Hassanal Bolkiah carried out the sixth reshuffle of his government on 30 January 2018, replacing some of the nation's longest-serving ministers. The announcement was delivered during a televised speech at 2:30 pm. While the previous cabinet had been reshuffled in 2015 for a five-year term, the sultan unexpectedly introduced this significant change at the start of 2018.
The reshuffle saw six ministers replaced, two women appointed as deputy ministers, and several other promotions introduced. Among those replaced were Yasmin Umar, the minister of energy and industry, and Lim Jock Seng, the minister at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and minister of foreign affairs and trade II. In the PMO and Ministry of Education, two female deputy ministers took office, marking a notable step forward. Meanwhile, the sultan retained control of the key portfolios of foreign affairs, finance, defence, and the prime ministership. Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah continued his role as senior minister in the PMO, while Isa Ibrahim, a trusted confidante of the sultan, returned to the cabinet as a PMO minister.
The government provided no clear explanation for the reshuffle, which came after the abrupt dismissal of Zulkarnain Hanafi as health minister on 1 December 2014. Addressing the nation, the sultan emphasised that the reshuffle aimed to bring fresh perspectives to senior leadership and accelerate the country's development, particularly in achieving the goals of Wawasan Brunei 2035. He also reaffirmed his commitment to combating corruption, a priority that gained prominence after Brunei dropped three places in Transparency International's global rankings, from 38 in 2013 to 41 in 2016. Notably, the nation improved its position to 32 in 2017.
On 1 February, the new government was sworn in at the palace to commence their national duties for the designated term. The sultan attended the ceremony at his palace, where the grand chamberlain, Pengiran Alauddin, read the letters of appointment. A week after the reshuffle, on 7 February, a Special Cabinet Ministers Meeting was held at the palace.
This was the last major cabinet reshuffle before the COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei, and was followed by one more reshuffle in 2022.
Cabinet-level changes Colour key Minister Position before reshuffle Result of reshuffle Abdul Mutalib Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs Became Minister of CommunicationsAmin Liew AbdullahDeputy Minister of FinanceBecame Minister of Finance II Bahrin Abdullah Minister of Development Left the government Aminuddin Ihsan High Commissioner of Brunei to the United Kingdom Became Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Abdul Mokti Daud Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Became Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Suhaimi Gafar Deputy Minister of Development Became Minister of DevelopmentAbdul Rahman IbrahimMinister of Finance IILeft the governmentIsa IbrahimNoneBecame Minister at the Prime Minister's OfficeLim Jock SengMinister of Foreign Affairs and Trade IIMinister at the Prime Minister's OfficeLeft the governmentMat SunyNoneBecame Minister of Energy and Industry Halbi Mohammad Yussof Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Became Minister of Defence II Suyoi Osman Minister of Education Left the government Mustappa Sirat Minister of Communications Left the government Hamzah Sulaiman Permanent Secretary (International, Economic, Finance, Research and Development) at the Prime Minister's Office Became Minister of EducationYasmin UmarMinister of Energy and IndustryLeft the governmentErywan YusofDeputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and TradeBecame Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade II
Junior ministerial changes Colour key Minister Position before reshuffle Result of reshuffleAhmaddin Abdul RahmanPermanent Secretary at the Ministry of FinanceBecame Deputy Minister of FinanceHamdan Abu BakarDeputy Minister (Media and Security) at the Prime Minister's OfficeLeft the governmentElinda C.A. MohammadPermanent Secretary (Law and Welfare) at the Prime Minister's OfficeDirector of the Anti-Corruption Bureau Became Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's OfficeRoselan DaudDeputy Minister (Corporate, PENGGERAK and Economy) at the Prime Minister's OfficeLeft the governmentJamain JulaihiDeputy Minister (Energy and Industry) at the Prime Minister's OfficeLeft the governmentHisham HanifahDeputy Minister of FinanceLeft the governmentAbdul Aziz Mohd TamitDeputy Minister of DefenceLeft the governmentPengiran BahromDeputy Minister of EducationBecame Deputy Minister of Religious AffairsRomaizah SallehPermanent Secretary at the Ministry of EducationBecame Deputy Minister of EducationMatsatejo SokiawManaging Director of PetroleumBRUNEIBecame Deputy Minister of Energy and Industry
Later changes Between the 2018 and 2022 cabinet reshuffles, several minor changes were introduced. The first occurred on 18 April 2018, when the Department of Energy and Industry was elevated to ministerial level and renamed the Ministry of Energy and Industry. Later, on 31 July 2018, it was restructured and renamed the Ministry of Energy (Energy and Manpower) and Industry, also referred to as the Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry. On 10 August 2018, Marzuke Mohsin was appointed deputy minister of development.
On 20 September 2018, the Brunei government announced significant reforms, including renaming two ministries: the Ministry of Finance became the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was renamed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Abdul Manaf Metussin was promoted to deputy minister of finance, alongside several new appointments for permanent and deputy permanent secretaries, senior special duty officers, and ambassadors. These changes, approved by the sultan, were broadcast on national television. The oath-taking ceremony for both Marzuke and Abdul Manaf was held on 2 October 2018. Lastly for the year, the Ministry of Communications was renamed to the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications on 15 December 2018.
Under the direction of the sultan, the Ministry of Energy, Manpower and Industry was reorganised and renamed the Ministry of Energy on 18 November 2019 to focus exclusively on energy-related matters. As part of this restructuring, the Manpower Council within PMO was replaced by the Manpower and Employment Council, and the industry portfolio was transferred to the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE). Additionally, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Corporate and Industry) was reassigned to the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, while Pengiran Haji Mohd Hasnan was transferred to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. These changes came into effect on 19 November 2019.
Elinda C.A. Mohammad's tenure as director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and deputy minister in the PMO ended prematurely on 18 January 2020. One of the final changes since the 2018 reshuffle occurred on 20 May 2022, when the Ministry of Energy was restructured into the Department of Energy under the PMO. Mat Suny stepped down, and Deputy Minister Matsatejo Sokiaw assumed leadership of the energy portfolio. As in previous instances, no explanation for the restructuring was provided in the official announcement. Colour key MinisterPosition before reshuffleResult of reshuffleEffective fromMat SunyMinister of Energy and IndustryBecame Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry31 July 2018Matsatejo SokiawDeputy Minister of Energy and IndustryBecame Deputy Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry31 July 2018Marzuke MohsinPermanent Secretary (Technical and Professional) at the Ministry of DevelopmentBecame Deputy Minister of Development10 August 2018Abdul Manaf MetussinPermanent Secretary at the Ministry of Primary Resources and TourismBecame Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy20 September 2018Amin Liew AbdullahMinister of Finance IIBecame Minister of Finance and Economy II20 September 2018Erywan YusofMinister of Foreign Affairs and Trade IIBecame Minister of Foreign Affairs II20 September 2018Abdul MutalibMinister of CommunicationsBecame Minister of Transport and Infocommunications15 December 2018Mat SunyMinister of Energy, Manpower and IndustryBecame Minister of Energy18 November 2019Matsatejo SokiawDeputy Minister of Energy, Manpower and IndustryBecame Deputy Minister of Energy18 November 2019Elinda C.A. MohammadDeputy Minister at the Prime Minister's OfficeLeft the government18 January 2020Mat SunyMinister of EnergyLeft the government20 May 2022Matsatejo SokiawDeputy Minister of EnergyBecame Deputy Minister of the Department of Energy at the Prime Minister's Office20 May 2022
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