# Kampung

> Not just 'village' — a kampung is both a social unit and Malaysia's grassroots administrative unit, complete with a Ketua Kampung and an official committee (JPKK/JKKK).

- Category: glossary
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/glossary/kampung

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**Bahasa Malaysia:** Kampung · **English:** Village · **中文:** 甘榜／village

A dictionary will tell you that *kampung* means "village". That's correct —
but incomplete. In Malaysia, a kampung is also **a formal administrative
unit**, with a head, a committee, a term of service and official allowances.

## Two meanings at once

| As a | It means |
| --- | --- |
| **Social unit** | A local community bound together by neighbourliness, kenduri (communal feasts), gotong-royong (mutual help) and a surau or balai raya (prayer hall or community hall) |
| **Administrative unit** | A recognised area under a mukim and District Office, with a Ketua Kampung and an official committee |

This is why someone can say "I'm going balik kampung" (the social, sentimental
meaning) while a government letter refers to that very same kampung as a
specific administrative area.

## The Ketua Kampung and their committee

In District Office directories, the position is often listed as
**"Ketua Kampung / Pengerusi JPKK"** — because the two are usually the same
person. JPKK stands for the **Jawatankuasa Pembangunan dan Keselamatan
Kampung** (Village Development and Security Committee).

According to the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (Kementerian
Kemajuan Desa dan Wilayah, KKDW):

- Each JPKK has **13 members**: one Chairman, one Secretary and 11 Committee
  Members.
- The term of service is **2 years (1 term)**, or until terminated by the
  Appointing Authority.
- Membership must include **at least 30% women** and at least one youth
  representative.
- The Chairman's monthly allowance is **RM500** (JPKK) or **RM900** (JPKKP),
  and the Secretary's is **RM300**.
- There are **15,449 institutions** of JPKK and JPKKP nationwide, according
  to KKDW data as of October 2023.

JPKK members are appointed by the state government, while JPKKP (the Federal
version) is appointed by the Minister of Rural and Regional Development.

## Names that keep changing

This is the most common source of confusion. The same body has previously
been known as:

1. **JKKK** — Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung (the old name,
   still widely used in everyday conversation)
2. **MPKK** — Majlis Pengurusan Komuniti Kampung
3. **JPKK** — the current name, after the Cabinet agreed to improve its
   implementation on **8 July 2020**

States also differ. Selangor, for example, retains the term **MPKK** for its
Kampung Tradisi (traditional villages).

## Common mistakes

- **Equating JPKK with Rukun Tetangga (KRT) or a Residents' Association
  (RA).** KRT is run by the Department of National Unity and is more focused
  on residential areas; an RA is a body residents register themselves. JPKK
  is a rural structure under KKDW.
- **Assuming the Ketua Kampung is the same as a Penghulu.** A Penghulu
  administers an entire **mukim**, an area covering several kampung.
- **Assuming a kampung only exists outside towns.** Many traditional kampung
  remain standing within urban areas that have grown up around them.

## What's next

To understand where a kampung sits within Malaysia's broader layers of
administration, start with [Wilayah Persekutuan](/en/glossary/wilayah-persekutuan)
— a territory with no state government of its own — and
[Selangor](/en/states/selangor), the state that still uses the term MPKK.

For actual dealings, lists of Ketua Kampung and Penghulu for each mukim are
published on the respective District and Land Office portals.

## Sources

- JPKK dan JPKKP — https://www.rurallink.gov.my/jpkk-dan-jpkkp/ (Kementerian Kemajuan Desa dan Wilayah (KKDW))
- Portal Rasmi Kementerian Kemajuan Desa dan Wilayah — https://www.rurallink.gov.my/ (Kementerian Kemajuan Desa dan Wilayah (KKDW))
- Peranan KRT, RA, JKKK dan MPKK — https://dewan.selangor.gov.my/question/peranan-krt-ra-jkkk-dan-mpkk/ (Dewan Negeri Selangor)
- Penghulu Mukim dan Ketua Kampung — https://klang.selangor.gov.my/index.php/pages/view/39?mid=102 (Pejabat Daerah dan Tanah Klang)

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Source of truth: https://github.com/negaraku-md/NegaraKu.md
License: CC BY-SA 4.0