The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is one of the most distinguished events under PMUBD. This year’s AGM marks its 14th edition and it was held on the 10th of February 2021 at the Mitsubishi Hall of Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s Central Lecture Theatre. The event was attended by Dayang Hajah Rubiah binti Haji Yacub, Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Corporate and Administration) of UBD as the Guest of Honour, members of the UBD Student Representative Council, UBD officers, Dean and Directors of faculties and offices as well as
PMUBD members; which consists of UBD students.

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PMUBD stands for ‘Persatuan Mahasiswa/I Universiti Brunei Darussalam’, whereby it is the official students’ association of UBD led by members of the Student Representative Council. With the motto “Run By Students, For The Students”, it aims to fulfil the needs of all PMUBD members and lead them towards human excellence. Henceforth, AGM is held in order to allow PMUBD members to be aware of its happenings and future plans by reviewing the administration, financial affairs and activities of PMUBD. In addition, it also serves as a platform for PMUBD members to voice out any concerns or suggestions regarding PMUBD matters.

 

The 14th AGM commenced with the National Anthem performed by the UBD Choir Club. Following that, the Surah Al-Fatihah was recited by Muhammad Izzuddin bin Haji Nor Hisham, Head Executive of Religious and Spiritual Affairs. Afterwards, the President of PMUBD, Muhammad Alaf bin Haji Redawan delivered his opening remarks in which he will be proposing an idea that has never been implemented before in PMUBD, which is the 5-year strategic plan. He highlighted that the 5-year strategic plan is to help in guiding the future Student Representative Council to achieve the same goals in order to see real progress of the association in the long term.

 

This year’s AGM was then officiated with three strikes of the gong by the Guest of Honour. Next, the meeting formally began with a review of the Annual Report for the 2019/2020 period which was presented by the former Secretary-General, Muhammad Khairin Izzan bin Haji Bolhassan. Contents of the report included a list of general events for the 2019/2020 academic year, challenges and achievements faced by PMUBD and a summary of the previous AGM. Following that, the former Honourable Treasurer of the Student Representative Council, Nur Syaimaa’ binti Haji Selamat, presented the budget expenditure for the year 2020. Afterwards, a budget masterplan for the year 2021 was then presented by the current Honourable Treasurer, Nurul Syahirah binti Haji Omarali. The reason these were presented is to ensure transparency within PMUBD members.

 

Subsequently, the AGM proceeded with the discussions and propositions, as well as a question and answer session. This was where PMUBD members had the opportunity to voice out any thoughts and concerns, as well as their ideas or feedback regarding any propositions. Firstly, the discussion session was started off with a presentation by the Secretary General, Fatin Nuratikah binti Haji Asbi, regarding the 2nd phase of PMUBD activities, complying with the current COVID-19 restrictions. Afterwards, the President of PMUBD proposed the 5-year strategic plan, followed by a few discussions on the matter. Next, the Head Executive of Community Service and Student Welfare, Haji Muhammad Hafiz bin Haji Awang Bahar, proposed for the establishment of water dispensers around the campus and accommodations, including a proposal for the laptop loan scheme, named ‘Tapau Tech Initiative’. Following that, the Honourable Treasurer proposed for a $500 subsidy for the Student Representative Council and discussed regarding the PMUBD refreshments guidelines. All the proposals were discussed during the meeting and were voted through Microsoft Teams.

 

As with the previous AGM, this year’s had its challenges and limitations. The Vice President of the Student Representative Council, Fatin Aimuni binti Haji Suffian, commented on the time restriction of the event. It was visible that the students attending felt the same way as some began to leave the meeting earlier as it was getting late. Another challenge was regarding the voting system, in which some students voted more than once on the same proposal which led to inaccurate and biased results. Lastly, the Student Representative Council would hope that each student would give their input on how to achieve each aspect of the 5-year strategic plan. In the words of Henry Ford, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is a process. Working together is success.”

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