Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Brunei)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Kementerian Hal Ehwal Luar Negeri
Ministry of Foreign Affairs' logo
Ministry of Foreign Affairs building
Ministry overview
Formed	1 January 1984;41 years ago (1984-01-01)
Jurisdiction	Government of Brunei and its diplomatic missions worldwide
Headquarters	Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei 4°53′06″N114°57′00″E / 4.884884692556672°N 114.94987243416452°E / 4.884884692556672; 114.94987243416452
Employees	529 (2024) [1]
Annual budget	B$127 million (2022)
Ministers responsible	Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs Erywan Yusof [a] , Second Minister of Foreign Affairs
Website	www.mofat.gov.bn
Footnotes
[3] [4] [5] [2]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA; Malay : Kementerian Hal Ehwal Luar Negeri, KHELN), formerly known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT), ^{[6] [7]} is the cabinet-level ministry in the government of Brunei which is responsible for handling Brunei's external relations, the management of its international diplomatic missions and the nation's foreign trade policy. It was established immediately upon Brunei's independence on 1 January 1984. ^[3] It is currently led by a minister and a second minister, in which the incumbents are Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, and Erywan Yusof ^[a] respectively. ^[5] The ministry is headquartered in Bandar Seri Begawan.

History

Bruneian passports are issued by the ministry

From 1888 until 1984, Brunei was a protectorate under British rule, but the nation began the foundations of a foreign ministry by creating a Diplomatic Service Department. ^[8] After achieving full independence from the United Kingdom in January 1984, Brunei immediately established an independent foreign ministry, then known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ^[9]

In 2005, the government merged the ministry with the former International Relations and Trade Department of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. The addition of "Foreign Trade" to the ministry's official name was made to reflect the full scope of its responsibilities. ^[9] From 2005 until 2018, Lim Jock Seng was the Second Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade. ^[10] The current Second Minister is Erywan Yusof. ^[11]

Budget

In the fiscal year 2022–23, the ministry has been allocated with a budget of B$127 million ^[b] , a 4.3 percent increase from the previous year. ^[4]

List of ministers

First minister

No.	Portrait	Minister	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Ref.
1		Mohamed Bolkiah	1 January 1984	22 October 2015	31 years, 294 days	[9]
2		Hassanal Bolkiah	22 October 2015	incumbent	9 years, 175 days	[13]

Second minister

No.	Portrait	Minister	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Ref.
1		Lim Jock Seng	24 May 2005	30 January 2018	12 years, 251 days	[14]
2		Erywan Yusof	30 January 2018	incumbent	7 years, 75 days	[13]

Deputy minister

No.	Portrait	Minister	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Ref.
1		Zakaria Sulaiman	20 October 1986	1989	2–3 years	[15] [16]
2		Ali Mohammad Daud	1989	24 May 2005	15–16 years	[17]
3		Erywan Yusof	22 October 2015	30 January 2018	2 years, 100 days	[18]

See also

• Foreign relations of Brunei
• Diplomatic missions of Brunei

Notes

1. The current official Malay name is Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd. Yusof. ^[2]
2. ≈US$91 million as of July 2022 ^[12]

References

1. "PERANGKAAN PERKHIDMATAN AWAM SEHINGGA 31 MAC 2024 MENGIKUT KEMENTERIAN" (PDF). Public Service Department (in Malay). 31 March 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
2. Ali Rahman, Muhammad Khairulanwar (8 June 2022). "Perlantikan, Pertukaran Menteri Kabinet, Timbalan Menteri" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). No. 67 #69. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
3. Menon 1987, p. 92.
4. Haris, Nabilah; Bandial, Ain (27 February 2022). "Foreign affairs ministry proposes $127 million budget". The Scoop. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
5. The Scoop (7 June 2022). "HM announces major cabinet shakeup — full list of appointees". The Scoop. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
6. Hj Abu Bakar, Rashidah (19 September 2018). "Gov't renames foreign affairs and finance ministries". The Scoop. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
7. "Government adds Economy in Finance Ministry, drops Trade from Foreign Affairs". The Bruneian. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
8. "Background Note: Brunei". State.gov. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
9. "About Us". mofat.gov.bn. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Brunei. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
10. PEHIN ORANG KAYA PEKERMA DEWA DATO SERI PADUKA LIM JOCK SENG, SECOND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS - BRUNEIresources.com
11. "Berkenan umum pelantikan kabinet baharu". Pelita Brunei (in Malay). Department of Information, Brunei. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
12. "127,000,000 BND to USD - Bruneian Dollars to US Dollars Exchange Rate". XE.com . Retrieved 21 July 2022.
13. "New Cabinet unveiled » Borneo Bulletin Online". New Cabinet unveiled. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
14. "The Cabinet 2010". The Cabinet 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
15. Kumpulan Titah: Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam Tahun 1984, 1985, 1986 dan 1987 (PDF) (in Malay). Jabatan Penerangan. 2017. p. 105. ISBN   978-99917-49-94-5.
16. "Negara Brunei Darussalam: obituary 2010-2011. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
17. "Background". Anti-Corruption Bureau. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
18. Pg. Hajah Fatimah Pg. Haji Md. Noor (24 October 2015). "Rombakan Kabinet" (PDF). www.pelitabrunei.gov.bn (in Malay). Pelita Brunei. p. 1. Retrieved 27 January 2025.

• Menon, K.U. (1987). "BRUNEI DARUSSALAM IN 1986: In Search of the Political Kingdom". Southeast Asian Affairs. 1987: 85–101. JSTOR   27908570.

External links

• Official website