By Azlan Othman

The rise in prices of daily necessities, petrol smuggling activity and short message service (SMS) fraud were among the issues raised during the budget deliberation of departments under the Prime Minister's Office for the 2008-2009 financial year yesterday morning.

The PM's Office has 21 departments under it with the police force getting the highest budget of $121,815,488 followed by the Department of Electrical Services at $104,147,843 and $52,808,811 for RTB.

The increase in the price of goods was raised by three members of the Legislative Council from Belait, Brunei/Muara and Temburong.

Calling it a hot topic, YB Hj Bakar bin Mansor cited the price of egg, which has jumped from $4.20 to $5.20 per tray and other commodities like baby milk, cooking oil and red onions.

The retailers, too, are complaining that they are buying items like red onions at a higher price. He urged the authorities to monitor the prices.

YB Hj Mohd Shafiee bin Ahmad from Belait said some retailers gave high oil prices as reason behind the rise in prices of daily necessities, which affects the consumers especially low paid workers in the country.

Some shops maintain the old price but cut down on stocks. "It burdens the consumers but benefits the retailers. I call for a special body to look into this and overcome the price variations in the market and hold road shows to explain the situation," he added.

YB Hj Sulaiman bin Hj Ahad from Temburong also lamented on the inconsistent prices of goods and called on the relevant authorities to monitor them.

YB Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Yahya, Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister's Office, responded by saying that JPKE has a department that monitors the price increase. Road shows can be held to explain the issue without having to set up an additional department to minimise any fall out. He said he has taken note of the issue.

YB Hj Shafiee also raised the issue of positions left vacant in BSP Sdn Bhd and BLNG by local staff, who have moved to other jobs available locally or overseas, are being occupied by foreign staff.

Pehin Dato Hj Yahya said BSP has been active in its Bruneisation programme to recruit locals. But there are some that lack experience, which have resulted in the recruitment of foreign workforce on a short-term basis so as not to hinder exploration activities.

Asked why only 10 filling stations in the country are allowed to sell petrol to foreign registered vehicles out of 39 filling stations throughout the country and the criteria for the selection of the 10 filling stations, Pehin Dato Hj Yahya said they were chosen based on their close proximity to the border, strategic location and presence along the Brunei river. "There is no plan to increase from the present 10 filling stations as there is no such need at this moment," he added.

YB Hj Bakar asked what initiatives have been taken to curb petrol smuggling across the border, which the nation has seen recently, Pehin Dato Hj Yahya said CCTVs were now installed at filling stations, while the enforcement authority and filling stations are cooperating to overcome the problem. "However, as long as there is a difference in the price of oil between Malaysia and Brunei, the smuggling will happen," the minister added.

YB Dato Paduka Awg Hj Yunos raised a security issue and asked whether foreign workers in the country were screened prior to their arrival. The Minister of Home Affairs, YB Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Adanan, said there is coordination especially on security and criminal aspects with their foreign counterparts. "There is an exchange of database. However, we may not be able to run a 100 per cent check," he added.

Other matters raised included whether modern technology and cooperation between other agencies could be used to trace suspects who dupe local Bruneians through SMS scams.