National Orang Asli meet to be held on Earth Day

A national Orang Asli affairs conference will be held on April 22 to chart a plan to raise the living standards of the community.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department P Waythamoorthy announced this at a recent gathering at the Pos Simpor Orang Asli settlement in Gua Musang.

Waythamoorthy said that all tok batin (village heads) and community leaders would be invited to the conference, which is to be officiated by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said resolutions determined and adopted by the conference would be brought directly to the cabinet for further action.

Waythamoorthy noted that as part of his national unity and social wellbeing portfolio, he had visited a number of Orang Asli communities, besides engaging with the Orang Asli Development Department, NGOs and academics to get to the heart of what the community really needed.

“What is clear is that the number one problem for Orang Asli nationwide is the issue of customary land. 

"The forest and the land that they live on is viewed as part of their spirit.

"Native communities all around the world have proven themselves to be in harmony with the environment and are its most fervent defenders,” he said.

April 22 is the UN-sanctioned Earth Day, an annual event now celebrated in more than 193 counties in support of environmental protection.

Waythamoorthy also said he had spoken to an elderly individual from the Temiar community who took part in a blockade against loggers in Gua Musang, and that he was moved by his commitment to their struggle.

“One of the elders was approaching 100 and had served in the Special Branch. 

"He told me he won’t back down from defending his people and his home,” said the minister.

Waythamoorthy asked for time to study and come up with a practical action plan to help the Orang Asli, saying that the Pakatan Harapan administration was hampered by the fact that land matters fell under the jurisdiction of state governments.

He cited legal action taken by Putrajaya against Kelantan for violating the land rights of the Temiar community as a sign of the government's commitment to defending Orang Asli rights.

The minister also said he would raise the issue of the Bertam Orang Asli community's request for a new school closer to their village.

Their request followed a tragedy that struck on Aug 23, 2015, when seven schoolchildren of SK Tohoi ran away into the jungle for fear of punishment after being caught swimming in a river without permission.

Five of the schoolchildren were found dead, and two barely alive when they were discovered after 47 days.

Waythamoorthy also stressed the need for tarred roads to connect Orang Asli settlements to the outside world, saying that the current logging tracks are inadequate. - Mkini