Abdul Mutalib bin Haji Mohammad Yusof (born 9 March 1971), also known as Abdul Mutalib Yusof, is a politician in the

Government of Brunei The Government of Brunei is the union government created by the constitution of Brunei where by the Sultan of Brunei is both head of state and head of government ( Prime Minister of Brunei). Executive power is exercised by the government. Brune ...

. He took office as the Minister of Transport and Infocommunications from 2018 to 2022. Additionally,

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Hassanal Bolkiah Muiz'zaddin Wad'daulah (born 15 July 1946) is the Sultan of Brunei since 1967, and prime minister of Brunei since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one of the few remaining absolute monarchs in the worl ...

gave his approval for his appointment as the Minister in Charge of Cybersecurity on 17 October 2018.

Early life and education

Abdul Mutalib bin ''Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia'' Dato Paduka Haji Awang Mohammad Yusof was born in

Bandar Seri Begawan Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) is the capital and largest city of Brunei. It is officially a Municipalities of Brunei, municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei–Muara District, the s ...

on 9 March 1971, and attended

Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College The Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College ( or Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan), colloquially known as Maktab Sains (MS), is a government secondary school and sixth form college in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It is regarded as Brune ...

and St. Andrew's School for his early schooling. He holds degrees from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

Master of International Business The Master of International Business (MIB or M.I.B.) is a master's degree designed to develop the capabilities and resources of managers in the global economy. It is for those seeking to establish or accelerate a career in international business. T ...

(

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

) and Diploma in Microeconomic Strategy, as well as a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(

Management Studies Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administr ...

) from

Universiti Brunei Darussalam The Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD or University of Brunei Darussalam) is a public national university, national research university situated in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei, was founded in 1985 and is the oldest institution i ...

(UBD). Abdul Mutalib is a member of the

Australian Institute of Management The Australian Institute of Management Education and Training Pty Ltd, commonly known as AIM or AIMET, is an Australian education provider. Its courses include business, management and leadership. AIM offers short courses, nationally accredited q ...

(AIMM, Australia). He had also taken short courses through

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

ships at institutions like the Civil Service College in Singapore, the

Harvard Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

in the United States, and the "21st Century Partnership Invitation Leadership Program" in Japan.

Early career

In 1995, Abdul Mutalib began working for Brunei's Telecommunications Department as a marketing officer. Later, he was appointed resource officer at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. He relocated to the

Ministry of Communications A Communications Ministry or Department of Communications is a ministry or other government agency charged with communication. Communications responsibilities include regulating telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media. The ...

in 1999, where he worked as a special responsibilities officer from 2001 to 2002 and as a marketing officer from 1999 to 2001. He was appointed assistant chief executive in January 2003 by the

Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI) is a statutory body established in 2003 under the ''Telecommunications Successor Company Order 2001'' and ''Telecommunications Order 2001''. These legislative instruments created AI ...

of Brunei (AITI), initially for policy and regulatory matters and then for industry and policy. After that, in March 2007, he was transferred to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), where he took on the role of acting senior special duties officer. From April to August 2008, he also served as the PMO's acting director of planning,

e-Government E-government (known for electronic government) involves utilizing technology devices, such as computers and the Internet, for faster means of delivering public services to citizens and other persons in a country or region. E-government offer ...

, and media. Abdul Mutalib later had a number of positions, consisting of deputy

permanent secretary A permanent secretary is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are ...

at the Ministry of Communications from 2008 to 2013, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Communications from April 2013 to November 2015, permanent secretary at the Media and Cabinet in the PMO from November 2015 to August 2016, and permanent secretary at the

Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

from August 2016 to January 2018. During a

cabinet reshuffle A cabinet reshuffle or shuffle occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet, or when the head of state changes the head of government and a number of ministers. They are more common in parliam ...

on 30 January 2018,

revealed the changes in a televised speech, which resulted in his appointment as Minister of Transport and Infocommunications.

Ministerial career

Amin Liew Abdullah and Abdul Mutalib declared in a joint statement on 25 February 2019, that a significant transition has started in the

information and communications technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computer ...

(ICT) sector to speed up the country's digital agenda. The network infrastructure of all current telecommunications providers will be merged under this proposal to develop a new wholesale network provider named Unified National Networks (UNN). All existing companies will concentrate on retail operations, provide clients fixed mobile services, and have equitable access to UNN's network infrastructure. To build an environment that supports Brunei's long-term digital transformation and the objectives of

Wawasan Brunei 2035 Through its five-year National Development Plans, Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's administration actively promotes the development of a number of key sectors in an effort to spur economic growth. These describe the allocation of gover ...

, the growth of the ICT industry is essential. During the 2nd United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference on 15 October 2021, he stated that the gradual improvement of

road safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures, such as traffic calming, to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, Driving, motorists, passengers of vehicles, and p ...

and the reorganization of the present national

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

ation system are essential elements of their goals for

sustainable transport Sustainable transport is transportation sustainability, sustainable in terms of their social and Environmental issue, environmental impacts. Components for evaluating sustainability include the particular vehicles used; the source of energy; and ...

ation. Due to their ease, private

motor vehicle A motor vehicle, also known as a motorized vehicle, automotive vehicle, automobile, or road vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on railway track, rails (such as trains or trams), does not fly (such ...

s make up a significant share of the traffic on Brunei's

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...

s. Additionally, they want to investigate how technologies like

computer vision Computer vision tasks include methods for image sensor, acquiring, Image processing, processing, Image analysis, analyzing, and understanding digital images, and extraction of high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical ...

and

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

(AI) may be used to administer a

smart city A smart city is an urban area that uses digital technology to collect data and operate services. Data is collected from citizens, devices, buildings, or cameras. Applications include traffic and transportation systems, power plants, utilities ...

through the Council for Research and Advancement in Technology and Science (CREATES). Among other things, this would allow them to gain a deeper understanding of new trends and patterns that are a significant contribution to the creation of our country's transportation regulations. The Memorandum of understanding (MoU) on

E-government E-government (known for electronic government) involves utilizing technology devices, such as computers and the Internet, for faster means of delivering public services to citizens and other persons in a country or region. E-government offer ...

between

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and Brunei was signed on 24 November 2019 in the

Blue House Cheong Wa Dae (), also known as the Blue House in English, is a public park that was the former Office of the President of South Korea, executive office and residence of the president of South Korea. Located in Seoul's Jongno District, directl ...

, by

Chin Young Chin Young (; born 23 October 1950) is a South Korean politician in the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, and a former member of the National Assembly representing Yongsan, Seoul. He was formerly a member of the conservative Saenuri Party, a ...

and Abdul Mutalib, and it will take effect on 18 December of the same year. The Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information hosted the signing of a MoU between the governments of Singapore and Brunei on 30 May 2022. Singapore's Minister for Communications and Information

Josephine Teo Josephine Teo Li Min. In this Chinese name, the family name is Teo (''née'' Yong). In accordance with custom, the Western-style name is Josephine Teo and the Chinese-style name is Teo Li Min. (née Yong; born 8 July 1968) is a Singaporean ...

signed on behalf of Singapore. On 14 December 2021, Abdul Mutalib electronically attended the ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology, and Innovation. World Meteorological Day is observed by Brunei together with other WMO members, according to Abdul Mutalib. The importance of

hydrometeorological Hydrometeorology is a branch of meteorology and hydrology that studies the transfer of water and energy between the land surface and the lower atmosphere for academic research, commercial gain or operational forecasting purposes. Whilst tradition ...

and climatological information for

disaster risk reduction Disaster risk reduction aims to make disasters less likely to happen. The approach, also called DRR or disaster risk management, also aims to make disasters less damaging when they do occur. DRR aims to make communities stronger and better prepared ...

, he added, is highlighted by this year's WMO theme of "Early Warning and Early Action." It was announced on 7 June 2022, that he would be replaced by Shamhary Mustapha in the new

Personal life

Abdul Mutalib is married to Noor Ashikin binti ''Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Sura Pahlawan'' Dato Paduka Haji Mohammad Tahir, and together they have seven children. He likes going on family vacations,

reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, cycling, watching football, and brisk walking.

Honours

Abdul Mutalib is awarded the following honours:Legislative Council of Brunei (26 February 2022)
/ref> *

Order of Setia Negara Brunei The Most Blessed Order of Setia Negara Brunei (), also translated as The Most Blessed Order of Loyalty to the State of Brunei, is an Order (decoration), order of Brunei, Brunei Darussalam. It was established on 29 November 1959 by Sultan Omar Al ...

First Class (PSNB; 14 July 2018) – ''Dato Seri Setia'' *

Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei The Most Honourable Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei (), also translated as The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Brunei, is an Order (decoration), order of Brunei, Brunei Darussalam. It was established on 1 March 1954 by Sultan Omar Ali ...

Third Class (SMB; 2011) * Excellent Service Medal (PIKB; 2007)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdul Mutalib Bruneian Muslims Government ministers of Brunei University of Melbourne alumni Universiti Brunei Darussalam alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni Living people 1971 births