Reported by Amani Williams-Hunt (Bah Tony)
On 28th November, 2010, on our back from Kampong Dayok, Perak LAC and ICW outreach program members stopped over at Kampong Kabu, Bertam Valley, Cameron Highlands to deliver a talk on “Land Rights of the Orang Asli” to the villagers there. The talk as with almost all other talks and programs was conducted at the invitation of the villagers.
The original schedule of this talk was on 27th November 2010 however weather condition anticipated in another remote village area necessitated our presence in that village first ahead of the scheduled time and thus the rescheduling of the talk here.
The participants who attended the talk were not only from Kampong Kabu but also from Kampong Sg Tiang, Kampong Sg Cekong, Kampong Relok and other nearby settlements.
As in Kampong Dayok, we spoke mainly on the issue of Orang Asli land rights, both as contained in the Aboriginal Peoples Act and as decided by the courts. We also touched on the new Orang Asli land policy as we thought the villagers ought to be informed of this policy.
The focus on land issue couldn’t be more appropriate since land is really a critical issue in this area. Encroachments into Orang Asli land by vegetable farmers are widespread. As a result of this, the ancestral domains of the Orang Asli have allegedly shrunk tremendously. According to the headmen of the villages, they were not paid any compensation for the lost land. They said they had referred the matter to authorities but so far there has been no response. Apart from land matters, water is also a problem as it is polluted by insecticides used in the surrounding vegetable farms.
In the case of Kampong Sg. Tiang, the villagers say that the situation of the is even worse. As resettled people, they no longer have their ancestral domains. Deprived of the chance to engage in Semai traditional occupations, many of them now work in the nearby vegetable farms as wage labourers.
Looking at their conditions and listening to their grouses , It becomes apparent that they are earning enough for living. Their living conditions are deplorable, with flies infesting the village by the thousands, testimony of the surrounding vegetable farms. In fact, Kampong Sg. Tiang looks more like a slum than an Orang Asli settlement. Situated very close to the road at a bend, the village is also an invitation to road accidents. Many villagers who came for the talk clearly reflected a sense of dejection and helplessness written over their faces.
Before ending the talk, an idea was propounded that the villages form a loose organization in order to deal with the various issues faced by the people. We informed them that we would be more than happy to lend our hands if needed.
It is hoped that with the awareness that the villagers have acquired about their land rights at the talk they will now be able to stand up and insist on their rights as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
