Study: High level of political distrust among some Orang Asli communities

 

A new study revealed that several Orang Asli tribes in parts of Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak have a high level of distrust against information related to politics and politicians.

Three Temiar settlements in Gua Musang, Kelantan, the Orang Asli residents in Melangkap and Pitas in Sabah, as well as those in Kampung Lebor and Nanga Bekatan in Sarawak, were part of a recent information ecosystem assessment (IEA).

“Seventy-two percent (of the respondents) distrust political information. Most consider content, whether published in new or traditional media, is biased.

“This belief leads to apathy and disdain,” reads a report on the findings of the IEA, which was published on Monday, April 19.

The qualitative IEA was conducted between August and October 2020 by international NGO Internews and the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ).

In Gua Musang, two-thirds of the respondents in the three Temiar communities believe that political news is the least trusted content, given the high degree of personal bias and propaganda that they have observed.

“Eighty percent of youths surveyed stated that they distrust any information about politics.

“One female respondent cited that all politicians are the same; their words mean nothing if not followed by action,” the report said.

'It is hard to differentiate between fact and fiction'

The level of distrust among the three Temiar communities is so high that most women and youths are less likely to act on any political information they receive.

Meanwhile, in Melangkap and Pitas in Sabah, four out of five respondents said they tend to dismiss any news related to politics, as it is hard to differentiate between fact and fiction.

“When probed further, they view most of the words coming from politicians as lies used to fish for votes and to garner sympathy.

“They also think that there is too much political news until they cannot differentiate between facts and fake news.

“Therefore, respondents who are majority female are more likely to brush aside political news and want nothing to do with anything political, preferring to leave the issue to men,” the report says.

Similarly, in Kampung Lebor and Nanga Bekatan in Sarawak, more than 50 percent of the respondents dismissed any news related to politics, saying that most of the information is confusing.

Young respondents also said they are not interested in politics and would vote for whomever their parents vote for, the report states. - Mkini