, there will be survivers thus eradicating "dooms day" scenario.
it now depends on the readiness of countries to tap into alternative resources.
you don't have to wait for the oceans to dry up to think about the adverse implications.
Okay, just imagine less worse scenario: higher oil prices. When the oil prices shoot up around US$70 recently businesses got the hit and affected their botton lines. Now, imagine in five years time when the supplies getting contracted and the oil prices to hike up up to US$150 to $200 per barrel. I don't think the world will be ready with alternative sources in 5 years time. So, what would happen? Major power crisis unprecedented in history!!!
In
wow...
i believe there is oil price regulators that would not allow this to happen. that's a wee bit too pessimistic, i would say. now all the more urgent for
i would be the first to cry if the petrol price went up. now all the more urgent for 
when Malaysian government cut its oil subsidies just a few cents last year, the whole country was in chaos. now, they did it again with tol hike...
on our home front, the Ministry of Energy has on several occasions giving some hints on the future of our take-for-granted energy/power subsidies and even HM the Sultan had mentioned it once in one of his recent titahs.
get yourself a boat...so to speak ha ha
we should diversify our economy.. this has been said over and over again
we should invest in alternative fuels
we should invest in factories and utilise our local people instead of letting unemployment hit the roof
we should utilise our land properly. 80% of
petrol prices should increase so people stop buying cars tey cannot afford and drive around not maintaining them... and we will use our petrol and resources wisely.
JPD needs to get ther act together instead of being so double standard in policing motorists and the JKR should take note of our roads ..
there's so many things we can say to improve.. but will it ever happen?
The obvious failure of our government to accelerate the diversification efforts and get results is another reason for us, commoners, to feel terrified. Almost three decades had past since
Yes, we can only say and wish so much but who’s there to make it all happen? How confidence we are on the current and future decision-makers to make it all happen when the past indications are nothing significant to be proud of? Where and when shall we begin if we’re to change for the better? Just to think about the best probable answers to these questions could terrify us further.
God help us!
what are the real factors of the failure? to un-terrified us commoners, we may have to terrify the gomen servants. gone should be the time of guaranteed employment. corporatisation is key to getting rid of unwanted or unwarranted gomen employees.
des should be the next gomen depart to corporatised. prepaid meters should be introduced nationwide and not only on new premises. there is no excuse for continuing non payment of electricity bills.
obviously from a prepaid user here.
[highlight]Unless and until we are ALL subject to TRANSPARENT and JUST application of the Letter of the Law, the commoner will always have to be terrified of VICTIMISATION by those who ABUSE and MISUSE their power in their appointed offices.
Hint, hint...
when Malaysian government cut its oil subsidies just a few cents last year, the whole country was in chaos. ...
There were certainly some outcries when the Malaysian government cut its oil subsidies but there were never any chaos!!!
.... now all the more urgent for
How do you propose that we tap into the ocean for electricity? You have some new technology that you can share with us?
The one and only bridge connecting their house to the road, has collapsed for the forth time recently, causing great inconvenience to the family.
The main contributing factor of it is flood prevention project at Sungai Abang, Kampong Lamunin, especially the widening of rivers bank, which led to the erosion of the upstream river bank and the land around it.
It's true that swift actions have been done to fix the prevent the erosion quickly, but as we can see, these actions do not address the source of the problem. Hence it will happen again and again.
This has never happened before over the last 60 years despite experiencing the same weather conditions as we have now.
Lets not wait for somebody to get injured or even killed before any meaningful actions are carried out. Also, please revisit the place, as I have doubts on its completeness or the authorities' compliance to its requirements.
Juga perlu di teliti ialah penselarasan matlamat pengurusan zakat dengan hasrat Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaullah, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam.
Dalam konteks ini semacam terdapat jurang antara objektif pengurusan zakat untuk membantu meringankan bebanan fakir miskin dengan hasrat Baginda Sultan untuk memerdekakan golongan miskin dari kepompong kemiskinan.
Dalam lain perkataan hasrat Baginda ialah mahu melihat kehadiran satu sistem pengurusan zakat yang lebih efektif dan efisyen yang bukan sekadar mampu memberikan bantuan bulanan dan tahunan kepada golongan miskin sahaja, tetapi akhirnya mampu menjadikan negara sifar kemiskinan.
Baginda Sultan bukan sahaja mahu melihat bantuan zakat di berikan sekadar mampu meringankan bebanan golongan miskin pada setiap bulan dan setiap tahun tetapi bagaimana sistem pengurusan zakat itu boleh mengkayakan mereka hingga menjadikan mereka golongan pembayar zakat.
Mudah-mudahan mesej titah yang tersirat ini dapat di baca dan di terjemahkan dengan baik oleh Majlis Ugama Islam dan agensi-agensi kerajaan yang lain agar apa pun dasar atau program yang akan mereka laksanakan akan mampu menjangkau wawasan Baginda Sultan itu.
Harapan kita ialah MUIB akan meneliti semula sistem pengurusan zakat yang sedia ada dan merencanakan strategi-strategi dan program-program jangka pendek dan jangka panjang yang lebih efektif dan dinamik dalam mengatasi isu kemiskinan di negara ini selaras dengan hasrat Baginda Sultan.
Persoalannya sekarang apa strategi dan langkah-langkah jangka pendek dan jangka panjang yang akan di ambil oleh MUIB sebagai menyambut hasrat titah Baginda Sultan itu?
Menurut laporan Media Permata bertarikh 21 Januari, langkah-langkah sedang dibuat bagi melaksanakan kurnia titah Baginda Sultan ketika Persidangan Majlis Ugama Islam Negara Brunei Darussalam pada13 Januari lalu.
Majlis Ugama Islam Brunei, menurut laporan tersebut, sedang membuat kajian dan langkah selanjutnya terutama cara untuk mengagihkan baki wang zakat yang ada.
Media Permata melaporkan Pemangku Setiausaha MUIB, Haji Abdul Wahab Haji Sapar sebagai berkata, "terdapat dua golongan yang akan diberikan keutamaan dalam agihan baki wang zakat berkenaan sebagaimana yang disebut Baginda Sultan ialah golongan fakir miskin dan Al-Gharimin, ujarnya sambil menambah pengagihan itu akan dilaksanakan secepat mungkin".
Menurut Pemangku Setiausaha MUIB, sejak empat ke lima tahun kebelakangan ini, jumlah wang zakat yang dikumpulkan adalah kurang daripada jumlah yang perlu diagihkan kepada asnaf zakat sehingga menyebabkan Majlis Ugama Islam terpaksa mencukupkan jumlah berkenaan dengan baki wang zakat tahun sebelumnya.
Sebagaimana yang dititahkan Baginda Sultan, wang zakat yang berbaki setelah diagihkan kepada yang berhak dan disahkan oleh Juruaudit Agung bagi kunci kira-kira yang berakhir 31 Disember 2004 adalah sebanyak $239,631,073.56.
Pada tahun sebelum 2004, menurut Haji Abdul Wahab, jumlah asnaf zakat yang memohon dan layak untuk menerima agihan zakat tidaklah seramai ketika ini yang sudah melebihi 16,000 orang.
Menurut statistik Majlis Ugama Islam pada 2007, seramai 3,976 orang fakir miskin menerima bantuan bulanan, sementara seramai 12,234 lagi menerima bantuan Hari Raya menjadikan jumlah yang menerima bantuan sebanyak 16,210 orang.
Jika dibandingkan statistik yang sama pada 2003 hanya 702 penerima bantuan bulanan dan 3,347 fakir miskin menerima bantuan Hari Raya, yang menjadikan jumlah keseluruhan bagi tahun itu hanya 3,347 orang.
Jumlah teramai yang dicatatkan dalam statistik 2001-2007 itu ialah pada 2005 yang berjumlah 19,420 penerima keseluruhannya terdiri daripada 16,706 penerima bantuan Hari Raya Aidilfitri dan seramai 598 orang yang menerima bantuan bulanan.
Menurut statistik Majlis Ugama Islam, jumlah perbelanjaan atau jumlah keseluruhan agihan wang zakat yang diberikan kepada asnaf zakat di negara ini pada 2008 sebelum diaudit terdiri daripada fakir miskin, amil, mualaf dan Al-Gharimin ialah sebanyak $15,849,439.64.
Pecahan agihan berkenaan menurut statistik 2001-2008 itu ialah $1,471,459.26 untuk Al-Gharimin, $13,014,088.45 untuk fakir miskin, $1,178,454.20 untuk mualaf dan $185,437.70 lagi untuk amil.
Haji Abdul Wahab berkata, fakir miskin yang diberi bantuan di negara ini akan mendapat bantuan sepanjang tahun, yang akan diterima setiap bulan dalam pelbagai bentuk bantuan.
"Umpamanya pada setiap menjelang Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Majlis Ugama Islam tidak akan hanya menghulurkan bantuan semasa hari lebaran saja, tetapi bahagian itu akan diberikan sepanjang tahun, misalnya penerima akan menerima agihan berjumlah $400 ke $500 setiap bulan tertakluk kepada keramaian anggota dalam sesebuah keluarga itu," jelasnya.
Begitu juga bantuan asasi seperi makanan juga akan diterima, bermakna penerima tidak akan terputus bantuan kewangan dan bantuan asasi setiap bulan.
Beliau mendedahkan bantuan bagi menyara persekolahan anak juga akan diterima setiap bulan berjumlah $60 secara berterusan yang bermakna setiap seorang akan menerima $720 setahun.
Agihan yang diterima asnaf fakir miskin termasuk agihan wang tunai bulanan, perlindungan, pendidikan, serta-merta, agihan tunai segera Hari Raya, bantuan perbelanjaan rawatan perubatan/kesihatan dan perbelanjaan Program Pengupayaan Asnaf Zakat.
