Activists raise Orang Asli land issues at grassroots forum series

 

Orang Asli activists featured as panellists in the “Himpunan Marhaen” forum series has highlighted persistent encroachment on ancestral lands that continued during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to an organiser.

Forum organiser and Gabungan Marhaen representative Suresh Kumar in a statement said the panellists discussed how encroachment, abuse of power and land acquisition had persisted even though the rights of the Orang Asli are guaranteed by the Federal Constitution.

“The night’s discussion also focused on three different sets of ancestral land ownership laws in one country (Malaysia) - in the peninsula, Sarawak and Sabah,” said Suresh, a PSM activist who worked with Orang Asli communities in Cameron Highlands for over 15 years.

Among others, Suresh was involved with the Orang Asli from Pos Lanai who opposed the Telom hydroelectric dam project in Cameron Highlands until its eventual cancellation.

He said “one or two” Orang Asli in a village who were willing to cooperate with parties trespassing their ancestral lands should not be equated with the opposing majority.

“There are those who were greedy but there are also more who lost their sources of income and forced to work for the trespassers, just to feed their family,” he said.

Suresh said the forum panellists and others who spoke include Centre for Orang Asli Concerns executive director Colin Nicholas, Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli Villages Network chairperson Tijah Yok Chopil, Sabah's Pacos Trust land rights coordinator Galus Ahtoi, Sarawak native land rights activist Nicholas Bawin and environmental group Sahabat Alam Malaysia’s research director Shamila Ariffin.

He said Colin and Galus had talked about ongoing development projects allegedly on ancestral lands, while Nicholas highlighted alleged erroneous case judgements in Sarawak that led to the loss of native customary land.

Meanwhile, Suresh, Tijah, and Yusri said Orang Asli should not be blamed for the loss of their land even if they failed to fight against any project developers.

The Himpunan Marhaen series of grassroots forums highlighted specific issues faced by various marginalised communities and will culminate with a virtual concert tonight.

Other past topics discussed include housing rights and workers rights in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. - Mkini