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The elevation of three of the sultan’s sons suggest that key posts are increasingly being concentrated within the direct line of succession.
A detail of the Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
Prince Abdul Mateen’s appointment as Brunei’s foreign minister is among the most significant decisions in Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s latest cabinet reshuffle, which he announced on June 4.
Mateen, who has never held a formal cabinet portfolio before, takes charge of a ministry that was once synonymous with his uncle, Prince Mohamed Bolkiah. Following Brunei’s independence in 1984, Prince Mohamed became the country’s first minister of foreign affairs and trade, and remained one of the kingdom’s most influential figures for more than three decades before being dropped from the cabinet in October 2015.
