IT is not groundbreaking information that the Orang Asli have been living in structural poverty for decades.
But the last two crises – the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent floods – have further impoverished the community, which survives on daily wages from fishing.
Their homes were badly damaged and they suffered other devastating losses, valued at a minimum of RM4,000 per household.
Let’s look at how easy or tough it would be for them to recoup the losses. During the fishing season (January, March, June and September), they can earn up to RM100 per day after deducting operating expenses, which are mostly to pay for fuel.
During the normal season, average income is around RM50 per day. There is zero income when it rains.
The community does not have savings to resist an economic shock, be it from the pandemic or an environmental disaster.
A community leader told us that it’s not surprising to see a fisherman, who has worked for 40 years, to have only RM2,000 in savings. A fisherman working for two years would have savings of RM200.
Women don’t usually own any savings or bank accounts.
The Orang Asli don’t have big boats, big nets or technology, leading to lower turnover compared to the Chinese and Malay fishermen.
There is not much support from their children as they work in nearby factories and earn a minimum wage of RM1,200. After Socso and EPF deductions, their take-home salaries are hardly enough to support their families.
Last Sunday, my office distributed clothes and dry food including rice, medicine, masks and saliva test kits to the Orang Asli community in Pulau Indah, Klang.
But this would only support them for a week if it’s a small family and three days for larger ones.
Many poverty issues arise from the fact that their income is rather low, and with many children whom they can hardly support. They end up borrowing money or goods from their relatives in the neighbourhood, including sanitary pads (because of period poverty), milk powder and dry foodstuff.
And falling sick at night means forgoing food expenditure for a week as they would end up forking over RM50 to RM100 for consultations at private clinics.
These fishermen are self-employed and do not subscribe to Socso and EPF, further weakening their social protection.
Clearly, the Orang Asli community needs an urgent social protection system to weather uncertainties and loss of income.
A new approach would be to get the government to provide a minimum wage of RM1,200, and put in place a social protection system and safety mechanisms that are accessible to the community.
We have treated the Orang Asli like sub-humans for decades. It’s time to change reality. – The Vibes, December 28, 2021
Charles Santiago is Klang MP
