2022 Bruneian cabinet reshuffle

Hassanal Bolkiah carried out the seventh reshuffle of his government on 7 June 2022,^[1] appointing the first female cabinet minister and replacing seven ministers.^[2] The announcement was delivered during a televised speech at 3:00 pm.^[3] The previous cabinet had been reshuffled in 2018 for a five-year term,^[4][5] the sultan unexpectedly introduced this significant change midway through 2022.^[6]

Hassanal Bolkiah

This cabinet reshuffle brought about several significant changes. Romaizah Mohd Salleh was appointed as minister of education, marking a historic milestone as the first female minister since the government's establishment in 1959. The sultan retained control of key portfolios, including foreign affairs, finance, defence, and the prime ministership.^[7] Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah continued his role as senior minister in the PMO, while Abu Bakar Apong, the home affairs minister and the second-longest serving cabinet member after Isa Ibrahim, was replaced. Unlike the usual five-year term, all new appointments will serve four-year terms.^[2]

The sultan emphasised that the appointments represent a trust that must be honoured with unwavering loyalty and accountability as he announced the new lineup of ministers and deputy ministers.^[a][9] A local media analyst, speaking anonymously to Xinhua, suggested that the early cabinet reshuffle was aimed at injecting fresh energy and enthusiasm into the administrative system while maintaining stability in critical areas of both domestic and international affairs.^[6]

This was the first and only significant cabinet reshuffle carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei.^[10]

Cabinet-level changes

Colour key
Joined the Cabinet      Left the Cabinet

Minister[10]		Position before reshuffle	Result of reshuffle[2]
	Abdul Mutalib	Minister of Transport and Infocommunications	Left the government
	Juanda Abdul Rashid	None	Became Minister of Development
	Ahmaddin Abdul Rahman	Deputy Minister of Finance	Became Minister of Home Affairs
	Abu Bakar Apong	Minister of Home Affairs	Left the government
	Ali Apong	Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism	Left the government
	Suhaimi Gafar	Minister of Development	Left the government
	Abdul Manaf Metussin	Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy	Became Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism
	Pengiran Shamhary	Managing Director of Brunei Gas Carriers[b]	Became Minister of Transport and Infocommunications
	Aminuddin Ihsan	Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports	Left the government
	Nazmi Mohamad	Permanent Secretary (Corporate Affairs and Public Administration) at the Prime Minister's Office	Became Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports
	Halbi Mohammad Yussof	Minister of Defence II	Became Minister at the Prime Minister's Office
	Romaizah Salleh	Deputy Minister of Education	Became Minister of Education

Junior ministerial changes

Colour key
Joined the Cabinet      Left the Cabinet

Minister[10]		Position before reshuffle	Result of reshuffle[2]
	Khairuddin Abdul Hamid	Permanent Secretary (Investment) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy	Became Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy
	Abdul Razak Abdul Kadir	Commander of the Royal Brunei Land Force	Became Deputy Minister of Defence
	Marzuke Mohsin	Deputy Minister of Development	Left the government
	Pengiran Bahrom	Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs	Left the government
	Pengiran Mohammad Tashim	Judge of the Syariah Appeal Court[c]	Became Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs
	Pengiran Zety Sufina	Permanent Secretary (Industry) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy	Became Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy
	Sufian Sabtu	Permanent Secretary (Safety, Enforcement and Law) at the Prime Minister's Office	Became Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office
	Riza Yunos	Permanent Secretary (Media and Cabinet) at the Prime Minister's Office	Became Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office

Later changes

Between the 2018 and 2022 cabinet reshuffles, several minor changes were introduced. The first occurred on 26 February 2023, when the sultan immediately terminated Abdul Razak Abdul Kadir's appointment as deputy minister of defence and director of the Ministry of Defence's Department of Planning and Strategy. From 27 February, the deputy minister of defence position was abolished, and Halbi bin Mohammad Yussof, the minister in the PMO, was appointed acting minister of defence II.^[11] Later that year, on 23 October, the sultan ordered the termination of Matsatejo Sokiaw's appointment as deputy minister (energy) at the PMO. From 24 October, Farida Talib was appointed permanent secretary (energy) at the PMO, while Azmi Hanifah succeeded Sokiaw as deputy minister (energy).^[12]

Colour key
Joined the Cabinet      Left the Cabinet

Minister		Position before reshuffle	Result of reshuffle	Effective from
	Abdul Razak Abdul Kadir	Deputy Minister of Defence	Left the government[d]	26 February 2023
	Halbi Mohammad Yussof	Minister at the Prime Minister's Office	Became Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Minister of Defence II	27 February 2023
	Matsatejo Sokiaw	Deputy Minister (Energy) at the Prime Minister's Office	Left the government	24 October 2023
	Azmi Hanifah	Deputy Managing Director and Commercial Director of Brunei Shell Petroleum[e]	Became Deputy Minister (Energy) at the Prime Minister's Office	24 October 2023

Notes

1. In his televised speech, Hassanal Bolkiah stated, "No one can neglect the trust as it is akin to a sacred promise with Allah Subhanahu Wataala. I would like to thank and appreciate all who are no longer appointed for their services and contributions all this while."^[8]
2. Non-ministerial position
3. Non-ministerial position
4. Abdul Razak left the government before rejoining to become Brunei ambassador to Indonesia on 17 February 2024.^[13]
5. Non-ministerial position