Making time for community talk: Nik Nazmi (centre) with the participants after the dialogue. — Bernama
Community voices out their concern on various matters including wildlife
PETALING JAYA: The Orang Asli community has implored the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Ministry to hear their grouses on land matters directly, instead of relying on intermediaries such as government agencies.
In a dialogue session with NRECC Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad organised by human rights NGO Pusat Komas here yesterday, the Orang Asli voiced out their concern on matters such as land, encroachment and human-wildlife conflicts, with the community representatives saying that encroachment into Orang Asli reserve land as well as disrespect for their way of life have resulted in increasing clashes between wildlife and the Orang Asli.
They also argued that the very department that is supposed to be their advocate, the Orang Asli Affairs Department (Jakoa), has not been speaking up for them, and that it is time the government came directly to the community instead of referring to Jakoa.
Hailing from Kelantan, Perak, Pahang, Johor, Negri Sembilan and Selangor, about 100 Orang Asli representatives including tok batins and local village leaders raised many issues with Nik Nazmi during the dialogue at the 12th Orang Asli Conference between Orang Asli moderated by Komas head, Jerald Joseph.
The salient issues raised include proper compensation for victims involved in the human-wildlife conflicts, displacement due to logging, as well as a result of government policies and practices of the Wildlife and National Parks Department.
During the dialogue, Fatimah Bah Sin 49, told Nik Nazmi that Jakoa has become a “silent enemy” to the Orang Asli community. She said when it came to land struggles in court between the government and Orang Asli, Jakoa tends to take the side of the government.Fatimah, who hails from Kg Tompesel in Maran, Pahang, said that she won her 2012 case involving 2,428ha which included her village and Kg Chahabuk with 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,” said Fatimah to applause from the audience.
Orang Asli leader Abdul Rahman from Gerik, Perak, proposed that the government of the day stop issuing any new logging licences, to which Nik Nazmi replied that the unity government has tightened the rules for logging licences in the peninsula.
On the management of elephants causing havoc in the Orang Asli villages, Nik Nazmi said he proposed plantation owners create elephant trails in their plantations.
“In Sabah, this has been successful as the herds of elephants are able to pass through the plantations without having to break up and damage the crops,” said Nik Nazmi.
On the Nenggiri dam in Gua Musang, Kelantan, which is expected to submerge four Orang Asli villages, Nik Nazmi said the project was approved before his time and could not be abandoned.
He also said that the logging in Bukit Gala, Negri Sembilan, which is said to be affecting the water sources of seven Orang Asli villages, will be looked into after he takes it up with the relevant state authorities.
Nik Nazmi, while promising to look into the problems raised, admitted that his capacity to assist the Orang Asli is limited due to the fact that Jakoa does not fall under his purview, but under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry helmed by 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.
We hope he will take our complaints to the minister in charge and perhaps to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” said Tijah Chopil of Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia.
The Orang Asli, who handed over a memorandum listing out all their problems – mainly concerning land matters – to Nik Nazmi after the dialogue, said that should their complaints keep falling on deaf ears, they might resort to a protest to make themselves heard.
