It was a red letter day for more than 2000 Orang Asli of 5 settlements in Gopeng when in an unprecedented turn of events the State Government announced that all logging and oil palm plantation activities in their ancestral land will cease with immediate effect. Perak Menteri Besar YAB Dato’ Seri Ir. Hj Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s announcement was conveyed to the Orang Asli community by YB Sivanesan (Chairman of Health, Environment and Human Resources Committee) at YB Chang Li Kangs’s service-centre in Gopeng. YB Sivanesan added that the State Government will also from now on conduct in-dept studies before carrying out any project around orang asli settlements in line with the suggestion of HRH Sultan Azlan Shah who has requested for an Integrated Management Plan to be conducted beforehand. Also present at the ceremony were Augustine Anthony, me and dozens of media personnel.
Miraculous, unbelievable, amazing and incredible. Any of these words would still fall short in describing how the Orang Asli leaders felt to hear the heart warming news. They can now heave a sigh of relief as their ancestral land is back in safe hands now. The State Government has thus recognised a customary community title of a permanent nature. Latter, YB Chang, who is the Assemblyman for Teja district, took the entire entourage in his 4 X 4 to a 20 KM ride inside the deep jungle in the heart of the village at a bridge nick-named “bridge over troubled-water” to break the good news to the local community living there. It is so called because it was the damage done to this bridge late last year that sparked unrest among them thus paving the way to serious discussions.
A large group of villagers were already gathered there to welcome us. The Orang Asli folks cheered in jubilation when the official news was announced to them as well and in a show of camaraderie and appreciation we were treated to a durian feast.
Since the Perak Legal Aid Centre and Orang Asli Affairs Bar Council Human Rights Committee started on this struggle in December 2007, 4 meetings/visits and 1 memorandum later that saw the climax of the meeting with the Menteri Besar himself, we are indeed pleased to see results (refer to my earlier reports). As I see it, this is a positive sign of warming relations between the State Government and the Orang Asli.
Submitted by
M. Gokoolaram Naidu
Executive
Perak Legal Aid Centre/ Human Rights Sub-Committee
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