They are slowly realising that they have become a forgotten community and only thought of once in every five years.
Two parliament constituencies which have the highest concentration of Orang Asli are Cameron Highlands and Tapah.
In Cameron Highlands, the Orang Asli voter population is 20.5%, accounting to one fifth of the total number of voters i.e. about 5,804 voters. In Tapah there are about 4,700 Orang Asli voters.
This is a significant percentage in Cameron Highlands as well as in Tapah.
In the two weeks of my election campaign in Cameron Highlands for the parliament seat of Cameron Highlands, I noted that the Orang Asli community lives a completely distinct and alienated life.
They are in the interior where there are no proper access roads and basic amenities we urban folks take for granted.
They live in fear of their ancestral lands being taken away for development and dam projects. They live in fear of their welfare allowances being forfeited.
They are captive voters who Barisan Nasional call their fixed deposits.
This is a similar scenario in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak where the BN keeps the native community as undeveloped as possible so that they continue to be their fixed deposits.
Keeping them ignorant and deprived of a comfortable life serves the BN well every five years. But who is caught is this vicious cycle? It is the forgotten community, the Orang Asli and the natives in Sabah and Sarawak.
These Orang Aslis are vulnerable and are easily threatened. Throughout my campaign, I noticed that they are under the clutches of the Orang Asli Development Department (JAKOA).
Although they welcome outsiders to visit them, when it comes to asking for their political preferences, they are reluctant to speak. Only after some coaxing and assurances they open up slowly.
You cannot make a brief or fleeting appearance while campaigning with them. You must sit down and spend some time which may take a few hours before they can get comfortable with you.
This is because they are not like the Malay, Chinese or Indian voters who are not under the strong influence of JAKOA or the BN government.
But the cry for a better life is apparent. My trip to Lenjang, Jelai (forming part of the Cameron Highlands parliamentary constituency) depicts an obvious need for improvision.
I signed a pledge with the Orang Asli, promising the manner in which I will undertake to help them if I am successful elected.
And one elderly headman said no other politician had taken it upon them to see that the opinion of the Orang Asli matter and that his signature is that important.
A pathetic life
They are slowly realising that they have become a forgotten community and only thought of once in every five years. I therefore ask, has the government really helped them in the past?
In a village called Sinderut, Jelai in Pahang (also forming part of the Cameron Highlands parliamentary constituency), it takes about one hour plus from Sungai Koyan, Jelai to drive up into the interior through tracks of muddy road.
Even a four wheel drive with normal tyres may have difficulty going in. And if it rains, the journey becomes unpleasant and takes a good two hours longer.
Deep in the interior the Orang Asli live a pathetic life, completely out of touch with the world outside.
The people in Sinderut told me that at every election they were told that the roads leading into their villages would be tarred but they lamented that the roads remained in the same condition despite the promise being made many times.
When asked as to why they still vote for BN, their answer was “every eve of elections we are threatened to vote for Dacing”.
When you come down from Cameron Highlands to Tapah, there is a big billboard which says the government is giving RM202 million to the Orang Asli.
We would like to know how this money is being utilised for the Orang Asli community. What are the projects involved? What are the villages involved so that a check can be made on whether the RM202 million actually reached the beneficiaries, that is the Orang Asli.
I would like to ask the new MP for Cameron Highlands, G Palanivel, what are his plans for the Orang Asli in Jelai as well as in Tanah Rata.
In Tanah Rata, a dam is being proposed to be built somewhere near Lanai, of which the Orang Asli are unhappy about.
It does not mean that the Orang Asli must come out from their villages and live like the rest of us. What they want is to remain on their native lands with their native and customary rights intact, including their burial grounds.
What they need however are proper roads, water and electricity, schools and proper access to medical care. It is amazing even in Tanah Rata there are Orang Asli villages where ordinary vehicles cannot go in.
The government has taken this community for a long long ride. Therefore we want to know what has the Orang Asli department been doing all these while.
What are the short term and long term plans for this beleaguered community?
