Brunei appoints 1st woman Cabinet minister

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Brunei on Tuesday appointed its first woman minister in a government reshuffle ordered by the country's leader, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, according to local media.

Hajah Romaizah, who was serving as the deputy education minister, was promoted to the post of education minister, the daily Borneo Bulletin reported.

Bolkiah made the changes in his Cabinet in a special address to the nation broadcast on the country's Radio Televisyen Brunei.

Romaizah succeeded Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman, who has been removed from the Cabinet.

“The appointments are a trust that must be carried out with full loyalty and responsibility,” the sultan said.

In the tiny Asian country on the island of Borneo, the term of the ministers is set for four years.

Bolkiah will himself retain the position of the prime minister, besides portfolios of defense, finance and economy, and foreign affairs.

Home to around 45,000 people, Brunei had in 2010 appointed the first woman, Adina Othman, to the Cabinet but with a rank of deputy minister at the Culture, Youth, and Sports Ministry.

The Sultanate introduced the Cabinet-style system of government in 1984.