Thoughts on Wawasan 2035

Assalamu’alaikum everyone. Over a teh-c kosong and roti kahwin, I’ve been reflecting on the Wawasan 2035 Supreme Council meeting chaired by His Majesty. With just a decade to go, the question is – are we on track for a Brunei our kids can be proud of?

His Majesty’s push to diversify the economy is spot on. But if we’re honest, progress still feels a bit slow. Most families I know have at least one kid in a stable government job – alhamdulillah. But another might still be job hunting with a diploma in hand. There may be another entrepreneurial one running a food stall? Full of drive, but struggling in our tiny market. Meanwhile, ICT grads are offered peanuts in the private sector.

With an already tiny population, are we facing a potential brain drain on top of this? We need proper jobs – knowledge-based ones, in tech, design, media, you name it. Help the SMEs. Cut the red tape. If we want our kids to stay in Brunei, we’ve got to give them a reason.

Everyone wants their kids to “belajar banar-banar.” But are we teaching them the right things? Coding, critical thinking, how to run a business? The Manpower Blueprint sounds good, but more can be done – more internships, real industry training, skills that matter.

We’re grounded in MIB – alhamdulillah. That’s our core. But embracing the future means balancing tradition and change. Let’s make sure our kids can recite the Quran and pitch a startup without losing their roots.

Quality of life isn’t about buzzwords—it’s clean air, good schools, decent wages, and not having to choose between utilities or groceries. Environmental scores are not great. And many families are still scraping by. We’ve got to do better.

Wawasan 2035 can’t just be a poster on the wall. His Majesty made it clear—it’s time to deliver. We need less talk, more doing. Perhaps give more of our youths a seat at the table, cut the bureaucracy, and make room for real progress.

I pray our kids find joy in what they do, live in a clean, safe Brunei, and grow up proud of where they’re from. The vision is there. Now it’s time for all of us – leaders, parents, youths – to play our part.

Let’s roll, Brunei.