Orang asli: Recognise our rights and you’ll have our votes
PETALING JAYA: The orang asli community in Kelantan, at the centre of a controversial blockade in Gua Musang, has issued an ultimatum for its Parliament and state candidates – accept our manifesto or risk losing our vote.
For the first time ever, Jaringan Orang Asli Kelantan (JOAK) has drafted its own manifesto, demanding the recognition and protection of their native rights which, they say, have long been neglected owing to a lack of political will.
JOAK chairman Mustafa Along, 31, said they would present the manifesto to the leadership of Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan and PAS.
In a copy of the manifesto provided to The Star, JOAK has 14 claims covering the recognition of orang asli status, customary land rights, education, sustainable development, environmental protection, and bet- ter representation in the Orang Asli Development Department.
The top demand is for the next government to declare the native rights of orang asli and formalise this recognition by gazetting their ancestral land as customary land.
“Malaysia is party to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN-DRIP), but the state and Federal governments have not carried out their policies in accordance with the declaration,” Mustafa said.
The manifesto demands implementation of UN-DRIP in state policies.
“We are ready to vote for the candidate whose party is brave enough to accept our manifesto,” Mustafa told The Star.
If no party accepts their manifesto, they will cast spoilt votes.
With over 5,000 orang asli voters in the Gua Musang seat, their votes could determine the winner and loser, especially if Malay votes are diluted in a three-cornered fight.
According to DAP orang asli candidate for Galas, Nasir Dollah, who is from the Temiar tribe, the Gua Musang parliamentary seat has 43,248 voters, approximately 11% of whom are orang asli.