The Council of Cabinet Ministers () is the body of high-ranking Brunei officials, consisting of the top leaders of the executive branch of Brunei government. Led by the Sultan himself, who has also been the Prime Minister of Brunei since 1984.
The Council consists of the Prime Minister (the Sultan), the Senior Minister (the Crown Prince), ministers and the second ministers, and deputy ministers of respectives ministries. All of the ministers and deputy ministers are appointed by the Prime Minister-Sultan. The ministers are responsible directly to the Sultan and hold their seats at His Majesty's pleasure, usually reshuffle and nominate every 4 years (since 2022).
History The cabinet was established in 1959. Immediately upon Brunei's independence on 1 January 1984, the following portfolios were introduced as the first cabinet line-up:
Prime Minister Minister of Communications Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Minister of Defence Minister of Development Minister of Education Minister of Finance Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Home Affairs Minister of Law Deputy Minister of Finance
On 20 October 1986, after the demise of the late Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the cabinet was reshuffled which saw the introduction of new ministerial posts, namely the Ministers of Health and Religious Affairs, and Special Adviser in the Prime Minister's Office. The reshuffle saw the cabinet being enlarged to a total of 13 ministerial and 8 deputy ministerial posts.
The cabinet was reshuffled again in 1986, 1988, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2018, and 2022. Since 2005, cabinet reshuffle typically happened every five years. However, the 2015 cabinet term lasted less than five years with a "surprise" reshuffle in 2018, with no official reason given, although it was speculated that corruption could be a reason. In contrast to the previous cabinets which served or intended to serve for five years, the 2022 cabinet shall serve for a four-year term.
On 1 April 1993, the post of Secretary to Council of Cabinet Ministers was created, with Judin Asar as the inaugural holder.
The State Mufti and Attorney General were included in the cabinet and declared ministry-level positions in the reshuffles of 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2018.
The 2005 cabinet line-up saw the introduction of new ministerial posts, namely Senior Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Minister of Energy in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister of Finance, and Second Minister of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, the 2018 cabinet line-up saw the introduction of the new Second Minister of Defence, but the position was not renewed in 2022 reshuffle.
The 2010 reshuffle saw the appointment of Adina Othman as the first female deputy minister, holding the Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports portfolio. Meanwhile, the 2022 reshuffle saw the appointment of Romaizah Mohd Salleh as the first female minister, holding the Minister of Education portfolio.
The 2026 cabinet reshuffle also saw the creation of three new coordinating ministerial posts to strengthen policy coordination across ministries: the Coordinating Minister of National Security, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, and the Coordinating Minister for Social and Manpower Policies. The 2026 cabinet reshuffle introduced the following cabinet-level portfolios:
Prime Minister Minister of Defence Minister of Finance Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Minister of Foreign Affairs Coordinating Minister of National Security Minister of Defence II Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Coordinating Minister for Social and Manpower Policies Minister of Home Affairs Minister at the Prime Minister's Office (Civil Service Governance) Minister at the Prime Minister's Office (Security and Law) Minister at the Prime Minister's Office (Upstream and Downstream Energy) Minister of Finance II Minister of Foreign Affairs II Minister of Religious Affairs Minister of Health Minister of Development Minister of Education Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports
Current members +Composition of the CabinetPortfolioMinisterPortraitDatePrime MinisterSultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Hassanal Bolkiah1 January 1984Minister of Defence7 September 1986Minister of Finance and Economy23 February 1997Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's OfficeCrown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah 24 May 2005Minister at the Prime Minister's OfficePrince Abdul Malik Bolkiah4 June 2026Minister of Foreign AffairsPrince Abdul Mateen Bolkiah4 June 2026Coordinating Minister of National SecurityPehin Halbi Mohammad Yussof4 June 2026Minister at the Prime Minister's Office7 June 2022Minister of Defence II27 February 2023Coordinating Minister for Economic PolicyAbdul Manaf Metussin4 June 2026Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry4 June 2026Coordinating Minister for Social and ManpowerAhmaddin Abdul Rahman4 June 2026Minister of Home Affairs7 June 2022Minister (Civil Service Governance) at the Prime Minister's OfficeNazmi Mohamad4 June 2022Minister (Security and Law) at the Prime Minister's OfficeSufian Sabtu4 June 2026Minister (Upstream and Downstream Energy) at the Prime Minister's OfficeAzmi Mohd Hanifah4 June 2026Minister of Finance and Economy IIAmin Liew Abdullah30 January 2018Minister of Foreign Affairs IIErywan Yusof30 January 2018 Minister of Religious AffairsPengiran Mohammad Tashim4 June 2026Minister of HealthIsham Jaafar1 December 2017Minister of DevelopmentJuanda Abdul Rashid7 June 2022Minister of EducationRomaizah Mohd Salleh7 June 2022Minister of Transport and InfocommunicationsRiza Yunos4 June 2026Minister of Culture, Youth and SportsPengiran Shamhary Mustapha4 June 2026
See also Government of Brunei
References
External links Councils of State official website (Malay) 1984 and 1986 Cabinet (Malay)