1.His Majesty Announces Cabinet Reshuffle

On June 4th, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, announced a Cabinet reshuffle and the appointment of new ministers and deputy ministers. His Majesty will continue to hold the portfolios of Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance. His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince, will continue to serve as Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and has also been appointed Deputy Chairman of the Wawasan Brunei 2035 Supreme Council. His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik was appointed Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office while retaining his role as Chairman of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Committee of Governors. His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and will continue his military career while playing an active role in the Wawasan Brunei 2035 Supreme Council.

His Majesty also announced the appointment of three coordinating ministers to strengthen policy coordination across ministries, and adjusted the functions of several ministries. Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof was appointed Coordinating Minister for National Security, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II. Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Abdul Manaf bin Haji Metussin was appointed Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman was appointed Coordinating Minister for Social and Manpower Policies and Minister of Home Affairs.

Other appointments include Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad as Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Public Service Governance); Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Sufian bin Haji Sabtu as Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Security and Law); Dato Seri Paduka Haji Mohd Azmi bin Haji Mohd Hanifah as Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Energy, Upstream and Downstream); Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah as Minister of Finance II; and Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd Yusof as Minister of Foreign Affairs II.

Also appointed were Pengiran Dato Seri Paduka Haji Mohd Tahsim bin Pengiran Haji Hassan as Minister of Religious Affairs; Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad Isham bin Haji Jaafar as Minister of Health; Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Muhammad Juanda bin Haji Abdul Rashid as Minister of Development; Datin Seri Setia Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh as Minister of Education; Dato Seri Paduka Awang Mohd Riza bin Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yunos as Minister of Transport and Infocommunications; and Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha as Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports.

The newly appointed deputy ministers are Pengiran Datin Seri Paduka Hajah Zety Sufina binti Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Sani as Deputy Minister of Finance; Hajah Tutiaty binti Haji Abdul Wahab as Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; Dr Dayang Nor Imtihan binti Haji Abdul Razak as Deputy Minister of Development; and Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Norarfan bin Haji Zainal as Deputy Minister of Education.

2.Brunei Government Establishes National Committee on Addressing the Impact of the Middle East Conflict

On June 3rd, the Prime Minister’s Office of Brunei announced the establishment of the National Committee on Addressing the Impact of the Middle East Conflict. According to an official statement, in view of the ongoing and prolonged geopolitical instability, as well as current developments that continue to place pressure on basic daily needs as a whole, the Brunei Government has established a special committee at the national level to implement inter-agency coordination in terms of monitoring and response, and to ensure that Brunei remains ready to face any eventuality should disruptions to global supply chains continue or become more significant in impacting the country in the future. Membership of the Committee comprises relevant Cabinet Ministers. The Committee will comprehensively assess the medium and long-term implications on Brunei’s strategic sectors, as well as the welfare of the people and residents of Brunei. Among the sectors receiving particular attention are the energy, food, healthcare and construction sectors.

3.Brunei Launches Digital Brunei 2030 Transformation Plan

On June 3rd, the Digital Brunei Council announced the launch of Digital Brunei 2030: The Digital Brunei Transformation Plan. The Plan, themed “Together Towards a Digital Brunei” in support of the long-term aspirations of Wawasan Brunei 2035, outlines Brunei’s strategic direction for digital growth through to 2030, brings together four national strategies including the Digital Government Strategy, Digital Society Strategy, Digital Business Strategy, and the cross-cutting Data and Artificial Intelligence Strategy under a single coordinated framework, marking a new phase of Brunei’s digital journey.

Over the past decade, more than 6,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable have been laid, mobile coverage has been extended from 80% to 96%, and 5G connectivity has been delivered nationwide in Brunei. The Plan will be realized through the delivery of national projects through 2030 including the Gov.BN SuperApp and Citizen Portal, the National Business Services Portal, the continued rollout of BruneiID and Digital Payments, the development of AI-Capable Data Centre, the implementation of a National Sovereign Cloud with AI compute capabilities, and a Brunei-context National Large Language Model.

4.Brunei Delegation Attends 35th ASEAN Customs Directors-General Meeting and Co-Chairs 24th ASEAN-China Customs Consultation

From June 2nd to 4th, Muhammad Azizil Hakim bin Haji Brahim, Acting Controller of Royal Customs and Excise Department under Ministry of Finance of Brunei, attended the 35th Meeting of the ASEAN Directors-General of Customs in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

During the meeting, Muhammad Azizil Hakim also co-chaired the 24th ASEAN-China Customs Consultation together with Sun Meijun, Minister of the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). Participants discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and China in areas including trade and customs connectivity, reviewed the latest progress in ongoing cooperation and identified priorities for future collaboration. A Joint Press Statement was issued following the meeting.

5.Over 1,000 International Visitors Arrive in Brunei by Cruise Ship

Recently, the international cruise ship Piano Land made another port call in Brunei, with the majority of its 1,995 passengers on board being Chinese tourists. During their stay, visitors toured a number of Brunei’s local landmarks and attractions. Many spoke positively of Brunei’s peaceful and tranquil environment, clean and fresh air, rich cultural heritage, and the warm hospitality of local people. Brunei has been actively promoting the development of its cruise tourism sector and aims to establish itself as an emerging cruise destination in the region. So far this year, Brunei has welcomed 17 international cruise ship calls.