His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah chairing the 4th National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam Congress at NFABD House last weekend

With the newly installed executive committee of NFABD with representatives from Asian Football Confederation, Asean Football Federation and FIFA 

In the recent turn of events, Pg Hj Matusin bin Pg Hj Matasan was elected as the President of the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) for the term 2019-2023 in the 4th NFABD Congress at NFABD House last weekend. Pg Hj Matusin was the former Secretary-General of the defunct Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (BAFA) which was banned by the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) back in 2008.

Pg Hj Matusin is the 3rd President of NAFBD, replacing His Royal Highness Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah who ran the presidency from 2013 to 2019. The first president of NAFBD was Dato Paduka Abdul Rahman Mohiddin where NAFBD was formed back in 2011.

The other executive committees that have been elected are Haji Abdul Razak bin Haji Ibrahim, Bujang bin Haji Japar, Abdul Adib bin Haji Abdul Khani and Pengiran Haji Aliudin bin Pengiran Haji Tajudin.

In NFABD, there are 20 congress members which consists of those registered in the Brunei Super League Clubs. The 20 votes are from Brunei Muara clubs, Tutong football association, Kuala Belait clubs, Temburong clubs, MS PDBD, MS ABDB and referee. During the election process, 19 votes were casted with one spoilt vote and one absentee.

Pg Hj Matusin is no stranger in the football scene as he has vast experience and knowledge on the local football scene. I do hope he can carry the legacy of HRH Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah and lead his team for the betterment of football in Brunei Darussalam. And yes, he is a Chelsea fan too.

Brunei Darussalam is also making their presence felt in the international scene as HRH Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah was elected as a member of the organising committee for FIFA competitions, member to the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Social Responsibility Committee and Deputy President of AFF for 2019-2023 as well as Deputy Chairman of ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Financial Committee and Emergency Committee.

It was also interesting to see the official visit by Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA recently to Brunei Darussalam. In all my life, I would have never thought a President of FIFA would pay a visit to our small country.

Let’s see what the new executive committees’ plans are for the next year or so. Change is the only constant and let’s hope for a brighter (football) future. All the best.

During the 4th NFABD congress

The newly elected NFABD executive members

The annual report of NFABD

A Congress member of NFABD from Brunei-Muara casting a vote

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Pg Hj Matusin bin Pg Hj Matasan (2nd from left), the newly elected President of NFABD with the management of Indera SC. He is also the advisor of Indera SC.

Group photo after the 4th NFABD Congress

Some of the Brunei’s local entrepreneurs in partnership with DARe and Baiduri Bank

In partnership with Darussalam Enterprise (DARe), Baiduri Bank has been organizing a series of skills training workshops for Brunei’s local entrepreneurs as a component of the Industry Business Academy (IBA).

Following the success of the inaugural workshop held in April, followed by the second workshop in August, today the third workshop, on the topic of e-commerce was held, conducted by Mr Eu Gene Ang, the founder and principal trainer of ClickAcademy Asia.

One of the participants of the course, Ms Elina Zin of Bloom Project, commented, “This workshop gave me a lot of confidence and motivation to elevate my website into an e- commerce site as they introduced not only strategies, but shared free tools and resources that I can use as I consider going into the e-commerce space.”

The workshop today focused on helping SMEs in Brunei understand key components in e- commerce and relevant tools and guide them in their decision to invest in e-commerce. Mr Ti Eng Hui, CEO of Baiduri Bank explained, “Today’s workshop is the final workshop out of a series, that Baiduri Bank has committed to run in collaboration with DARe for 2019. Our objective for this series has been to enable growth for local SMEs which we believe can be achieved by empowering them through education.”

Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) launched the Industry Business Academy (IBA) in July 2016 as an integral component of the MSME developmental programme to provide knowledge for aspiring or seasoned entrepreneurs who need to start, grow and export a business. Offering programmes focused on business plan writing, financial literacy and related topics, the IBA has played a pivotal role in developing the local MSMEs in Brunei.

The partnership between Baiduri Bank and DARe is aimed at implementing a series of skills training workshops designed to complement existing training programmes offered by IBA, thereby providing a more comprehensive, well-rounded training curriculum to local entrepreneurs, empowering them to achieve greater success in their business ventures.

For more information, customers may log on to www.baiduri.com or contact the Baiduri Bank Customer Helpline at 2449666.

Mr Eu Gene Ang, the founder and principal trainer of ClickAcademy Asia, conducted the workshop

His Majesty the Sultan having a dialogue with one of the students at Sekolah Rendah Puni Temburong. Perhaps, the positive highlight of the impromptu school visits at Temburong. Image by @pingako

Social media is always on high alert whenever His Majesty the Sultan does impromptu visits and spot checks on certain places such as schools and ministries in particular. The outcome has been only satisfactory at most upon inspection and there’s always a bigger room for improvement. Ironically the voices being heard are from the end users, in this case, the people (the rakyat) or in schools, students and teachers, when they have dialogues with the monarch.

To be honest, I hardly cover any impromptu visits by His Majesty and all the my first hand news are from Whatsapp (viral) and Reddit before I read the official version from newspapers or listen/watch RTB news on radio and TV respectively. I do hope I one day I have a little bird to drop me and info or two should there be another impromptu visit.

I believe all these impromptu visits by His Majesty the Sultan are necessary in order to maintain and further improve the welfare and the well being of the residents of Brunei Darussalam. I still find it amazing that His Majesty the Sultan (in his 70s) has the drive and passion to make regular visits around Brunei Darussalam and this will help to keep the ministries on their toes because they are the agencies, entrusted by His Majesty to run the show and make sure the goals and objectives are met. This truly indicates how His Majesty cares about the well being of his people.

It’s always nice to notice action being taken after being scrutinized. A prime example was the unscheduled visit of His Majesty the Sultan to the Department of Immigration on the 8th of October and the monarch questioned the Citizenship section where hundreds (or maybe thousands) have yet to be granted Brunei Citizenship. Two and a half weeks later, the Ministry of Home Affairs held a formal ceremony for the 222 recipients of the Citizenship Status Certificates which was held at the International Convention Centre on 24th October 2019. As soon as I posted that story, many questioned me on which year that it coincided with for the 32nd intake of the citizenship recipients. I have no clue whatsoever but it surely is progress to see that steps have been taken swiftly by the relevant ministry. I’m also waiting for my application and I hope one day, insyaAllah, that I will be a Bruneian. Amen.

All these unscheduled visits, however, judging from the stories that have been circulated, the news broadcasted on the radio and TV, the published report on the print media, the vibe I sensed was less of a positive note. Furthermore, people became more vocal on social media, adding more salt (to the wound) on the respective agencies. Nonetheless, sometimes the responses on Reddit do carry some weight and logic with their recommendations and I am pretty sure the Ministries are aware of all the publicity they have been exposed to on these social media platforms.

The latest visit by His Majesty the Sultan raised more eyebrows from the public after images of the government schools in Temburong district were circulated. It is really embarrassing that we have to find out this way but yea, the truth always hurts. I really feel sorry for the students and teachers who have no choice but conduct their lessons in cabins [Again, if this is true as I received second hand information] and one of the halls at a school really looked in a very bad shape. I wonder how long it was in that state before the Royal visit.

Honestly, this looks very bad on the relevant ministries and it’s not my position to say but such things could have been avoided. Even the huge pile of mess at the Immigration Department (back in October) could have been avoided. If these things are not handled internally, then my advice is to the powers that were empowered by His Majesty the Sultan – the Legislative Council members – to make such visits randomly as they are the voice of the people, the driving force in the making. They can exercise their power to question the respective ministries on certain issues or scenarios when they conduct their visits. I sometimes read how LegCo members made visits to established companies and such but I am sure there are many agencies that need to be scrutinized and these visits can act as a catalyst for the agencies to take appropriate steps to reduce any underlying concerns for the benefit of our people. Anyway, this is just my point of view because I believe we all can cooperate and work with another.

Let’s move forward and work together to come up with a solution and tackle the problems one by one. It’s never too late and I believe collaboration and teamwork even among the ministries will be more effective in providing solutions and making them a reality.

The conditions of the floor in one of the schools left in that state. Courtesy of Whatsapp Image.

I am not sure which school this was but this is such an awful sight. Courtesy of Whatsapp Image

How the school hall looks like. Courtesy of Whatsapp Image.

This school needs proper attention. Courtesy of Whatsapp Image.

Jati Transport Sdn Bhd’s Customer Appreciation Day at Autohaus yesterday

Pg Anak Hj Jaafar ibni Al Marhum Pg Pemancha Pg Anak Hj Mohamed Alam, Executive Chairman of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd (center) with Andrew Chiam, Executive Director of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd and Pg Nasir bin Pg Anak Hj Jaafar during the Customer Appreciation Day

Yesterday was a great day for the customers of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd as they enjoyed the festivities during Customer Appreciation Day hosted by Jati Transport, the authorised auto dealer for Mercedes-Benz. Around 800 people showed up with their family to enjoy the food and the entertainment provided by Jati Transport Sdn Bhd.

Present during the Customer Appreciation Day were Pg Anak Hj Jaafar ibni Al Marhum Pg Pemancha Pg Anak Hj Mohamed Alam, Executive Chairman of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd, Andrew Chiam, Executive Director of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd and Alfred So, General Manager of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd.

The customers enjoyed the activities provided such as face painting for their children, dance lessons, mini treasure hunts, photo booth and not forgetting the discounts on their merchandise items.

This event is to appreciate the loyal customers of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd and continue the strong relations with the company and their customers. There were also a test drive session for those interested.

The huge crowd at the food section

The kids dancing after a few lessons by Relentless Entertainment

Families enjoying themselves

Some of the winners of the mini treasure hunt

The AMG G63 😀

At the Tokyo Motor Show 2019

The Tokyo Motor Show 2019 came to an end on the 4th November 2019. Those who attended were privileged to catch cutting edge vehicles such as self driving cars and much of the focus was also on mobility. My previous visit to the Tokyo Motor Show was back in 2013 so I would say the experience this time was totally different.

It was the first time the Tokyo Motor Show opened the exhibition to children, aimed at reversing the flagship attendance. The 2017 show drew a mere 770,000 people but this year, it managed to break the 1 million mark and finished with 1.3 million attendees in the 10-day Tokyo Motor Show.

It was participated by 192 carmakers according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) and I shall be focusing on the cars/vehicles introduced by Toyota and Lexus.

The members of the press were given a dedicated day (October 23) where the Presidents of the respective brands launched their products as the media got first hand viewing before the Tokyo Motor Show was opened for public viewing.

At the Lexus Pavilion at the Tokyo Motor Show 2019

Yoshihiro Sawa, the International President of Lexus with the Lexus LF-30 Electrified, the first full fledged electric vehicle from Lexus

Check out that beauty

In the late morning, Yoshihiro Sawa, the International President of Lexus unveiled Lexus first ever electric vehicle (EV), the Lexus LF-30, which left the audience in awe. The LF-30 is more than a concept vehicle. The Lexus Electrified vision unveiled targets a fundamental leap in vehicle performance, handling, control and driver enjoyment, and let’s not forget autonomous driving and vehicle electrification.

What was interesting was the “Lexus Sense theatre” at the Tokyo Motor Show, a space where people can experience the simulation of five senses. es”. It consists of two experience spaces, audio and visual. In Theater 1, the sensual engine sound of Lexus LFA stimulates hearing with 360° 3D sound.

Theater 2 offers a visually stimulating experience with the Lexus LC model by projection mapping – which changes its appearance according to the time of day and the viewing angle. In this booth layout you can appreciate the Lexus philosophy, while enjoying sensory stimulation through “real experience”.

Interviewing Lexus’ International President with other members of the press

We also had a privilege to interview with Yoshihiro Sawa with other selected members of the press. He was quite welcoming individual with full of knowledge especially with the automative industry. When asked about how Lexus will positioned themselves among other luxury car brands, Sawa said that Lexus aims to be different from others and hence Lexus upped the scale by providing a more amazing experience for their customers. Hence, Lexus aims to focus on luxury lifestyle experience with the car rather than luxury car brand. He shared that the owners of luxury cars are not satisfied with just owning the product. They hunger for something more as they are eager to have a more unique experience.

Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corp, making a grand entrance during Toyota’s presentation at the Tokyo Motor Show 2019

He came in with the e-Palette which will be featured in the Olympic Games next year

A very energetic showcase coming from Toyota

In the afternoon, Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corp, had an interesting approach to the launch of their Toyota products, focusing on digital presentation on the mega horizontal interactive display on stage. Toyoda engaged the audience with his younger digital self and shared to all of us how “people will be the centre of the future.” With advancement of technologies in modern era of automotive industry, Toyoda can’t discount how important human capital is and still very relevant for both to co-exist.

The company also envisioned to position Toyota as a brand that focuses “mobility for all”. This is evident as the President announced models such as the e-Palette (electric modular vehicle) and Sora, a fuel celled electrified vehicle bus (refer to my previous blog post) that will be featured in the Tokyo 2020. This is definitely exciting times for Toyota, being one of the partners for Tokyo 2020.

The day ended with ended with a press conference hosted by JAMA where it showcased the global FIA Gran Turismo Championship 2019 World Tour 5 competition. This was held at the MEGAWEB area at the Aomi Exhibition Hall which also collaborated with KidZania. Hence, making this year’s Tokyo Motor Show 2019, the biggest in terms of variety since its inception.

A big thank you to NBT (Brunei) for sponsoring my trip to Japan and the Tokyo Motor Show 2019. It was really an honour 😀

The president making headlines in the newspaper the following day

One of the beautiful assistant at Toyota pavilion

Toyota going the extra mile to give more rewards to customers when you try their Toyota experiences in the near future

Loving the lanyard and I got myself one too

The e-racer

Toyota LQ, another concept car from Toyota

I am excited to try the e-Palette next year hopefully

With Faza Suraj, a representative from The Bruneian. Thank you, NBT (Brunei) Sdn Bhd for this opportunity

With the bell ladies from Keio Plaza Hotel

It was definitely a great experience being invited by NBT (Brunei) Sdn Bhd to the Tokyo, Japan, for the recent Tokyo Motor Show. I could resonate to a classic movie, “Lost in Translation” because I could get truly lost whenever I was confused on which train line to catch for next destination. On a brighter note, the ground handlers from Toyota (Japan) and the logistics team were pretty awesome as they really took care of us from Day 1.

Faza Suraj from The Bruneian and I were privileged to attend the 3 day line up hosted by Toyota and Lexus (Japan). The first day was mostly a welcoming session for all the media delegates from Asia Pacific and the event took place at Hilton Tokyo Odaiba, Japan.

There was a presentation on Toyota’s stance as mobility company and electrification strategy. It was followed up by a ride experience and exhibition tour to deepen the understanding of Toyota’s electrification. Finally, a car show presentation where we got a sneak preview of Toyota’s LQ and Toyota Mirai. The day concluded with a welcome party themed, “Start Your Impossible”.

The media were also privileged to meet the Toyota ambassadors who will represent their respective countries in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics 2020. I sat next to Singapore Paralympic swimmer, Toh Wei Soong who is only 21 years old and he’s a two time gold medalist at the 2018 Asian Para Games.

Some of the Toyota Ambassadors for the Olympic and Paralympic Games

With Paralympic swimmer from Singapore, Toh Wei Soong

The latest concept car from Toyota – LQ

The interesting i-Road from Toyota

The fuel celled powered Toyota bus – Sora

I was quite intrigued with Toyota’s vision and plan for the future. Toyota always have something exciting up their sleeves and this year, it’s no different. Toyota has been very active in producing Electric Vehicle and concept cars year in, year out and the trend may not be exploding but it’s slowly catching on. Toyota has identified that there is always a gap from advanced development and production vehicle development. The gap itself can be reduced with introducing concept cars. The way of the future will also be incorporating Artificial Intelligence Agent to humanize the car so the driver and passenger can feel more connected to a vehicle than ever before.

It’s no surprise that the President of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, believes that the people are the important subject matter even with the rise of technology. Technology is just to enhance the human experience.

Toyota is also one of the official partners for Tokyo 2020 (Olympics and Paralympics) and they have an impressive line-up for next year’s prestigious event.

The e-Pallete is one of them and it’s shaped like a self-driving modular store on wheels and it’s electric powered. The e-Pallete will be used during the Games 2020 and the public and athletes can enjoy the transport offered by Toyota. The e-Palette is in line with Toyota’s vision of “Mobility for All” and this modular is fully automated meaning autonomous driving. Now, it will be exciting to see how this plans out once the Games kick in next year.

Lexus also have a presentation on their concept car and it was the first ever electric car. It is called the Lexus LF-30 Electrified. Many have been asking for years on when Lexus will have their first electric car and here we are. The Lexus LF-30 is more than just a concept vehicle. It’s a bold new vision of vehicle electrification which I will share in my future post.

In the afternoon, we had the privilege to see up close on some of the electric vehicles of Toyota and also experience some drifting on the Toyota 86 and the Toyota Supra GR. For me, I was more excited on the drifting experience in the Supra GR. Though it was short, it was still a fun, adrenalin experience. Sadly, it won’t be out in Brunei but a few have been asking me on social media if this would be brought to our market. Who knows one day it will see it happen.

The day capped off with a welcoming party themed “Start Your Impossible” and we were treated to a very fine Japanese cuisine sponsored by Toyota at the Hilton Tokyo Odaiba. The audience were also being inspired by the two Toyota Ambassadors from the Paralympics who shared their inspiring journey as an individual and as an athlete and appreciating Toyota in making their impossible possible. I hope to see both of them competing in the Paralympics 2020.

Thank you so much to Toyota and Lexus team for organizing such an event for the media. They were very punctual and organized with their agenda and make sure all the media representatives were well fed.

The Toyota GR

The Toyota 86

The second version of the Mirai Concept from Toyota

The fully automated capable Lexus

The paralympic athletes sharing their journey during the welcome party

Enjoying the Japanese cuisine during the Welcome Party

With the customers from Jati Transport at the Mercedes-Benz Driving Experience 2019 at Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur

The Best Driver of the Day during the Mercedes-Benz Driving Experience 2019

Recently Jati Transport Sdn Bhd brought a few of the selected Mercedes-Benz customers for the Mercedes-Benz Driving Experience 2019 at Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur. As usual, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia hosted the event where the guests stayed at Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur while the driving experience itself was held at Sepang International Circuit.

This event is organized yearly to give a better experience to the customers of what the Mercedes-Benz can do. Thank you once again to Jati Transport Sdn Bhd and Mercedes-Benz Malaysia for hosting another successful event. Looking forward to next year indeed.

Patricia Li, General Manager of Laneige Brunei giving her welcoming remarks

Yoo Hyun-Bong, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Brunei Darussalam as the guest of honour (center) with the management of Laneige Brunei

I thought it has been 15 years but I am just way ahead of myself. Last weekend, Laneige (Brunei) celebrated their 14th year anniversary and currently they have 5 outlets in Brunei Darussalam. The celebration took place at their latest branch at Batu Bersurat.

Gracing the event was Yoo Hyun-Bong, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Brunei Darussalam as the guest of honour. Patricia Li, the General Manager of Laneige Brunei gave a short welcoming remarks and deeply appreciated the loyal customers of Laneige and she has been always wanting to enhance customer satisfaction and strengthen the stakeholders’ values.

Laneige Brunei has also been active in corporate social responsible projects where Patricia and her team believe in working with the community and also with NGOs. Laneige has worked closely with “Save the Children” to promote the sharing of the “Waterfall” experiences campaign. Recently also Laneige Brunei has collaborated with Sparkly Domestic Divas.

More than 200 attended the celebration where it was hosted by @gzulyusof and @rubyxchong There were some activities such as facial check and also unveiling the faces of Laneige Brunei. It can be said that Laneige Brunei is here for a long run because of the strong support from the Bruneians. Well done, Patricia and your team, for sustaining a reputable Korean brand in Brunei Darussalam. Keep up the good work 🙂

Do follow @laneigebn on Instagram for updates.

The co-emcees of the night – @gzulyusof and @rubyxchong

The enhanced version of the Audi Q5 – the SQ5

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Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister of Finance and Economy, with the BIBD SEED (Special Underprivileged Mothers Empowerment Entrepreneurship Development) at the atrium of the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE) yesterday

Participants of BIBD’s Special Underprivileged Mothers Empowerment Entrepreneurship Development Programme (BIBDSEED) will now have a new marketplace to offer their products to the public after being provided with a retail space at the building of The Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE).

Located at the Atrium of the ministry’s building, the marketplace will be occupied by participants of the current cohort 2 of BIBDSEED.

The new space will fit three businesses at a time and the participants will rotate to occupy the space on a monthly basis.

The Minister officiating the launch of the new market place at MoFE

The Minister handing out certificates to the underprivileged mothers under the BIBD SEED programme

The Minister trying out the lok-lok stall

The Minister trying out the spaghetti

My favorite of the lot – the Rendang, cooked with no sugar and no salt. Oh yea, all vendors use QuickPay and Progresif Pay

BIBD’s Head of Government Relations and Special Projects, Haji Mohammad Yusri bin Haji Wahsalfelah, said: “This placement will provide first-hand and real-life entrepreneurship experiences to our BIBDSEED participants. Through this marketplace, they will now have a level playing field and face healthy competition from established businesses who are currently based there. This can also be a stepping stone for them to grow further.”

He added being based at the new retail space will be crucial and beneficial for the participants’ development as entrepreneurs as it will test their resolve to apply their knowledge and learning from the previous phases such as pricing, marketing, communications, sales pitching to customers and promotion of their products.

“We would like to express our appreciation to the Brunei Government for their strong support and providing the opportunity for us to further develop the BIBDSEED programme. The programme is already a multi-agency initiative actively supported by the government through the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport.”

“The provision of this new retail space symbolises the huge support of the Ministry of Finance and Economy in collaborating with BIBD to empowering the underprivileged to become successful entrepreneurs. This also reflects our commitment and dedication to become the nation’s partner in progress.”

The launch of the new marketplace was officiated by Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister of Finance and Economy, who also presented certificates to the ten participants of BIBDSEED cohort 2 to mark the completion of Phase 5 of the programme.

Also attending the launching ceremony were permanent and deputy permanent secretaries at MoFE, BIBD’s Deputy Managing Director Hjh Noraini binti Haji Sulaiman, as well as other senior management and officials from the ministry and BIBD.