Villages of Brunei


A village is the third and lowest administrative division of Brunei. It is headed by a village head. Villages are subdivisions of the subdistricts of Brunei. A village may have a population ranging from a few hundreds to less than ten thousand people.

Belait Districtedit

Melilas Mukimedit

In the Badas area:

Berakas Aedit

Amo Mukimedit

Keriam Mukimedit

Village subdivisions are the third-level administrative divisions of Brunei, thus they are immediately below the subdistricts. Both villages and subdistricts are part of the Government of Brunei, and they are administered as part of the Subdistricts and Villages Institution under the District Offices of the respective districts that they belong.
A village is headed by a village head, who may be appointed by the government or elected by the village population. Always a male, he shall then be in office for up to ten years.
A village may also have a Village Consultative Council, the local equivalent of community association. A key outcome of the Council is One Village One Product, which promotes local goods produced in the village.

Characteristics

A typical Bruneian village may have basic socio-economic infrastructures which are similar to other villages elsewhere but may also be unique to Brunei or countries which have predominantly Islamic Malay culture. For communal purposes, there may be a balai raya or dewan kemasyarakatan, the local equivalent of a community centre. A Bruneian village typically has a primary school. Because the majority of Brunei's population is Muslims, many villages have mosques, particularly serving the need of Jumu'ah or congregational Friday prayers, as well as a religious primary school for its resident Muslim pupils. There are also at least a grocery store present in many villages, as well as a few other miscellaneous shops such as eateries, tailors, and barbers or salons.

Variation

A village may have population ranging from hundreds to less than ten thousand people. Also, not all of the socio-economic amenities are present in every village. Some villages do not have primary and/or religious primary school – prospective resident pupils go to the schools in nearby villages. Some village subdivisions are simply designated public housing areas but having the population size comparable to a village. Other villages, especially in the more urban areas, may be large enough to function socio-economically as towns but without any municipal body. Several villages may also be part of municipal areas of Bandar Seri Begawan and other district towns, thus the populaces may also be subjected under the jurisdiction of respective municipal departments.

Kampong Ayer

Even though Kampong Ayer has the term 'kampong' in its name, it is not officially a village subdivision. In fact, Kampong Ayer is made up of several villages constituting a few subdistricts.