ORANG ASLI WANT MORE SAY IN THEIR AFFAIRS

Orang Asli want more say in their affairs

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 24, 2010) : A group of orang asli staged a protest today to demand increased representation at the management level of government agencies formed to handle their affairs, particularly the Orang Asli Affairs Department and its subsidiaries.

The group, numbering about 30, claims the department is staffed by "over 80% non-orang asli" and this has resulted in decisions not favourable to their needs.

Sokyen Man, a spokesman for the group, which claimed to be represented by orang asli from all over Peninsular Malaysia, said: "Our opinions are not sought for important policies that affect our livelihoods."

He quoted, as an example, a proposed amendment to an act on land ownership for orang asli.

"We learned that the government proposed to provide each head of household with two to six acres of land for agricultural purposes, and 5,000 sq ft of land for housing, subject to availability within an area," Sokyen said.

"Not only are we denied the rights to our ancestral lands, there is also no guarantee for our future generations as we are given the land on leasehold status for 60 years."

Sokyen said that if the amendment is put in place, orang asli communities are at risk of losing over 70% of the land they are occupying as it did not recognise their rights to ancestral lands known as "tanah rayau" and "tanah saka".

He said they were also not accorded land for burial grounds, showing the department's "complete lack of respect and knowledge on their culture".

The group said future generations of orang asli faced a bleak future if no significant changes were made by the department to improve their situation.

It submitted a petition listing it demands to the department at a closed-door meeting attended by Sokyen and Bar Council immediate past president Datuk Ambiga Sreenivasen (left), representing the orang asli, and the department's director-general, Sani Mistam and deputy director-general Nisra Nisran Asra Ramlan.

Sokyen said the petition was the result of "a series of ignored reports and attempts made by the orang asli in the past to raise the plight of their community".

Sani said the group should have gone through the "proper channels" to air their grievances and that it was an "internal matter" between the orang asli and the department.

He said there were no restrictions on the orang asli to move up the ranks as long as they fulfilled the required standards.

Asked about ways to elevate the community's status and prepare to fill top positions, Sani said "it has been done through the education budget allocated for the community".

He proposed that the orang asli forward a copy of their petition to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam).

Ambiga said the Bar Council would help them to raise the issues with Suhakam.