Indigenous Protest

Today, the HELP for Haiti Fund yielded RM66, which gives us a grand total of RM1,477 todate.

In a rare demonstration of disgruntled dissatisfaction, more than 1,000 people gathered yesterday at Putrajaya to protest against the proposed amendment to Act 134 of the National Land Act. The protest, organized by the Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli Association (POASM) and the Network of Orang Asli Villages, displayed banners saying ‘Our rights must be protected,’ ‘Don’t abolish our Act’, and ‘Don’t take away our rights, we are willing to be bathed in blood’ (Webpage

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/56543-we-are-also-1-malaysia-says-orang-asli-leader-, posted March 17, 2010).

Of course, the police stopped the protestors as they began marching towards the front entrance of the prime minister’s office. “Put down the banners! You are breaking the law!” the police officers ordered.

“You do not have to talk to us like that! We are also humans. We know the law. Can’t you ask nicely?” one of the protestors shot back.

Still, the protestors finally agreed to the demands by the police and waited patiently under the hot sun for the prime minister’s officers to receive a memorandum, signed by 12,000 orang asli throughout Peninsular Malaysia. They were kept waiting for half an hour before Shafie Apdal, the Rural and Regional Development Minister appeared and received the said memorandum.

For those who don’t know, Malaysian ministers are piteously patronizing. When these people have issues, Shafie tried to be clever: “Actually they [the protestors] came to witness the handover of the memorandum and also to have a vacation. They wanted to take pictures of Putrajaya and they also took pictures with me. They came all over and they haven’t seen Putrajaya and only seen it on television”. A response that makes him looked silly.

Pijah Yok Chopil (founder of Network of Orang Asli Villages) said the government must protect the rights of the indigenous people if they truly believe in 1 Malaysia, that the amendments do not represent the demands of the indigenous people.

“For us, land is everything. Land is not for living and income but our land represents everything. It is for culture, beliefs, knowledge, and our history. Our way of life is our identity. We are not greedy but what we are demanding is our right even though we have been labelled as a society that migrates from one place to another. That is not true.

“Every group of indigenous people lives as a group in one area. So even though we move from one place to another it is within our land.

“We find that the amendment does not consider the desire of the indigenous people and is not accordance with the spirit of 1 Malaysia which emphasized the different races in the country,” she said.

Pijah also criticized the government for neglecting the Orang Asli: “For almost 53 years of independence but many of our villages do not have necessary necessities such roads, electricity and many more. Many of our lands have been taken so easily causing us to be poor. Actually we are not poor but very rich. We are the richest people in Malaysia. We have land and resources. That is why our people have never begged for money or lived on the streets. Even though we do not drive Mercedes, we are very rich".

Pijah added that the “air-conditioned” ministers must listen to the community.

“The ministers talk like that because they live in air-conditioned buildings but we living in the villages know the problems facing us. I believe that those facing problems know the solution to their problems. So if the government wants to help then they should listen to us,” she said.

I am reproducing this Malaysian Insider report because if ever there is a crying need to help Bumiputras – then this category of indigenous people deserve all the help we can give. But instead, we offer token assistance only. Yesterday, these people marched and they protested. Will the powers-that-be listen?