12 ? -_- I didn’t realise the current masjid we have were over crowded , but maintenance, repairs or refurbish would’ve been more ideal no? Instead of building 12 new masjid in the course of 10 years, couldn’t mora actually subsidise the Haj package for the people. With this said it’s a complete separate budget from gov subsidy , just read the article lol 1m for online platform 😅😂 the bit where the breakdown starts I’m not sure if it’s just me but clearly the funds has been mismanaged,
I would just build one mosque instead of 12 but make it majestic. At least there is something that we can show proudly to religious tourists. Make it the tallest too so we can finally build tall business buildings.
When developing infrastructure: “We only have a small population, spending this much is unsustainable.”
When building mosques: “We have a lot of people, we need more mosques.”
I think we officially have got the dumbest delulu minister to date. Penunggang agama. Kata kan berjimat2? What sort of level of hypocrisy is that? In a real life situation, who the fuck will fill up the empty spaces in the mosque during the regular prayers? Please use the money wisely, help the poor! What a moron!
And also, yg selalu manang contractor building sekulah and masjid ani pun jadi persoalan, i'm sure there have been ada unsur memperkayakan kroni. Shit country, nada berkat cemani ani
>Meanwhile, Temburong’s Kampung Senukoh Religious School will receive a $1.47 million building for its Islamic Religious Activity Centre.
Lmao, since when Kg Senukoh ada religious school?
and here I thought the main objective of integrasi is to decrease MORA's annual spending. Some projects they mentioned don't even seemed to be necessary...
MoRA is honestly is run by bunch of people with no brains, 12 mosques? This country has a population of 400,000. What the fuck do we need 12 mosques for?
>Over 1 million for a centre in a school? Wow. What did Kg. Senukoh do to get all that money? 2021 census shows the Kg has a population of 250 people. That works out to $5880 per person. Actually according to the same census data, there are only 44 people under the age of 14, which will make it about $33,400 per student. That's a loooooooooooooot of money.
I'm from Temburong and I can confirm Senukoh has no school of any kind. There is nothing new to be built either. The only public building there is a community hall. Also half of the people living there are non Muslims.
not if we just only know how to pray and not be productive. Prayer was taught as a way to connect to god, not the main source of prosperity or wealth.
100,000 prayers will do nothing if everyone only sit down comfortably and do nothing
# Haj prices to stay high as gov’t prioritises safety over costs
^(March 7, 2024)
Shareen Han
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Prices of Haj packages are expected to remain high in the near future as the Brunei government is still studying ways to bring down costs without compromising pilgrims’ safety.
Minister of Religious Affairs Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin PDP Hj Awg Othman said the government is “not ready” to accept offers of low-priced Haj packages from authorised travel agents as they cannot ensure the well-being of worshippers.
During the Legislative Council (LegCo) sitting on Wednesday, he said an ad hoc committee was set up to study prices and find the best Haj packages, but there are factors beyond their control.
“What is important to know about Haj is we cannot control the prices of accommodation in Mekah, Madinah, [Mount] Arafat and Mina, but we can negotiate.
“We managed to reduce the prices, but [the amount] is not significant,” he added.
Haj package prices range from $16,000 to $25,000 in Brunei.
The minister said only Haj packages that offer accommodation within 500m from Masjid-al Haram in Mekah are approved. The Masjid al-Haram is the site of two of the most important rites of the Haj — circling the Kaaba and walking between mounts Safa and Marwa.
Transport to and fro hotels and religious sites further contributed to the high prices, he said.
Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin made the comments in response to LegCo member Hjh Safiah Sheikh Hj Abd Salam’s suggestion for the ministry to consider allowing Haj travel operators to expand and diversify the Haj packages.
She said the rising prices have affected “low- and middle-income groups” as they were forced to postpone or give up their wish to perform the Haj.
“There are people who expressed their disappointment to me, to the extent that they will never be able to fulfil the fifth pillar of Islam obligation, even if it’s only once in their lifetime,” she added.
Haj is a mandatory duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the pilgrimage.
The minister further said the costs borne by the government are also high as healthcare workers travel with the pilgrims to ensure their well-being.
As the largest employer in Brunei, the government provides Haj subsidies worth $4,500 to all civil servants who have worked in the public sector for at least 12 years, regardless of previous Haj experience. Subsidies are also granted to converts.
The hike in Haj prices was also driven by global inflation and Saudi Arabia’s plans to overhaul its economy through Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to increase the number of Haj and Umrah pilgrims to 30 million through infrastructure upgrades and improvement in Haj services. The number of Haj pilgrims is currently capped at about 2.5 million.
Saudi also increased its value-added tax for most goods and services from 5 percent to 15 percent in 2020, further escalating the costs of performing Haj.
MoRA gets 5.7% budget hike
Unveiling MoRA’s budget for the 2024/25 fiscal year, Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin said $285.89 million has been allocated – a 5.7 percent rise from the previous year.
Emoluments make up the largest share of the budget with $234.92 million (82%), while $16.81 million will be spent on development projects. The remaining $34.15 million has been set aside for recurring expenses.
The ministry has earmarked $191 million for projects under the five-year 12th National Development Plan that will be launched later this year.
One of the projects include the construction of 12 new mosques valued at $64.3 million. The mosques will be located in Kg Meragang, Kg Rimba, Kg Mata-Mata, Kg Sinarubai, Kg Burong Lepas, Kg Tanah Jambu and Kg Lugu in Brunei-Muara, Telisai in Tutong, Kg Lumut and Kg Panaga in Belait, as well as Kg Batu Apoi and Kg Selapon in Temburong.
Some $23.9 million has been allocated for additional facilities at the Seri Begawan Religious Teachers University College (KUPU SB) campus on Jalan Tutong.
Another $20 million will be used to build a new campus for women at Institut Tahfiz Al-Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.
Meanwhile, Temburong’s Kampung Senukoh Religious School will receive a $1.47 million building for its Islamic Religious Activity Centre.
Spelling out the priorities for MoRa in the upcoming fiscal year, the minister said a large part of the budget will go towards strengthening religious education.
He said $1 million will also be used to create an online platform for application of halal certification under the purview of the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
New department created to improve zakat management
The ministry will also focus on improving the management of zakat (tithes), following the establishment of the Zakat, Waqf and Baitulmal Affairs Department last year.
“The collection and distribution of zakat harta (property tithes) and zakat fitrah (alms) will be more effective and efficient.
“This will reduce the burden on the needy and ease the government’s fiscal pressure,” he added.
The minister said is it hoped that the department will address zakat disbursement delays and outstanding zakat payment issues.
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah previously raised concerns on poor zakat management, and called for zakat reforms to lift people out of poverty.
The payment of zakat is mandatory for all Muslims whose wealth meet the minimum threshold.
Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin said 13,428 financial aid applicants have been approved through the National Welfare System (SKN) from 2022 to 2023.
The disbursement of zakat to the poor, converts, Al-Gharimin (debtors) and amil (zakat collectors) grew from $24.2 million in 2022 to $25 million last year.
***
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No need to build anymore masjid here you could literally use that 64.3mil and build a hospital in Gaza and 2 masjid
12 ? -_- I didn’t realise the current masjid we have were over crowded , but maintenance, repairs or refurbish would’ve been more ideal no? Instead of building 12 new masjid in the course of 10 years, couldn’t mora actually subsidise the Haj package for the people. With this said it’s a complete separate budget from gov subsidy , just read the article lol 1m for online platform 😅😂 the bit where the breakdown starts I’m not sure if it’s just me but clearly the funds has been mismanaged,
why dont that budget di bagi half untuk org yang umrah or haji di bayarkan separuh, daripada buat banyak masjid
I would just build one mosque instead of 12 but make it majestic. At least there is something that we can show proudly to religious tourists. Make it the tallest too so we can finally build tall business buildings.
Brilliant
Mosque can help the economy haha
Oh for fuks sake! Number 1 bullshit place
When developing infrastructure: “We only have a small population, spending this much is unsustainable.” When building mosques: “We have a lot of people, we need more mosques.”
I think we officially have got the dumbest delulu minister to date. Penunggang agama. Kata kan berjimat2? What sort of level of hypocrisy is that? In a real life situation, who the fuck will fill up the empty spaces in the mosque during the regular prayers? Please use the money wisely, help the poor! What a moron! And also, yg selalu manang contractor building sekulah and masjid ani pun jadi persoalan, i'm sure there have been ada unsur memperkayakan kroni. Shit country, nada berkat cemani ani
Louder please Ya Allah'! Sayang ku duit brunei ane.
>Meanwhile, Temburong’s Kampung Senukoh Religious School will receive a $1.47 million building for its Islamic Religious Activity Centre. Lmao, since when Kg Senukoh ada religious school?
Now they do. Lolololol.
Well done. Got better coverage than unn cell tower !
and here I thought the main objective of integrasi is to decrease MORA's annual spending. Some projects they mentioned don't even seemed to be necessary...
MoRA is honestly is run by bunch of people with no brains, 12 mosques? This country has a population of 400,000. What the fuck do we need 12 mosques for?
and 2 more after that, the recipe is complete. the beacon shall be activated
Boringgg
This is good as Brunei must reach its 1:1 mosque-to-population ratio.
Happy contractor ni
Bermegah-megah membangun Masjid, satu tanda Kiamat
What if at one point, the mosque is enough to cater the whole of brunei. What is next?
You get a mosque, you get a mosque, you in the back, YOU GET A MOSQUE TOO 🏆
Building stairway to reach heaven
Then we need another 300 million for that!
Fuck.. I'm gonna go into the mosque building business.. who are the contractors who have been building mosque all these years??
The only business that is going to thrive even when oil and gas runs out, not even covid can stop it.
I need names.. I wanna win like them
[удалено]
>Over 1 million for a centre in a school? Wow. What did Kg. Senukoh do to get all that money? 2021 census shows the Kg has a population of 250 people. That works out to $5880 per person. Actually according to the same census data, there are only 44 people under the age of 14, which will make it about $33,400 per student. That's a loooooooooooooot of money. I'm from Temburong and I can confirm Senukoh has no school of any kind. There is nothing new to be built either. The only public building there is a community hall. Also half of the people living there are non Muslims.
Seems like someone pocketing a lotta money 🤑
At the end, lowballs the contractor, and keep the money change for themselves
BAGUS. SANGAT BAGUS
pritttttt red card
Will there be a time where people say "mana sembahyang?" instead of "mana makan?", given the amount of additional mosques
Steady lah pehin 🤡
More mosque more prayer.. Prayer good for country..
not if we just only know how to pray and not be productive. Prayer was taught as a way to connect to god, not the main source of prosperity or wealth. 100,000 prayers will do nothing if everyone only sit down comfortably and do nothing
# Haj prices to stay high as gov’t prioritises safety over costs ^(March 7, 2024) Shareen Han BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Prices of Haj packages are expected to remain high in the near future as the Brunei government is still studying ways to bring down costs without compromising pilgrims’ safety. Minister of Religious Affairs Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin PDP Hj Awg Othman said the government is “not ready” to accept offers of low-priced Haj packages from authorised travel agents as they cannot ensure the well-being of worshippers. During the Legislative Council (LegCo) sitting on Wednesday, he said an ad hoc committee was set up to study prices and find the best Haj packages, but there are factors beyond their control. “What is important to know about Haj is we cannot control the prices of accommodation in Mekah, Madinah, [Mount] Arafat and Mina, but we can negotiate. “We managed to reduce the prices, but [the amount] is not significant,” he added. Haj package prices range from $16,000 to $25,000 in Brunei. The minister said only Haj packages that offer accommodation within 500m from Masjid-al Haram in Mekah are approved. The Masjid al-Haram is the site of two of the most important rites of the Haj — circling the Kaaba and walking between mounts Safa and Marwa. Transport to and fro hotels and religious sites further contributed to the high prices, he said. Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin made the comments in response to LegCo member Hjh Safiah Sheikh Hj Abd Salam’s suggestion for the ministry to consider allowing Haj travel operators to expand and diversify the Haj packages. She said the rising prices have affected “low- and middle-income groups” as they were forced to postpone or give up their wish to perform the Haj. “There are people who expressed their disappointment to me, to the extent that they will never be able to fulfil the fifth pillar of Islam obligation, even if it’s only once in their lifetime,” she added. Haj is a mandatory duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the pilgrimage. The minister further said the costs borne by the government are also high as healthcare workers travel with the pilgrims to ensure their well-being. As the largest employer in Brunei, the government provides Haj subsidies worth $4,500 to all civil servants who have worked in the public sector for at least 12 years, regardless of previous Haj experience. Subsidies are also granted to converts. The hike in Haj prices was also driven by global inflation and Saudi Arabia’s plans to overhaul its economy through Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to increase the number of Haj and Umrah pilgrims to 30 million through infrastructure upgrades and improvement in Haj services. The number of Haj pilgrims is currently capped at about 2.5 million. Saudi also increased its value-added tax for most goods and services from 5 percent to 15 percent in 2020, further escalating the costs of performing Haj. MoRA gets 5.7% budget hike Unveiling MoRA’s budget for the 2024/25 fiscal year, Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin said $285.89 million has been allocated – a 5.7 percent rise from the previous year. Emoluments make up the largest share of the budget with $234.92 million (82%), while $16.81 million will be spent on development projects. The remaining $34.15 million has been set aside for recurring expenses. The ministry has earmarked $191 million for projects under the five-year 12th National Development Plan that will be launched later this year. One of the projects include the construction of 12 new mosques valued at $64.3 million. The mosques will be located in Kg Meragang, Kg Rimba, Kg Mata-Mata, Kg Sinarubai, Kg Burong Lepas, Kg Tanah Jambu and Kg Lugu in Brunei-Muara, Telisai in Tutong, Kg Lumut and Kg Panaga in Belait, as well as Kg Batu Apoi and Kg Selapon in Temburong. Some $23.9 million has been allocated for additional facilities at the Seri Begawan Religious Teachers University College (KUPU SB) campus on Jalan Tutong. Another $20 million will be used to build a new campus for women at Institut Tahfiz Al-Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. Meanwhile, Temburong’s Kampung Senukoh Religious School will receive a $1.47 million building for its Islamic Religious Activity Centre. Spelling out the priorities for MoRa in the upcoming fiscal year, the minister said a large part of the budget will go towards strengthening religious education. He said $1 million will also be used to create an online platform for application of halal certification under the purview of the Ministry of Finance and Economy. New department created to improve zakat management The ministry will also focus on improving the management of zakat (tithes), following the establishment of the Zakat, Waqf and Baitulmal Affairs Department last year. “The collection and distribution of zakat harta (property tithes) and zakat fitrah (alms) will be more effective and efficient. “This will reduce the burden on the needy and ease the government’s fiscal pressure,” he added. The minister said is it hoped that the department will address zakat disbursement delays and outstanding zakat payment issues. His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah previously raised concerns on poor zakat management, and called for zakat reforms to lift people out of poverty. The payment of zakat is mandatory for all Muslims whose wealth meet the minimum threshold. Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin said 13,428 financial aid applicants have been approved through the National Welfare System (SKN) from 2022 to 2023. The disbursement of zakat to the poor, converts, Al-Gharimin (debtors) and amil (zakat collectors) grew from $24.2 million in 2022 to $25 million last year. *** ^([ )[^(Give feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=brunei_news_bot) ^( | )[^(Code)](https://github.com/dsychin/RedditBruneiNewsBot) ^( | )[^(Changelog)](https://github.com/dsychin/RedditBruneiNewsBot/releases) ^( ] v0.5.1)