Lyna Mohamad
After more than a year of no community outbreak of COVID-19, the second wave halted most activities planned by Kampong Batang Mitus Village Consultative Council (MPK) for 2021.
Kampong Batang Mitus, Kampong Pengkalan Mau and Kampong Bekiau Acting Village Head Suhili bin Alas said activities organised by MPK had been running smooth until August 2021.
The acting village head said MPK members work in the committee for a five-year term and Kampong Batang Mitus’ MPK is due for a new term this year.
Kampong Kebia was under the jurisdiction of Kampong Batang Mitus Village Head but it was rezoned into Kampong Birau on August 1, 2021 while two other villages were added under his authority.
The new re-zoning system called for a change in the organisation of the MPK committee members that needed to be discussed in a meeting. However, before the meeting can take place, the second wave of COVID-19 broke out.
Another challenge was not being able to carry out plans physically leading to some issues.
The committee members used WhatsApp to organise activities including working with Tutong Care Project and other charitable organisations to donate to COVID-19 frontliners.
Packed meals were distributed to frontliners and youth volunteers were dispatched to agencies such as the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS).
MPK members also monitored retail shops under their jurisdiction to ensure both shop owners and customers adhered to MoH standard operation procedures (SOPs).
They also helped in distributing old age pensions and welfare assistance using the drive-through system.
As for this year’s activities, the committee will carry forward last year’s activities with some changes to suit current SOPs.
The acting village head said he hopes to hold an annual general meeting soon to appoint new committee members and that the outbreak will end and life returns to normal.
