BAHAU: Community groups can still book community halls for Hungry Ghost Festival events even though the new village committees have yet to be formed, a state executive councillor said.
Negri Sembilan Local Government Development, Housing and Non-Islamic Affairs Committee chairman Siow Kong Choon said organisers only needed to write to the Land Office to apply for a hall.
He said the seventh lunar month was underway, with many areas holding Hungry Ghost Festival celebrations and other traditional events.
"Many areas will hold activities as it is the Hungry Ghost Festival season now. So, organisers only need to write to the Land Office if they need to book a community hall," he said when contacted on Saturday (Aug 15).
Siow said some community groups had recently raised concerns that they were facing difficulties booking halls because the new village committees had yet to be formed.
Among those affected were groups using the community halls in Kampung Intan and Seri Jempol in Bahau, he said.
He said he had raised the matter with the Jempol district officer, who agreed to help ensure that Hungry Ghost celebrations and other community events would not be disrupted.
Siow urged groups in other districts facing the same problem to seek help through their local MCA leaders.
"If other areas face a similar situation, they can approach their local MCA leaders, and I will help to look into it and coordinate," he said.
He said coordination and communication were needed during the transition period before the village committees were formed, so that community groups had a clear channel to apply for halls.
