| James Kon |
DISTRICT Offices throughout the country have received 45 nominations for the 82 mukim penghulus and village heads vacancies advertised last year. The remaining 37 vacancies are yet to receive nominations, and are being advertised again (beginning yesterday to February 21, 2019).
This update was given by Permanent Secretary (Municipal and District) at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) Salminan bin Haji Burut in his speech during a briefing for graduates on the service scheme for mukim penghulus and village heads at the auditorium hall of the JobCentre in Beribi.
The briefing was delivered by Acting Temburong District Officer Mohd Khairul Shahrul bin Haji Duahim. Also present at the event were Deputy Permanent Secretary (Municipal and District) at the MoHA Abdul Walid bin Haji Matassan and senior officers from MoHA.
Abdul Walid highlighted that nominations have been received from youths and graduates as well.
“Therefore, the MoHA welcomes more potential and interested youth and graduates to venture into careers as mukim penghulus and village heads,” he said.
He added that in 2018, a number of changes were made in the service scheme for new mukim penghulus and village heads which commenced on April 1, 2015.
“The main aim of the scheme is to increase, strengthen and enhance credibility, the standard and quality of leadership as well as the effectiveness of the mukim penghulus and village heads as the core grassroots leaders, to instil in people a spirit of nationhood in support of the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam,” he said.
One of these changes, Abdul Walid noted, is the age of eligibility for nominees of mukim penghulus and village heads, which has been reduced from 45 to 55 years old to 30 until 55.
Salminan pointed out that a career as mukim penghulu and village head is a challenging one which “needs a leader who is active, of good quality, credible and creative to enhance the penghulu mukim and village head institution.”
He urged the country’s youth and graduates to get directly involved in the Mukim and Village Consultative Council and take part in volunteer and community activities organised by the respective villages.
Of the remaining 37 vacancies, six are for mukim penghulu openings at Mukim Kianggeh in the Brunei-Muara District, Mukim Seria, Mukim Labi, Mukim Sukang and Mukim Melilas in the Belait District, and Mukim Ukong in the Tutong District. Thirty-one of them are for village head vacancies in the Brunei-Muara, Belait, Tutong and Temburong districts.
In the Brunei-Muara District, these are for Kampong Lambak ‘A,’ Kampong Manggis I and Manggis II, Kampong Sungai Tilong, Kampong Tanah Jambu, Kampong Mentiri National Housing Scheme Zone 1, Kampong Mentiri National Housing Scheme Zone 2, Kampong Pudak, Rimba National Housing Scheme Zone 1, Rimba National Housing Scheme Zone 3, Rimba National Housing Scheme Zone 5, Kampong Kiulap, Kampong Pengkalan Gadong, Kampong Tasek Meradun and Kampong Bunut, Kampong Tanjung Bunut, Kampong Madewa and Kampong Telanai, Kampong Lumapas ‘A,’ Kampong Pengkalan Batu, Kampong Masin, Kampong Tanjong Nangka and Kampong Jerudong.
For the Belait District, the openings are for Kampong Sungai Teraban, Kampong Sungai Liang and Kampong Merangking.
For the Tutong District, the vacancies are for Kampong Benutan, Kampong Danau and Kampong Merimbun, while in Temburong, the openings are for Kampong Belais and Kampong Buda-Buda, Kampong Belingos, Kampong Menengah, Kampong Selangan, Kampong Parit and Kampong Biang Menengah, and Kampong Batu Apoi.