Johor Orang Asli group stands firm against 'sultanate land' conversion

 

A group of Orang Asli in Johor has remained firm against plans to convert their lands into "sultanate land".

The Johor Network of Orang Asli Villages (JPOAJ) plans to submit an official letter of protest to the state government and the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) soon.

"This is not a matter of being treasonous (derhaka) to the sultan, but (the rejection) is on the basis of democracy in voicing our rights as Malaysians," JPOAJ said in a Facebook post yesterday.

The resolution to oppose the sultanate land conversion was made at a meeting in Kluang by 90 Johor Orang Asli representatives and elders from various villages and districts on Friday.

On March 16, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar (above) urged the Johor state government to classify all Orang Asli settlements and reserves in the state as sultanate land to avoid the land being misused.

The Johor ruler said this was necessary because some Orang Asli had turned state forest reserves into large-scale oil palm and rubber plantations.

Orang Asli reserves are protected under the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954, which states that such land cannot be alienated or disposed of, except for the Orang Asli who live on such land.

State governments, however, can revoke such land status.

Meanwhile, under Section 2 of Johor's Sultanate Lands Enactment, land classified as sultanate land belongs to the ruler and is not considered state property.

The enactment also provides that no part of the sultanate land can be sold, leased, or disposed of except with the sultan's written permission.

JPOAJ chairperson Dolah Tekoi

JPOAJ chairperson Dolah Tekoi objected to the state government's plan, arguing that Orang Asli reserves were already protected under the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 and the National Land Code - laws which apply nationwide.

Dolah argued that it was not true that all Orang Asli who used their reserves for plantations were being exploited by outsiders.

He said that some Orang Asli used the reserves for plantations to sustain themselves.

Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi in defending the plan claimed that sultanate land will not become the personal property of the Johor ruler, with the latter instead serving as a custodian. - Mkini