HM wants maternity leave for civil servants to be extended.
"IN MY opinion, it is not a loss if the government intends to consider (a longer maternity leave of) even up to 15 weeks."
His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam said this yesterday in a titah which ordered government executives concerned to study extending civil servants' maternity leave.
Mothers are currently entitled to a leave of eight consecutive weeks or 56 days as stipulated in the Prime Minister's Office's Circular 17/1993/NBD dated September 4, 1993. Under this circular, which has not been revised for two decades, the leave only commences upon the advice of a government medical officer.
"If I am not mistaken, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Standards, Convention No 102 and No 103 have set that the maternity leave to be not less than 12 weeks, which is equivalent to 84 days," the monarch said in a titah during a meeting at Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (Ripas) Hospital.
"Convention No 183 of the same ILO Standards has set a period of maternity leave of not less than 14 weeks, or 98 days, which includes a period of six weeks of compulsory leave after childbirth," His Majesty added. There are different periods of maternity leave set by countries some exceed the standards set by the ILO, the monarch said.
Several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) set their maternity leave periods at 60 days, His Majesty said.
"However, they (the Asean countries) do not stop there and are continually discussing as well as working on extending the leave, as 60 days is considered too short. They aim to extend the leave to 90 days," the sovereign added.
"So what about us in Brunei? It has already been almost two decades that we are practising the eight-week maternity leave standard. Have we ever thought of revising it? What are the shortcomings and advantages? Is 56 days enough or considered too short?
"If it is not enough, why is it not enough and what is the rationale behind it?"
"I reckon all these must be contemplated. Is 56 days enough to provide complete rest to mothers who have just given birth? Is it enough time for them torevitalise their energy after labour?"
Giving birth is not a matter to be taken lightly as it is burdensome, further compounded by the responsibilities of having to breastfeed their newborns, His Majesty added.
"If there is a longer period of maternity leave, mothers can make use of it to breastfeed their babies. Isn't mother's milk encouraged and highly needed (for newborns) from the health standpoint?
"Don't we intend to consider extending this period of eight weeks to a longer time? Like 13, 14 or even 15 weeks? In my opinion, it is not a loss if the government intends to consider even up to 15 weeks. Fifteen weeks is only 105 days."
If not feasible, the monarch suggested to round the number to 100 days.
The sovereign said that a longer leave period means the baby will already be three months old when the mother goes back to work and leaves the baby in the care of babysitter.
"Is this not important as a gift from the government to mothers of the nation? Just think about it," the monarch said.
Health Minister Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Adanan Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Hj Mohd Yusof said this matter will be taken into serious consideration.
"It will be taken by our appropriate ministries seriously as the possibilities are there, being voiced out by His Majesty," he told reporters after the meeting.
He said the revision of the leave should be implemented "as soon as possible" and hoped for a meeting to be held among various ministries to discuss and finalise the matter.
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