Temuan villagers distraught over plan to degazette ancestral land

Temuan artist Shaq Koyok is used to exhibiting his art which exclusively features Orang Asli folk and various aspects of their life. He believes in combining art and activism and that’s why he will not keep silent when his own village is under threat.

This threat surfaced when it was revealed that a huge 930ha of the Kuala Langat (Utara) Forest Reserve is set to be degazetted and converted for development. Shaq was appalled when he read the notice in a local daily.

The Selangor Forestry Department places such notices in major dailies inviting stakeholders in the district to voice their objections to such proposals within a 30-day time frame.

This is in accordance with the Public Inquiry (Selangor) Rules 2014, as well as National Forestry Act (Adoption) Enactment 1985, which makes the exercise (placement of notice) compulsory before a forest reserve can be degazetted.

“This plot of land is just behind my village Kampung Pulau Kempas and Bukit Cheeding is another Temuan kampung where I went for my primary school.

“My village is going to be sending a letter of objection opposing this move to the Selangor Forestry Department. How can they do this?” Shaq (photo) told Malaysiakini.

He was told that construction giants are behind the move.

“They want to buy this forest land and turn it into a bandar (town),” Shaq said.

The Tanjung 12 district named in the notice includes seven villages gazetted in the Kuala Langat (Utara) Forest Reserve namely Kampung Orang Asli Pulau Kempas, Bukit Cheeding, Bukit Kecil, Bukit Perah, Busut Baru, Tanjung Rabok and Bukit Kamandol.

It is part of a larger tract of land that has been gazetted as customary land since 1927.

Residents claim it has been the subject to various annexation attempts by state government companies. These include a tin mine, supposedly owned by a state government company but sold to a third party.

In 2017, 95ha of the forest was destroyed by fire.

“We called this jungle Pulau Moyang, this means the places where our ancestors are from,” said an emotional Shaq.

Surprised and alarmed

Faizal Parish, who is director of the Global Environment Centre, a Malaysian non-profit organisation working throughout East and Southeast Asia on forest and peatland management, biodiversity, water resources and climate change, said he was surprised and alarmed by the proposal.

“This site was gazetted in 1927 with a specific provision to allow Orang Asli to continue to live and derive benefit from the forest. Almost 90 percent has been degazetted and developed in the last 40 years.

“This is the last patch remaining and is critical for Orang Asli and key biodiversity,” he said.

Faizal, who is a wetland ecologist by training, said the area is also home to many rare threatened and endangered wildlife including panthers, sun bears and the Langat red fighting fish.

“GEC was specifically requested by state government in 2014 to work with the local community to rehabilitate the forest and prevent fires. We have been very successful and have reduced fires by 90 percent and the forest is recovering thanks to major effort by Orang Asli with support from adjacent landowners Gamuda Land and Boh Plantations,” he said.

“The Selangor state government has been very supportive of forest and peatland conservation for the past 12 years (since Pakatan Rakyat took over in 2008).

“We are very surprised by the proposal to degazette almost the entire forest reserve for a mixed development commercial project. This is totally against the state and federal policy.

“We don't know who is behind this massive project that will have major impacts,” he added.

A Pakatan Harapan source confirmed with Malaysiakini that Shaq and his people have reasons to feel let down.

“This is a huge tract of land, and up until now, the Harapan government has tried to keep its word but this action flies in the face of our stated policy of preserving forest reserve land, particularly territory that has been gazetted as customary land by the state.”

The source said that there are systems in place to prevent such an injustice from occurring but that it was very likely the system of protection had been compromised.

“The federal government is helpless because land issues come under the state government. Time and time again, the state government, Forest Department and other authorities have colluded to deprive the Orang Asli of their hereditary land. I hope this is not one of those cases, but I fear it is,” said the source.

In Selangor, the Land Development and Natural Resources Management portfolio is held by Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari.

Malaysiakini is attempting to contact his office for a response. - Mkini