Listen and talk to us directly, Orang Asli urges the government

PETALING JAYA: The Orang Asli community has urged the government to listen and talk to them on land issues directly, instead of going through a third party like the Orang Asli Affairs Department (Jakoa).

They said encroachment into the Orang Asli reserved land as well as disrespect for their way of life in the forests had resulted in continuous and increasing fatal conflicts of wildlife and the people.

Jakao had not been speaking up for them, they claimed while urging the government to engage with them directly.

The message was relayed to the government at a dialogue between a group of Orang Asli leaders and Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, held during the 12th Orang Asli Conference here on Saturday (Aug 26).

About 100 Orang Asli representatives including Tok Batins and community leaders from Kelantan, Perak, Pahang, Johor, Negri Sembilan and Selangor attended the event.

They also said if their complaints still fell on deaf ears, they might resort to organising a protest to make themselves heard.

But for now, they would give time to the relatively new unity government to act on their requests.

They also raised the issue of proper compensation for victims affected by logging, the conflicts between wild elephants and tigers, government policies and practices of the Wildlife and National Parks Department.

In his reply, Nik Nazmi said he would look into the problems raised by the community, admitting that his capacity to assist the Orang Asli was limited due to the fact that Jakoa did not fall under his ministry’s purview.

Jakoa was under the purview of the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, helmed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“We know that Jakoa is not under Nik Nazmi but we will raise this issue to any of the government’s representatives that we meet as we have limited access to ministers.

“Also, we hope Nik Nazmi will take our complaints to the minister in-charge and perhaps to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” said Tijah Chopil of Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia.

Earlier during the dialogue, Fatimah Bah Sin 49, told Nik Nazmi that Jakoa had become a silent enemy to the Orang Asli community, despite the department being appointed to help the community.

She claimed that when it came to land struggles in court between the government and the Orang Asli, Jakoa tended to take the side of the government.

Fatimah from Kg Tompesel in Maran, Pahang, said she won her 2012 case involving a 2,428ha land, which included her village and Kampung Chahabuk of 30 families.

“We won our appeals against the state company but until today, the state has yet to acknowledge our win and they still depend on Jakoa to speak on behalf of us, which the latter tend to side with the government.

Abdul Rahman from Gerik, Perak has appealed to the government to stop issuing new logging licences to which Nik Nazmi replied that the unity government had tightened the rules for such permits in the Peninsula.

To a question of wild elephants encroaching their lands and causing havoc in the villages, Nik Nazmi suggested that plantation owners create elephant trails in their plantations.

“In Sabah, this has been successful as then the herd of elephants are able to pass through the plantations without having to break up and damage the crops,” he added.

On the Ulu Nenggiri hydro dam in Gua Musang, Kelantan, which was expected to drown four Orang Asli villages when it was built, Nik Nazmi said his hands were tied as the project was agreed before his time and could not be abandoned.

“Our policy now is not to build big dams such as the one in Tasik Kenyir. Smaller hydro dams also have to go through rigorous study before they are built,” he said.

He also said the logging in Bukit Gala of Negri Sembilan, said to be affecting the water sources of seven Orang Asli villages, would be looked into after he takes it up with the necessary state authorities.