Bandar seri begawan: The topics for three ministries, namely the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Education, were voted on and approved during the First Meeting of the 22nd Session of the Legislative Council, which convened for the 8th day. Before approving the topics, the council first heard the Statement by the Minister of Religious Affairs on 'Strengthening Zakat or Tithe and Waqf Governance Towards a Sustainable Well-being of the People'. Yang Berhormat Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Awang Haji Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Awang Haji Othman, among others, touched on the benefits of digital transformation to increase tithe collection.
According to Radio Television Brunei, the Minister stated that digital transformation has proven to be successful as the online collection of zakat fitrah or physical tithe and zakat harta or property tithe has increased. This indicates that the community is ready to embrace more modern, practical, and efficient payment methods. In addition to zakat payment facilities, the ministry plans to continue enhancing cooperation efforts with stakeholders such as banking institutions and telecommunications companies that offer online zakat payments.