20 free houses for Tenang's Orang Asli

If by-elections are a windfall for local residents - such as those making RM6,000 on rent for a double-storey house in Tenang during just the polls campaign period - then what about the goodies for people like minority voters?

Tenang has two villages made up of indigenous people - Kampung Ulu Juaseh and Kampung Segamat Kecil. They have emerged as among the biggest beneficiaries in the northern Johor constituency.

This is despite there being only 193 voters in the two communities.

The goodies came as early as yesterday, with Rural and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal ( left in photo ) visiting both villages and promising to build them 20 new houses, free.

However, the pledge to build the units costing RM33,000 each, to be implemented under the housing scheme for the hardcore poor (PPRT), came with a clear political message.

Shafie told the native people: "We know who is powerful, BN is powerful, the menteri besar is from BN, there's no reason to choose the opposition. If the opposition assemblyperson requests (assistance) from the menteri besar, he will not get it.

"It is just like PAS requesting PPRT schemes from me, I won't give. But if tok batin (the community village head) requests, I will give because I know he supports BN," he told a meet-the-people session at Kampung Ulu Juaseh.

"So will you support BN?" asked Shafie, to which he received ecstatic cries of sokong! (support).

Flanked by a dozen of officers from the Department of Orang Asli Development (JKOA) Shafie presented mock house keys to the selected owners and also distributed boxes of goodies to those present.

Each box, weighing more than 20kg, contained rice, condensed milk, biscuits, dried anchovies and other food items.

Better infrastructure

Kampung Ulu Juaseh, located about 10km from Labis town, is home to 48 families, making up 235 people, of whom only 68 are registered voters.

It was therefore no surprise to hear the excited villagers cry out sokong Barisan towards the end of the function.

The village enjoys better infrastructure if compared with indigenous people villages in Pahang and Kelantan, for instance.

It has clean water and electricity, a mobile clinic and a kindergarten.

Several wooden houses along the tarred road have been upgraded to brick houses. The villagers do not have to survive on forest products, for they are all employed in the oil palm and rubber plantations.

Their children attend the nearby Kampung Tenang primary school and a secondary school at Labis, and are given an allowance of RM76 a month for transport, as a means of ensuring their access to basic education.

Apart from the 10 houses pledged yesterday, the village has over the past two years received 16 free houses, and Shafie visited one of them today - the home of Sharif Dagoh and family who had moved in only last October.

The 32-year-old father of two could not stop thanking BN for the free house. "I cannot believe I'm so fortunate to own such a house. I'm so happy. We will vote for BN." Sharif said enthusiastically.

Ever-smiling he said 100 percent of the villagers were staunch BN supporters, while at Kampung Segamat Kecil, BN support stood "only at 90 percent".

Before Kampung Ulu Juaseh, Shafie stopped at Kampung Segamat Kecil, where he also promised ­10 free houses - and 10 streetlamps too.

More help wanted

However the people of both the villages want more help from the government.

"We hope the government can give us land to plant our own rubber trees," said Sharif, who relies on odd jobs to make his living.

Another new house owner, Hamzah Silam concurred, saying soaring commodity prices were a bane as most of the people do not own land.

This rubber tapper, who earns RM500 a month complained that the money is hardly enough for his family of three children.

Though the indigenous people make up less than 1.3 percent of the 14,000-plus Tenang voters, BN is giving them extraordinary attention during this by-election campaign.

High-ranked politicians and government officials take turn to visit them almost every day, bringing goodies along.

Johor Mentri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman ( left ) has visited them and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom is due to visit them today.

Fully aware that it is near impossible to convert such BN loyalists, Pakatan Rakyat is passing over Kampung Ulu Juaseh and Kampung Segamat Kecil to focus its limited resources elsewhere.

VIDEO | 6.11 mins