The Orang Asli community in Kampung Pertak, Selangor wants a proper road to be constructed from their settlement to their burial ground.
At present, the villagers are forced to carry their dead on foot through a steep path laden with rocks for about 3km.
The chairperson of their village development and security committee (JPKK) Zahidi Kising said the route also goes across a bridge, which pedestrians have to share with motorcycles.
There used to be two bridges but one is in a deplorable state and can no longer be used, he said.
“If the government can build a tarred road, it would make things easier for the villagers as well as tourists who use the road to access waterfalls and hiking trails,” he told Malaysiakini.
Jahari said the villagers hoped the relevant authorities would address their complaint during this by-election.
Pertak is a polling district under the Kuala Kubu Baharu state constituency, which is having an election on May 11.
“We have been making requests to the state and federal governments as well as the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa) since 2017.
“But we are always told there is no allocation. Sometimes, they tell us a huge allocation is required to fix the road.
“Of late, there has been no response to our requests or letters of complaint. We hope the state and federal governments can rectify this problem before polling day,” he added.
Kampung Pertak is one of six Orang Asli settlements constructed in the early 2000s after the villagers were moved from their original dwelling places for the construction of the Sungai Selangor Dam.
The estimated 400 villagers of Kampung Pertak, which is known for its waterfalls and hiking trails, belong to the Temuan tribe.
The Orang Asli make up more than 1,200 voters in Kuala Kubu Baharu.
The contest on May 11 will be a four-cornered fight between Pakatan Harapan’s Pang Sock Tao, Perikatan Nasional’s Khairul Azhari Saut, Independent Nyau Ke Xin, and Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Hafizah Zainudin.
MCA held the seat from 1986 until 2013, when it fell to DAP’s Lee Kee Hiong.
Lee, who retained the seat in the subsequent two elections, succumbed to cancer in March. - Mkini
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