The Sultan was the highest authority in Brunei's government, leading as head of state, government, and religion. He had the power to create laws and command loyalty. The Wazir (ministers) and Cheteria (nobility) were appointed from the royal family to serve on the Sultan's council, while the Menteri (officials) were appointed from common citizens and village heads to serve as intermediaries between the rulers and people. The document describes Brunei's traditional hierarchical administrative system with the Sultan at the top.

1. CHAPTER 1.1: THE SYSTEM OF
GOVERNANCE
1. The Role of the Sultan and the Palace
2. The Appointment of the Wazir,
Cheteria and Menteri
Learning Objective (LO)
At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
• Describe the Sultan’s position as the leader of
Brunei.
• Describe the criteria set by Brunei’s traditional
administration in appointing Wazir, Cheteria and
Menteri in Brunei.
Steps to Success (S2S)
1. Discuss the key characteristics that would make a good
king.
2. List out the Sultan’s responsibilities as the king of Brunei.
3. Identifying the requirements for suitable candidates for
Wazir, Cheteria and Menteri.

2. The Role of the Sultan
(The Sultan’s powers, his responsibilities and
people’s expectations of him)
The Sultan had the
highest authority in
the Brunei
government.
He was the head of
the government,
religion and
institutions.
He had the power to
create laws to keep
the peace.
The was the head of
Islam since 1368
during the time of
Sultan Muhammad
Shah.
He was seen as the
protector and the
bearer of blessings.
His people would
give him their full
loyalty and
obedience.
The Sultan needed to
command the
people’s loyalty or
else his position
would be precarious.
The Sultans needed to be related by blood
with their predecessors and successors

3. The Royal Palace
 The palace was situated in the capital
city where the central government
governed the entire country.
 It served as an administrative centre
for the country, and a centre of culture
and commerce.

4. The Appointment of the Wazir, Cheteria and Menteri
 These members were the Wazir,
Cheteria and Menteri.
 This has existed from the time of
the 7th Sultan, Sultan Saiful Rijal
(1533 – 1581) and has continued
into the 19th century.
 There were two levels of administration
in Brunei: the central government and
the territorial administration.
 The administrative hierarchy
is an important branch of the
central government.
 In the Brunei administrative hierarchy, all of
Brunei’s Sultans have had the power to appoint the
council members of his own administration.
Sultan
Wazir
(Ministers)
Cheteria
(Nobility)
Menteri
(Officials)
This diagram shows the administrative hierarchy. Hierarchy here
means the ranking, position and power of certain officials. As you can
see, the Sultan is the most powerful so he is at the very top. The
Sultan, Wazir, Cheteria and Menteri here are all council members of
the Sultan’s administration.

5. Sultan
Wazir
(Ministers)
Cheteria
(Nobility)
Menteri
(Officials)
The Requirements
and Criteria for
Wazir and Cheteria
In order to be appointed, the Wazir
and the Cheteria needed to meet the
following requirements:
 They had to be chosen from
among the closest members of the
Royal Family known as Raja-
Raja Berteras.
 They needed to be among the
following:
o The Sultan’s brother
o The Sultan’s brother-in-law
o The Sultan’s son-in-law
o Nephew
o Uncle
• They had to be Malay and also
Muslims.

6. Sultan
Wazir
(Ministers)
Cheteria
(Nobility)
Menteri
(Officials)
The Purposes of the
Menteri
• Menteri were appointed from among
the common citizens or people who
were not Pengiran.
• They were from among the upper class
society, who were wealthy, influential,
respected and knowledgable in Islamic
and Bruneian customs.
• Menteri were mostly appointed from
among village heads or tribe leaders,
and they did not necessarily have to be
Muslims.
• They acted as intermediaries, the
middlemen who connected the rulers
with their people.
• Menteri were given titles, the power to
govern, implement laws and carry out
the Sultan’s orders.