A cruel way to rob Orang Asli children of their future

 

Disclaimer: To protect the innocent, the names of individuals and NGOs have not been published.

Sadly, the harassment of the villagers at Pos Woh has resumed.

The Little Napoleons in the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa), aided by the police’s Special Branch (Tapah division), cannot resist making life a misery for the residents of this hamlet.

In Malaysia, when officials get to work, all that matters to them is face. Their reputation matters. They forget that their job is to do the right thing for the people whom they are supposed to serve. Consequently, they get upset with strangers who get on with the job of helping others and succeeding at it.

On July 7, 2022, around 11am, it was alleged that two four-wheel drive vehicles arrived at the dewan (hall) in Pos Woh, a hamlet of around 300 residents deep in the forests outside Tapah.

Seven people - six men and one woman - rushed out of their vehicles, stood outside the building and waited. One villager who saw them said, “Mereka macam marah-marah.” (They looked angry.)

The officials had probably hoped to find hordes of people milling around the newly completed dewan. They were eager to pounce on any unsuspecting individual and have a “chat” with them.

If they thought that any villager would be foolish enough to rush out to greet them and then endure a grilling, they were sadly mistaken. Who could blame the villagers?

In the end, the officials waited several hours until it dawned on them that no one was going to appear. That was when they paid a visit to the home of a former “chairperson” of the hamlet.

The multipurpose Dewan

Jakoa was interested in the hall. This very basic building of around 20 feet x 40 feet has walls constructed of breeze blocks and wooden planks. The roof is corrugated metal, and the floor is raw concrete. Inside, there is a storeroom, a toilet, and a simple concrete stand for the sink.

To the villagers, the dewan, or educational centre, was their pride and joy. It was their own multipurpose structure built with donations from various Malaysian NGOs. The funds paid for the construction of the building and the raw materials needed. The village men provided the labour.

This was a collective village decision, and it was alleged that the building had been built on land owned by one of the villagers. In other words, the dewan was sited on private land.

The villagers wanted their dewan to be utilised to maximum effect. In the mornings, it would function as a tadika (kindergarten). In the afternoons, children would learn additional subjects, like English, physics, geography, the environment, astronomy, and information technology.

Even older villagers had expressed a desire to be educated. The prospect of learning made the villagers excited about their new experiences and exposure to the world outside.

However, the Little Napoleons took a dim view of the initiative shown by the Semai of Pos Woh.

In another part of the world, one would imagine that the state, or any of its agencies, would be thrilled that a group of villagers had refused handouts but used their own drive to increase their knowledge in an attempt to improve themselves through education.

But this is Malaysia, where there is a directive to punish Malaysians who want to speak English because they are “disrespecting” the national language.

One would not be wrong in thinking that the state wants its subjects to remain in a state of blissful ignorance.

The Russian teacher

The seven officials asked about the presence of the Russian volunteer teacher, Valeriya “Valerie” Astashova, who in 2020 inspired the Semai with her willingness to live amongst their people and teach English.

At the start of the pandemic, nations closed their borders, and Valerie was stranded at KLIA. She returned to Kuala Lumpur to distribute food to Orang Asli villages.

She found a niche opening in Pos Woh, whereby she could teach English to the children. The then village chief was supportive, so a local NGO applied for a permit for Valerie to volunteer as a teacher. Her application was successful.

Valerie’s expatriate friends in Kuala Lumpur donated toys, books, old computers, games and furniture for Pos Woh. She made learning exciting, and this sparked the villagers’ quest for knowledge. They were hungry for more.

However, Valerie’s success angered (and embarrassed) the top brass in Jakoa. Together with the Special Branch, Jakoa visited the village, threatened Valerie, revoked her permit, accused her of committing various acts, and threatened to deport her unless she left Pos Woh.

The vindictive

Today, Jakoa and Special Branch’s intimidation has resumed. Yesterday, the officials warned the villagers that Valerie was not allowed in the village as it was against the law.

Despite Valerie entering Malaysia legally, these officials said that her entry into the country only entitled her to stay in a hotel, but not at Pos Woh, unless a special pass was obtained. What ridiculous law/pass is this?

They claimed that if Valerie wanted to teach, she should apply for a permit from the Immigration Department. They made it sound so simple. So, were they hoping the villagers would compromise Valerie?

In the next breath, they told the villagers that Valerie would never be allowed to teach at Pos Woh. Why does their story keep changing?

Why did these officials turn up a few days after Valerie had left the village and Malaysia? Who snitched on her? The officials know that the villagers are not well versed with their rights, so did they wait for Valerie to leave? Fear is how our government “controls” us.

Jakoa has now threatened to demolish the Dewan. Why deprive Orang Asli children of a future?

They then warned that any villager, including children caught having lessons via Zoom, would be severely punished. What law is this, Jakoa?

Has Jakoa forgotten Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says that everyone has the right to education?

If Jakoa were to retaliate against the villagers for daring to make a stand, I am sure that many Malaysians would support the Orang Asli. - Mkini

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MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.