Badaruddin bin Othman (born 23 September 1942), pen name Badaruddin H. O., is a
nobleman, politician and diplomat from
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
who currently serves as the
Minister of Religious Affairs since 2015. He also formerly held the position of
Minister of Home Affairs from 2010 to 2015. Within the limited group of political leaders,
Pehin Abdul Aziz bin Umar and Pehin Badaruddin were regarded as the two primary proponents of the
MIB philosophy and the heads of the more
orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
Islamic faction.
Early life and education
Badaruddin is born on 23 September 1942, at
Kampong Burong Pingai Ayer.
He obtained a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in
Islamic legal policy from
Al-Azhar University
, image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg
, image_size = 250
, caption = Al-Azhar University portal
, motto =
, established =
*970/972 first foundat ...
in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
between 1968 and 1971. He also attended the Pekan Brunei Malay School between 1950 and 1956,
Kolej Islam Malaya
Kolej Islam Malaya (KIM) or Muslim College Malaya was a premier, independent religious school in Malaysia. It is the first recognised Islamic education institute by the Federation of Malaya government.
History
The erection of a religious highe ...
in
Klang,
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
, between 1962 and 1967, and Al-Juned Arab School in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
between 1956 and 1961.
Political career
Initially, Badaruddin was employed as a teacher in 1968, but later assigned by the
Government of Brunei
The Government of Brunei Darussalam 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 governme ...
in 1971 as a Religious Officer, he later held positions as Superintendent of Information and Tabligh, Director of Information, Chief Information Officer, Director of Information, and Director of the Da'wah Islamiah Center. He began his career with the government in 1971. From August 1986 to March 1987, he then served as
High Commissioner in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
and
Ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. From 1 January 1989 to 1999, he served as the
Prime Minister's Department
A cabinet department or prime minister's department is a department or other government agency that directly supports the work of the government's central executive office, usually the cabinet and/or prime minister, rather than specific ministe ...
's
Permanent Secretary
A permanent secretary (also known as a principal 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 ...
.
In 1994, the government was concerned over foreign TV broadcasts would have on the values of the nation. In response, he stated during a broadcasters' training session that Brunei needed to address the problem even if it was challenging to monitor international transmissions.
Badaruddin became a Member of the Public Service Commission and Acting Chairman of the Public Service Commission from 19 May 2001 to 23 May 2005. He was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs from 24 May 2005 to 28 May 2010, and later Minister of Home Affairs from 29 May 2010 to 21 October 2015.
He urged the populace to immunize themselves against
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
in order to protect themselves. He brought this up on 20 November 2021, in light of the relatively few MoRA employees and members of the general public who are reluctant to get immunized.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III ( Jawi: ; born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one ...
has granted permission for the Turkiye and Syria Earthquake Humanitarian Fund and the National Committee for Turkiye and Syria Earthquake Humanitarian Fund to be established in the wake of the
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
On 6 February 2023, at 04:17 Time in Turkey, TRT (01:17 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC), a 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. The epicenter was west–northwest of Gaziantep. The ear ...
. Badaruddin and Dato Nazmi Mohamad attended the committee meeting on February 14 at Digadong Hall in their capacity as special advisors.
Personal life
Badaruddin is married and has six children.
Bibliography
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Awards and honours
Badaruddin holds the title of Yang Berhormat (The Honourable) Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia. Additionally, he has earned the following awards and honours;
Awards
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Lee Kuan Yew Fellowship (1995)
*
S.E.A Write Award (1998)
*
Mastera Literary Award
Mastera Literary Award is a regional prize awarded since 1999 for the best prose and poetic works, as well as for literary criticism in Malay of the writers of the South-East Asian countries. The founder of the award is the Southeast Asian Literat ...
(1999)
Honours
*
Order of Islam Brunei First Class (PSSUB) – Dato Paduka Seri Setia (1998)
*
Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei
The Most Honourable Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei ( ms, Darjah Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei Yang Amat Mulia), also translated as The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Brunei, is an order of Brunei. It was established on 1 March 1954 by Su ...
Second Class (DPMB) – Dato Paduka (1987)
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Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Medal
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...
(PHBS) – (2010)
*

''Pingat Bakti Laila Ikhlas'' (PBLI) – (2002)
*

Meritorious Service Medal (PJK) – (1998)
*

Long Service Medal (PKL) – (1999)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Othman, Badaruddin
Living people
1942 births
Government ministers of Brunei
Al-Azhar University alumni
High Commissioners of Brunei to Papua New Guinea
Ambassadors of Brunei to Indonesia
Bruneian writers
Bruneian Muslims
Bruneian educators