KUALA LUMPUR – It might be unintentional, but when it comes to the annual Budget, the Orang Asli often get the short end of the stick.
This is the case again despite the proposed funding for their well-being being upped from RM140 million this year to RM158 million in Budget 2021, which was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat last Friday.
To put it in context, RM158 million is equivalent to 0.04% of the Budget’s total allocation of RM322.5 billion.
“It is a very negligible amount,” said the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns’ Colin Nicholas.
“We are talking about RM158 million for 200,000 Orang Asli from 853 registered villages. If you divide the RM158 million by their population, how much do they get?”
The answer is RM790 each.
The scenario is no different at the state level.
Selangor has, for the second time in a row, allocated the same amount – RM500,000 – for the welfare of the community, which the latest available figures put at 19,761 in the state. This amounts to RM25.30 for each Orang Asli.
“On average, the Orang Asli villagers here earn about RM700 a month. It is not enough. We need to be very prudent or we won’t have enough money,” said Samsul Anak Senin of the Temuan tribe from Kg Busut Baru.
Matters concerning the Orang Asli are under the purview of the Malay rulers, with aid rendered by the federal government’s Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa).
There are 18 Orang Asli ethnic groups in the peninsula, with most living in poverty.
A Selangor assemblyman has implored for more funding for the community.
“It is too small of an allocation,” said Datuk Ahmad Yunus Hairi (PAS-Sijangkang) at Monday’s state assembly sitting.
“What is the harm of giving more money to them?”
He lauded an Orang Asli student who was recently accepted into university.
“I would like to congratulate Nur Sazunisa Anjang, who has received her offer letter. This is a good achievement. It shows that with proper support, the Orang Asli community can be developed, especially in terms of education.”
Colin cautioned that increased allocation alone will not lift the Orang Asli out of poverty.
“We need a reform (of Orang Asli development policies), not just more money. We need to make sure that the money set aside for the Orang Asli is used for what it is meant for.”
He brought up the need to re-evaluate the efficacy of the government’s agriculture-based development schemes for the community.
“In most Orang Asli areas, the policy now is to give them agriculture development, such as rubber and oil palm. But the land given via these schemes is collectively owned instead.
“It is not like Felda schemes, where one family gets five to seven acres of land to toil themselves. Now, everything is managed by a corporation, set up by either Risda, Felcra or Jakoa.
“So, after deducting salaries, management fees, and fertiliser and labour costs, the Orang Asli get something like a dividend. In some cases, they do not even know where the land is.”
He said Orang Asli at a Pahang settlement who took part in such schemes last year earned only RM200 to RM800 a month due to the economic downturn.
Things were not always this way, he said, pointing out that the government has a “Felda-like agriculture scheme for the Orang Asli” and it worked wonders.
“In 2010, when the prices of palm oil and rubber were high, the Orang Asli under the schemes could earn RM3,000 to RM5,000 a month. A friend, who was a bank clerk, stopped working for a month just to tap rubber.
“There are zero hints of such reforms in this Budget.
“Where is the empowerment of the Orang Asli? To empower the Orang Asli means to allow them to take ownership of the project. Let them decide what they want, and allow them to do it.” – The Vibes, November 12, 2020
