BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Hj Suyoi bin Hj Osman, the Minister of Development, has called on the public to fulfil the responsibility of throwing rubbish in proper trash bins and make sure that recreational places are kept clean after participating in a cleanup at Tungku Beach, where the minister saw rubbish being disposed of indiscriminately, Borneo Bulletin reported.
The minister spoke to the media on the sidelines of the cleaning campaign at the beach that also involved more than 200 students from the Eco Clubs of eight schools. The event was held in conjunction with Brunei Darussalam’s 29th National Day.
While picking up rubbish lying around the beach, the minister said, “We want to send a strong message that it’s everyone’s responsibility to clean up the beaches after they use the facilities. We want to cultivate awareness among our beach-goers and public to clean up the rubbish.
“There is a limit to what we can do, the rest we are relying on the public to do their part in maintaining the cleanliness at recreational venues like beaches.”
When asked if there was a lack of rubbish bins at beaches, the minister replied, “This maybe one of the reasons but the idea is that for people who usethe beaches would collect their rubbish and take them away. We hope to provide more garbage bins to encourage the public to throw their rubbish in the bins instead of throwing the rubbish everywhere.”
Noticing that rubbish is also scattered around the garbage bins, Pehin Dato Awang Hj Suyoi said he was saddened by the action of some irresponsible individuals who continue to throw the rubbish outside rubbish bins and said these people don’t care about the environment.
The fight for cleaner environment, he said “is a long fight and we are starting it from the young kids through the Eco Clubs”.
“We can instil a responsible attitude of throwing rubbish properly among the youths and send the right message to the public. The Eco Clubs are active and they are part of our activities. We are thankful for their participation today,” he added.
Eco Clubs are established in schools and higher learning institutions and are registered with the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation. The function of the clubs is to provide exposure to students on environmental issues and serve as a platform to contribute ideas towards the preservation and conservation of the country’s environment.
Meanwhile, in terms of rubbish collected, the minister use hoped that the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation would get in touch with recycling companies who could make use of the rubbish that can be turned into money.
The Tungku Beach cleaning campaign was organized by the Ministry of Development through the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation.
Also in attendance were Permanent Secretaries and Deputy Permanent Secretary at the ministry as well as other officials.