Mohammad bin Daud

Major General (Retired) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Mohammad bin Haji Daud (born 1 May 1943) is a nobleman and politician who was the 1st Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) from 1985 until 1990, the 3rd Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) from 2005 until 2008, and the Minister of Energy from 2008 until 2010.

Early life and education
Mohammad bin Daud was born in Brunei on 1 May 1943. An announcement that there was a position available for officer cadets to train at the Federation Military College in Malaya for two years was made early in December 1960 by the neighbourhood newspaper and radio station. The journey of the "three musketeers" had just begun. A panel of four officers from the Royal Federation of Malaya Armed Forces interrogated the 17 young men during the Tasek Lama selection process, which took place in the gymnasium of Sultan Omar 'Ali Saifuddien (SOAS), in the middle of December. Three people were chosen out of the seven who were shortlisted; they were Sulaiman bin Damit, Mohammad bin Daud, and Awangku Ibnu. On 24 December 1960, they took their oaths before the magistrate and left Brunei the next day through Singapore. On 8 December 1962, the three musketeers were appointed as second lieutenants by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III. The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong of Malaya officiated the event. Following their complete completion of training, each of the three cadet officers was promoted at a sovereign's procession. Captains Sulaiman, Awangku Ibnu, and Mohammad, three local military officers, left in 1967 to attend a three-month advanced course on small arms and tactics at the British Army School of Infantry at Warminster. They were then expected to attach to an infantry brigade in England before splitting up and spending a month each with three different British battalions in Germany. Five cadets from Brunei were being trained at the Federation Military College.

Military career
Afterwards, he had a variety of command and staff positions in the newly founded Brunei Malay Regiment (BMR). Together with a loan service officer, Captain H. N. Houghton, the three senior local officers, Captains Sulaiman, Awangku Ibnu, and Mohammad, were promoted to the next rank of major on 1 July 1969. He was promoted from brigadier general to chief of staff of the amred forces. Major Mohammad participated in the passing out parade at Australia's Officer Cadet School at Portsea in June 1970 as the Commander of the RBMR. In Brunei, the inaugural Staff College Entrance Exam took place. Major Awangku Ibnu and Major Mohammed were among the successful applicants who were chosen to attend courses in 1971 in Australia and the UK, respectively. He attended the British Army Staff College, Camberley in 1971 during the middle of his military service.

In the early and late 1980s, he actively engaged in the Pacific Armies Management Seminars (PAMS) and served as the delegation leader for Brunei to the seminars in Honolulu, Seoul, and Bangkok. He studied for a year at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London in 1985. Brigadier General Mohammad was the first local commander of the RBAF, having been appointed on 31 December 1985. In 1986, He received a promotion to major general. Due to a small population that barely grows by 2% to 3% yearly, he led the armed forces with a manpower deficit. As a result, further steps were required to strengthen Brunei's defences. For instance, the establishment of the Royal Brunei Reserve Regiment (RBRR) in 1987 greatly aided the RBAF's demand for personnel. From that point on, Bruneians have taken over all command roles that the Britons had previously occupied.

It appears that in August 1986, Mohammad-led RBAF employed 17% of Brunei's working population; considering that the local workforce consisted of around 50,000 people, the likely percentage would have been 8%. However, the RBAF intended to add a battalion in 1986 so that by 1995, its size would have increased by 5,000, enabling the construction of a third battalion and maybe other new formations. He retired in May 1991.

Political career
He served as a member of the Legislative Council of Brunei from 1974 to 1983. Also, since 1991, he has been a member of the Privy Council, the Government's highest advisory body. He attended the General Assembly and Conferences of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organisation (AIPO) as a representative of Brunei in Singapore in 1982, Bangkok in 1991, Jakarta in 1992, Bali in 1997, Kuala Lumpur in 1998, Manila in 1999, Bangkok in 2001, Hanoi in 2002, and Jakarta in 2003. On 24 May 2005, it announced by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah that he would take on the role of Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS). Pehin Mohammad was later reappointed as the Minister of Energy on 22 August 2008, and would last until 29 May 2010.

Diplomatic career
From September 1993 until May 1995, Mohammad served as both the non-resident ambassador to Morocco and Egypt. When Brunei hosted the APEC Summit in November 2000, he was appointed the Executive director for Logistics in February 2000. On 14 February 1996, he presented his credentials to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali that afternoon in his capacity as the new Permanent Representative of Brunei to the United Nations (UN). He represented Brunei as its permanent representative to the UN in New York City from February 1996 to April 1997.

Later life
Prior to being chosen as a Minister in the MCYS, Mohammad served as the chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board. Moreover, he is also the President of the Royal Brunei Flying Club, the Deputy chairman II of the board of directors of the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation, a member of the National Committee of the Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB), the Chairman of the Employees' Trust Fund Board, and a member of the board of directors of the Islamic Bank of Brunei (Tabung Amanah Pekerja). As of 2015, he was the Chairman of the Takaful Brunei board of directors. Recently, he became the Co-Patron of the Kampong Tanah Jambu Mosque.

Personal life
Mohammad is married and has four children.

Honours
Mohammad was bestowed the manteri title of Yang Dimuliakan (The Exalted One) Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa. Moreover, he has earned the following honours;

National

 * BRU_Order_of_the_Hero_of_the_State_of_Brunei.svg Order of Pahlawan Negara Brunei First Class (PSPNB; 10 February 1976) – Dato Seri Pahlawan 
 * BRU_Order_of_Merit_of_Brunei.svg Order of Paduka Seri Laila Jasa Second Class (DSLJ) – Dato Seri Laila Jasa
 * BRU_Order_of_Loyalty_to_the_State_of_Brunei.svg Order of Setia Negara Brunei Second Class (DSNB) – Dato Setia
 * BRU_Order_of_the_Crown_of_Brunei.svg Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei Second Class Class (DPMB) – Dato Paduka
 * Sultan_Hassanal_Bolkiah_Medal.gif Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Medal (PHBS; 1968)
 * Pingat_Bakti_Laila_Ikhlas_(PBLI).gif Pingat Bakti Laila Ikhlas (PBLI; 2 June 1976)
 * Sultan's_Silver_Jubilee_Medal_(1992).gif Silver Jubilee Medal (5 October 1992)
 * Royal_Brunei_Armed_Forces_Silver_Jubilee_Medal.jpg Royal Brunei Armed Forces Silver Jubilee Medal (31 May 1986)
 * BRU_Independence_Medal_ribbon.png Proclamation of Independence Medal (1997)
 * Brunei_General_Service_Medal.png General Service Medal (Armed Forces)
 * Brunei_Long_Service_Medal.jpg Long Service Medal and Good Conduct (PKLPB)

Foreign

 * 🇸🇬 Singapore:
 * Darjah_Utama_Bakti_Cemerlang_(Tentera)_ribbon.png Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) (DUBC; 29 September 1992)