In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Mohamad Taha is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Alaihuddin. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.
Alaihuddin was born on 29 May 1958, to an aristocrat, Pehin Orang Kaya Digadong Seri Lela Dato Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Taha bin Pehin Orang Kaya Ratna Diraja Hussain.[3] He has one child and is married to Datin Mariani Bongsu.[5] He has a brother, Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Jaya Dato Paduka Haji Abu Hurairah.[6] This made him the uncle of Huraini, clerk to the Legislative Council,[7] and Hazarena, Intermediate Court Judge.[8] He received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in international studies from North Staffordshire Polytechnic in the United Kingdom in 1984.[9][1]
Diplomatic career
In 1986, Alaihuddin worked as the personal assistant to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zakaria Sulaiman, after joining the ministry in August 1984.[9] He had two postings overseas: the Brunei high commission in New Zealand, where he worked as a second secretary in 1986, and the Brunei embassy in Washington, D.C.,[9] where he held the same position from 1987 to 1990. After his return to Brunei in 1990, he worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Southeast Asian political section in 1991.[1] He headed the Brunei delegation to the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly in 1994.[9]
Alaihuddin was sent overseas once more in 1995, this time to work for the Brunei high commission in London as first secretary and then acting minister counselor. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was appointed deputy director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (MOFAT) Department of International Organisations in 2001 and director of the department in 2003.[1] In c. 2004, he was the Ministry of Communications' permanent secretary.[10] He would then serve as the MOFAT's acting private and confidential secretary in January 2007. As the new Permanent Representative of Brunei to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Alaihuddin presented his credentials to Sergei Ordzhonikidze on 13 August 2007.[9]
Malaysia
Dato Alaihuddin was appointed as the Brunei high commissioner to Malaysia on 25 November 2014,[5] with the Sultan consenting to give him his credentials at the Istana Nurul Iman on 14 September 2014.[10] In September 2015, a group headed by Dato Alaihuddin from Brunei paid a visit to Regional Corridor Development Authority's (RECODA) Kuching headquarters to discuss economic collaboration.[11]
In 2019, Dato Alaihuddin, during a Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC)-hosted dinner in Kuala Lumpur, expressed hope for a friendship association between Brunei and Malaysian business owners to boost trade cooperation and leverage mutual strengths. He highlighted the importance of including both public and private sector members to sustain public-private partnerships as key economic growth drivers. This initiative aligns with Brunei's goal to strengthen economic ties within ASEAN.[12]
Dato Alaihuddin paid Muhyiddin Yassin a courtesy call on 7 December 2020. He arrived to say goodbye as his stay in Malaysia would expire later that month.[13][14] In addition, he received praise from Al-Sultan Abdullah for his six years of service in Malaysia, particularly for fostering closer ties and collaboration between the two countries.[5]
India
On 9 March 2021, Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah held separate audiences with the recently appointed envoys from Brunei, including Dato Alaihuddin.[15] On 22 September 2021, Alaihuddin gave the PresidentRam Nath Kovind a virtual ceremony in which he handed his credentials.[16][17] He attended the 2nd Brunei Darussalam-India Joint Trade Committee Meeting on 11 March 2022.[18] Later on 22 July, Kamalinne Pinitpuvadol, Secretary General of AALCO, paid him a courtesy call.[19]
Dato Alaihuddin also accompanied Halbi Mohd Yussof to the Ministerial Session of the Strategic Conference, India Energy Week 2023, and the 9th Asian Energy Ministerial Roundtable.[20]
Personal life
Dato Alaihuddin is married to Datin Hajah Mariani binti Haji Bungsu,[5] a patron of ASEAN Ladies' Circle (ALC) Brunei.[21]
