Lambak Kanan


Lambak Kanan, formally known as Lambak Kanan National Housing Scheme, is a public housing estate on the northern outskirts of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It officially consists of five village subdivisions which are under Berakas 'B', a mukim of Brunei-Muara District. Lambak Kanan is de facto a suburb of the capital.

Name

Lambak Kanan literally translates as "Lambak Right". It refers to the location as located to the 'right' or east of Lambak, a neighbouring settlement and the origin of the place name "Lambak".
Lambak Kanan is officially known as Lambak Kanan National Housing Scheme. It is named after the public housing estate which is under the government housing programme National Housing Scheme.
Similarly, Lambak Kanan is sometimes known as Perpindahan Lambak Kanan, as it was also considered a housing estate for the former housing programme of the National Resettlement Scheme. This was a programme for the relocation of some Kampong Ayer residents to live on land. It is succeeded by the National Housing Scheme and subsequent resettlement programme is managed under the current scheme.

Administration

Lambak Kanan is divided into five areas and they are officially villages, the third and lowest in the hierarchy of Brunei's administrative divisions. Each area is led by a ketua kampung and is responsible for administrative matters concerning the residents of his area. Each area also serves for census purposes, as well as has its own postcode. All of the five divisions are under Berakas B, a mukim or subdistrict of Brunei-Muara.
VillagePostcode
Lambak Kanan National Housing Area 1BC2315
Lambak Kanan National Housing Area 2BC2515
Lambak Kanan National Housing Area 3BC2715
Lambak Kanan National Housing Area 4BC2915
Lambak Kanan National Housing Area 5BC3115

While Lambak Kanan is considered a suburb of Bandar Seri Begawan, it is not part the spatial jurisdiction of the city's Municipal Department.

Infrastructure

Housing

Almost all residents of Lambak Kanan live in the houses of Rancangan Perumahan Negara or National Housing Plan, a public housing scheme provided by the government through the Housing Development Department, hence the name Perumahan Negara Lambak Kanan.
Some of the residents may also have been among those relocated from Kampong Ayer under the Rancangan Perpindahan Negara or National Relocation Plan, hence the name Kampong Perpindahan Lambak Kanan.

Education

Primary and secondary education are available for the residents of Lambak Kanan. There are four government primary schools, namely Dato Basir Primary School, Dato Marsal Primary School, Lambak Kanan Jalan 49 Primary School and Perpindahan Lambak Kanan Jalan 10 Primary School.
There is only one secondary school in Lambak Kanan, namely Sayyidina Abu Bakar Secondary School. The school may not be able to accommodate the whole of Lambak Kanan, so resident students may also study at secondary schools located in the surrounding area. Also, there used to be a girls' secondary school, Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Masna Secondary School, but has since relocated to Sungai Akar.
Primary religious education is also available for the Muslim resident pupils. There are four primary religious schools, namely Dato Basir Religious School, Lambak Kanan Religious School, Lambak Kanan Jalan 49 Religious School and Perpindahan Lambak Kanan Jalan 77 Religious School. However, only Lambak Kanan and Perpindahan Jalan 77 Religious Schools have their own school grounds; the other two share with Dato Basir and Lambak Kanan Jalan 49 Primary Schools respectively.

Healthcare

is the sole community health centre in Lambak Kanan. However, it does not only serve the residents of Lambak Kanan but the whole of Berakas 'A' and Berakas 'B'.

Religion

Lambak Kanan has a mosque that caters the need of its Muslim residents for congregational prayers, particularly the weekly Friday prayers. Perpindahan Lambak Kanan Mosque was inaugurated in 1997 by His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. It can accommodate up to 2,400 worshippers at one time.

Miscellaneous

Lambak Kanan has its own fire station, namely Lambak Kanan Fire and Rescue Station. It is located close to Perpindahan Lambak Kanan Mosque.
There is also a public library in Lambak Kanan. Lambak Kanan Library was inaugurated in 2008 by the then Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Mohammad bin Daud. It is managed by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei.