Brunei Minister: Culture is the Key Driver of ASEAN Growth

YB Pehin Hazair, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports together with Haji Mohd Rozan, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and officers from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports

The ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture at the 6th AMCA Meeting in Hue City

JOANA TAN

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - CULTURE continues to play a significant role as a driver and enabler for sustainable development in ASEAN, said the minister of Culture, Youth and Sports during the Sixth Meeting of ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and the Arts (AMCA) and Related Meetings with dialogue partners held at Hue City, Vietnam recently.

“Culture forges a common ASEAN identity of humanity, a vehicle of social integration and civil society as well as a driver for knowledge and human intelligence.

“It is a means to eradicate poverty, create employment and economic growth,” said Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hj Hazair Hj Abdullah.

He added that culture is the future economic growth engine towards sustainable development and knowledge.

A survey on creative and cultural industries potential to contribute to the ASEAN GDP is needed, he said.

“It (culture) is the source for knowledge creation, movement and evolution, economy, politics, social, medicine, maths and science, astronomy, biodiversity and oceanography,” he added.

He said that the disappearance of culture will lead to irreplaceable loss of valuable knowledge for the future generation.

Themed “Culture Toward Sustainable Development”, the meeting was chaired by Vietnam’s minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh and was declared open by Vietnamese deputy prime minister and minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh.

The meeting was also attended by ministers of Culture of ASEAN member states and the Secretary General of ASEAN.

Brunei Darussalam was elected the vice-chairman of the meeting.

In the meeting, YB Pehin Dato Hj Hazair also thanked the ASEAN members for contributing photographs and information to the project “Coffee table book on ASEAN Wonders” led by Brunei.

The book listed the major architectural, cultural and natural wonders of ASEAN, and is Brunei’s contribution towards ASEAN Connectivity and awareness.

The minister also attended related meetings with dialogue partners specifically the AMCA plus Three, the 2nd AMCA plus China, the inaugural AMCA plus Japan and the inaugural AMCA plus Republic of Korea.

Prior to the meeting, YB Pehin Dato Hj Hazair together with ministers of AMCA and Plus Three dialogue partners attended a courtesy call to Pham Binh Minh at the Indochine Premier Hotel, Hue City.

The minister also attended a dinner hosted by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vietnam. He also made a courtesy call to the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hue City and attended the closing ceremony of Hue Festival 2014.

Also part of the Brunei delegation were ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to Vietnam Pg Sahari Pg Salleh and permanent secretary of Culture and senior officers at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Hj Mohd Rozan Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yunos.

The next AMCA and Related Meetings will be held in Brunei in 2016.

The Brunei Times

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