The buzzing pasar

Written by Rano Iskandar on February 9, 2017. Posted in lifestyle, food

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 made a surprise visit the day after the official launch. It was a great gesture by His Majesty the Sultan and unlike other countries, our Sultan loves to connect with the people of Brunei, up close and personal. Image courtesy of @queennajmina

After many shifting and relocating, this looks to be a permanent spot for Pasar Gadong or what they call “Pasar Pelbagai Barangan Gadong”. Yea, it’s kinda of a long name but many of us are used to Pasar Gadong.

You will be surprised to how much the vendors are now paying as compared to before. Previously they will fork out as much as $300 to $400 per month. Now with a better set up and proper facilities, the vendors are only paying less than $40 per month which is a real steal.

The new facilities is a gift 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.

These have been an ongoing problem for the market vendors since last year due to the reallocation. Hence now the problem have been solved with the support and involvement of the Brunei Government.

It has a proper shelter, high roofing, spacious and well built. I believe LSL contributed in this project (from what I heard). Perhaps there was one minor thing and that’s the smoking vents. I’m not sure if it’s working or not but some parts were smokey. Well, it’s just a minor thing but I hope it can be looked into.

It was great to know that some entrepreneurs were given micro-credit from DARe (Darussalam Enterprise) where they received finance to help move their businesses.

It was also a great sight to see His Majesty the Sultan making a surprise visit at the newly established Pasar Pelbagai Barangan and toured the premises. His Majesty was the favourite among the crowd where selfies became a common thing. Sellers and vendors also took the opportunity to thank His Majesty in person.

The Pasar Pelbagai Barangan was officially launched last week by Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The refurbishment of the market was done under the Julangan Titah Project, an initiative of the Office of 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.

Let’s hope this will boost the economy for Brunei and make this one of the attractions for foreigners and tourists alike. I’ve already been there twice and I’m impressed. Just make sure we keep the place nice and clean and be grateful to His Majesty the Sultan in providing such facilities for vendors.

Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran-Pengiran Cheteria, Cabinet Ministers, members of Legislative Council and senior government officials attended the official opening last week

Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, the Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) during the launch< /strong>