The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

Launch of ‘Adopt-the-Street’ project to aid Orang Asli

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 04:51 PM PDT

March 13, 2014

Ask Lord Bobo is a weekly column by LoyarBurok where all your profound, abstruse, erudite, hermetic, recondite, sagacious, and other thesaurus-described queries are answered. Free Your Mind!

Lord Bobo, I am a 21-year-old Orang Asli. My Tok Batin has recently died. Although I was saddened by his passing, I was quite excited to participate in the democratic process of electing a new Tok Batin. I waited and waited, and all of a sudden, we had a new headman installed. No campaign, no election — how can? (Temuan from Hulu Langat, verbal inquiry)

Thank you for this inquiry, which was communicated to us by a loyal minion from the Malaysian Centre of Constitutionalism and Human Rights (MCCHR). Lord Bobo is, of course, sorry to hear about the loss of your Tok Batin. Death, like a parent-in-law, is rarely a welcome visitor.

Unfortunately, your non-experience regarding the appointment of the new headman is nothing shocking.

The Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 (APA), which was enacted to provide for the protection, well-being and advancement of the aboriginal peoples of Peninsular Malaysia, states that the 'hereditary headman of an aboriginal community shall be the headman thereof or, in the case of an aboriginal community in which the office of the headman is not hereditary, a person selected to be headman by the members of the community shall be the headman' [section 16(1)].

Essentially, this means that your headman could have been appointed due to his hereditary status, or by traditional means that may include the practice of traditional and spiritual rituals.

Villages in other parts of the Peninsular have reported that their Tok Batins are usually appointed by the Department of Orang Asli Affairs' Director-General under the recommendation of the village. There are also villages in the Peninsular which have maintained a democratic method of choosing their leaders.

While we are sure that you were disappointed by this experience, you should also be alarmed by what proceeds in the rest of section 16(1), which states that the selection of a headman is subject to the confirmation of the Minister of Rural and Regional Development. What?!

Yes, your community may have sacrificed 20 goats, crossed mountains, and fasted for 30 days to seek the approval of the gods for this new leader, but they still have to seek the approval of the Minister.

Section 16(2) slams the final nail in the coffin by stating that the Minister may remove any headman from his office.

His Supreme Eminenceness will summarise the above as follows: The government has absolute power in appointing the headman of your village. Does this sound democratic to you?

Hold on, don't stab yourself with that poisoned blowpipe dart yet. There is still hope for democracy in your village. Laws can be amended (take a look at our Constitution — it has been amended 600 times!).

What you need to do is to learn how to get your elected representatives to table this amendment (as a matter of fact, the government is currently trying to pass a highly dubious amendment to the APA that may greatly curb your community's rights to customary land).

"Get my who to table what?", you ask. Well, lucky for you, the good folks at the MCCHR have been working hard through their 'UndiMsia! – Empowering Orang Asli Youth' programme to encourage Orang Asli youths (particularly those of you in the Hulu Langat constituency) to connect with your elected representatives to solve the problems close to their hearts.

Please don't think that we are not talking about calling your MPs and ADUNs to get your 'longkang jam' taken care of. We mean hard-hitting matters like education, land issues, and Orang Asli rights.

For the past three years, UndiMsia! has been engaging with various Orang Asli communities in the Hulu Langat constituency. They have been conducting workshops and promoting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous People (UNDRIP), a comprehensive declaration that seeks to protect the rights of indigenous people all over the world.

One village has been identified to start UndiMsia!'s pilot 'Adopt-the-Street' project. Kampung Genting Peres has started to engage their elected representative and the Selangor state government on their customary land rights. They are now in the midst of strengthening their claims to their lands by working with the state to map their customary land.

They have had many conversations with their ADUN, YB Tuan Haji Razaly bin Hassan, and in the process have scored a football field.

The launch of the football field and the 'Adopt-the-Street' project is taking place this Saturday (15 March 2014) at Kampung Genting Peres (GPS N3.12371 E101.95105) from 8.00 am. Their ADUN will be there, and everyone reading this is invited to attend and even join them in a friendly game of football. Email move@undimsia.com for more information.

Come and have a chat with the ADUN — perhaps, you can begin to work with him and his colleagues to amend the APA and to bring back true democracy to your village.

Although Lord Bobo already knows your question before you even knew you had a question, as a practical display of your true desire to have your query answered, His Supreme Eminenceness has graciously allowed you to communicate your questions by either emailing asklordbobo@loyarburok.com or tweeting your question, mentioning @LoyarBurok and using the hashtag #AskLordBobo. Now, what the hell are you waiting for? Hear This and Tremblingly Obey (although trembling is optional if you are somewhere very warm)! – March 13, 2014.