BRUNEI LOCAL GOVERNMENT

EDWARD BENRICK D. SALONGA, MPA

• The politics of Brunei take place in a framework
of an absolute monarchy, where by the Sultan of
Brunei is both head of state and head of
government (Prime Minister of Brunei). Executive
power is exercised by the government. Brunei has
a legislative council with 36 appointed members,
that only has consultative tasks. Under Brunei's
1959 constitution, His Majesty Paduka Seri
Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin
Waddaulah, is the head of state with full
executive authority, including emergency powers
since 1962.
 Administrative
divisions of Brunei
• The administrative divisions of Brunei mainly
consist of daerah (districts), mukim
(subdistricts) and kampung or kampong
(villages). They are organised hierarchically,
with daerah being the first level and kampong
the third level.
• There are also a few municipal divisions:
Bandar Seri Begawan and a few district towns.
They are considered to be outside the
hierarchy of the main administrative division.
• All the administrative divisions are under direct
governance of the government through the
Ministry of Home Affairs. Generally, the
administrative divisions serve for population
census. The administrative areas have limited to
no autonomy, and is more pronounced towards
the lowest administrative level. The major socio-
political aspects such as education and law are
centralised and managed through separate
government ministries or departments.
 Districts
• There are four districts in Brunei: Brunei-
Muara, Belait, Tutong and Temburong. Brunei-
Muara is the smallest district but has the most
population. Belait is the largest district and
the centre for the production of oil and gas.
• A district is headed by a Pegawai Daerah or
District Officer and assisted by an Assistant
District Officer.
 Mukims
• The administrative level of mukim lies below
the district. At present, there are 38 mukims,
with 17 in Brunei-Muara, 8 in Tutong, 8 in
Belait and 5 in Temburong District. A mukim is
headed by a penghulu.
 Villages
• A village (Malay: kampung or kampong) is the
lowest administrative level in Brunei and headed
by a ketua kampong or village head. Its
population varies from a few hundreds to units of
thousands.
• Kampong Ayer is not considered a kampong
administrative division. It is simply a common
term in referring to the whole of the cluster of
settlements on the Brunei River. However,
Kampong Ayer is a large area which consists of a
few mukim and a number of kampong.
 Municipalities
There are four areas of population which are
considered to be bandaran or municipality, namely:
• Bandar Seri Begawan, the country's capital; also
the capital of Brunei-Muara District;
• Kuala Belait, the administrative town for Belait
District;
• Seria, a town in Belait District; and
• Tutong, the administrative town for Tutong
District.
• The municipalities are considered outside the
hierarchy of the main administrative division, as
their spatial jurisdiction do not necessarily fit to
any of the levels, as well as their sizes are not
consistent — Bandar Seri Begawan comprises
several mukims but other towns comprise only a
few villages. Also, the municipalities are governed
under different departments from that which
administer the districts and their subdivisions,
although still within the same ministry.