Rural residents want immediate distribution of funds

TELUK INTAN: The rural population including the Orang Asli communities in Teluk Intan and Slim River hope that part of the allocation which had been set aside for the rural communities in Budget 2019 will be channelled to their settlements soon, in efforts to develop and raise their quality of life.

A resident of Kampung Orang Asli Erong, Ulu Bernam here, who wanted to be known as Mansor said, the Orang Asli community in the area were in need of facilities development as they have long been neglected.

Mansor, 49 said although the settlement has access to electricity and clean water which had been provided by the previous government they hoped the new government would continue to show concern by providing them other basic infrastructure facilities.

“There is a lot more to be done here, among them providing paved roads leading to our village and improving the quality of education for the Orang Asli children,” he said when met by Bernama recently.

Kampung Orang Asli Erong in the Hilir Perak district located some 80 kilometres from Teluk Intan town, has 240 residents and is the only Orang Asli settlement in the Teluk Intan parliamentary constituency.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng when tabling the 2019 Budget last Friday among others announced the RM100 million allocation to empower the development of Orang Asli communities through construction and upgrading of infrastructure for supply of water, electricity, roads, health and education facilities.

In pursuing the government’s commitment to improve and raise the standard of basic amenities, especially in rural areas, the government proposed an allocation of RM926 mil for the building and upgrading of main roads, rural roads and bridges.