The Prime Minister's Office (PMO; Malay: Jabatan Perdana Menteri, JPM) is the leading and largest cabinet-level ministry in the government of Brunei. It serves as the immediate office of the country's prime minister, as well as oversees several key government departments. It was established immediately upon Brunei's independence on 1 January 1984,[1] with Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei, being the first and only Prime Minister to date. The leadership also consists of a Senior Minister (Menteri Kanan), introduced in 2005 and has since been held by the Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah,[5] a Special Advisor (Penasihat Khas) to His Majesty, as well as in-house ministers and deputy ministers.
The ministry is located in Bandar Seri Begawan with two headquarters, one located at Istana Nurul Iman and another at a building at Jalan Perdana Menteri.
Portfolio
The ministry oversees the largest portfolio in the cabinet with 19 departments.[g][6] They include:
- Audit Department — office of the country's auditor general
- Anti-Corruption Bureau (Biro Mencegah Rasuah, BMR) — the country's anti-corruption agency
- Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) — office of the country's attorney general
- Brunei Research Department[h]
- Civil Service Institute (Institut Perkhidmatan Awam, IPA)
- Councils of State Department (Jabatan Majlis-Majlis Mesyuarat) — oversees the Legislative Council, Council of Cabinet Ministers and Privy Council
- Energy Department — oversees the country's energy sector including the petroleum industry. It was formerly a separate ministry from 2018 until 2022.[7]
- Internal Security Department (Jabatan Keselamatan Dalam Negeri, KDN) — responsible for the country's internal security
- Information Department (Jabatan Penerangan) — known for publishing of the government newspaper Pelita Brunei
- Management Services Department (Jabatan Perkhidmatan Pengurusan) — known for overseeing the implementation of Tekad Pemedulian Orang Ramai (TPOR), the customer service charter for government organisations
- Manpower and Employment Council (MPEC) – established in 2020, it is responsible for addressing the country's unemployment issues[8]
- Narcotics Control Bureau (Biro Kawalan Narkotik, BKN) — responsible for combatting the smuggling and spread of narcotics in the country
- Public Service Commission (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, SPA) — a constitutional body responsible for civil service appointments, promotions and discipline[9]
- Public Service Department (Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam, JPA)
- Radio Television Brunei (RTB) — the country's sole public broadcaster
- Jabatan Adat Istiadat Negara (JAIN) — oversees the state and royal customs and ceremonies
- Royal Brunei Police Force (Pasukan Polis Diraja Brunei) — the country's police
- State Mufti Department (Jabatan Mufti Kerajaan) — office of the state mufti, who has the authority to issue state fatwas
- State Judiciary Department (Jabatan Kehakiman Negara) — oversees the country's civil and sharia courts
Budget
The allocated budget for the fiscal year 2022–23 is about B$385 million[i], a 10.8 percent decrease from the previous fiscal year.[2]
Notes
- ^ The official Malay name upon the appointment was Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Bakti Di-Raja Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Isa bin Pehin Datu Perdana Manteri Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Ibrahim.[4]
- ^ The official Malay name upon the appointment was Pehin Datu Lailaraja Mejar Jeneral (Bersara) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd. Yussof.[4]
- ^ The official Malay name upon the appointment was Dato Seri Setia Dr. Awang Haji Mohd. Amin Liew bin Abdullah.[4]
- ^ The official Malay name upon the appointment was Haji Mohammad Azmi bin Haji Mohd Hanifah.[4]
- ^ The official Malay name upon the appointment was Awang Mohammed Riza bin Dato Paduka Haji Mohammed Yunos.[4]
- ^ The official Malay name upon the appointment was Dato Paduka Awang Haji Sufian bin Haji Sabtu.[4]
- ^ As of 2021
- ^ Not to be confused with the Brunei Research Council
- ^ ≈US$276 million as of July 2022[10]
References
- ^ a b Menon 1987, p. 92.
- ^ a b Haris, Nabilah (27 February 2022). "Gov't aims to strengthen checks and balances through internal audit units". The Scoop. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ 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 20 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g 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.
- ^ Ibrahim, Jaafar (24 May 2005). "Rombakan keahlian Majlis Mesyuarat Menteri-menteri Kabinet" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). No. 21 (published 25 May 2005). p. 1. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ Haris, Nabilah (17 March 2021). "PMO gets $431 million budget". The Scoop. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021.
- ^ The Scoop (20 May 2022). "Ministry of Energy absorbed by PMO". The Scoop. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ Hj Abu Bakar, Rasidah (1 January 2020). "New council formed to reduce unemployment". The Scoop. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Pejabat Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam - Latar Belakang dan Objektif". www.spa.gov.bn (in Malay). Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "385,000,000 BND to USD - Bruneian Dollars to US Dollars Exchange Rate". XE.com. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- Menon, K.U. (1987). "BRUNEI DARUSSALAM IN 1986: In Search of the Political Kingdom". Southeast Asian Affairs. 1987: 85–101. doi:10.1355/SEAA87F. JSTOR 27908570.
