Scramble on for Orang Asli votes

In the battle for Hulu Selangor, every vote counts, including the 721 from the often-ignored Orang Asli community.

With polling day on April 25 , time is the essense.

So crucial are their votes, in fact, that both sides of the battle have already begun courting them with goodies, or at least promises of some.

Having secured only one percent of the Orang Asli vote in the 2008 general election, PKR had been waging a losing battle.

But the aim of the game is now not to win over the traditional BN voters, but to sway as many of the fence-sitters as possible.

Party sources tell Malaysiakini that the goal is to secure at least 10 percent of the Orang Asli vote, which is not something to sneeze at considering PKR scraped through in the 2008 polls with a razor-thin majority of only 198 votes in Hulu Selangor.

If anything, PKR cannot be faulted for not trying.

While BN is using federal agencies like the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA) to throw millions of ringgit in the community's direction, PKR is finding creative means of using the Selangor state exco.

While Rural Development Minister Shafie Apdal went to the ground with promises of new homes, Selangor tourism exco Elizabeth Wong, who is also responsible for Orang Asli affairs, killed two birds with one stone with a 4x4 expedition last Saturday.

A Tourism Selangor event attended by university student volunteers, the two-day expedition included stops at several Orang Asli settlements in the constituency, which is the size of Malacca state.

It also saw the Pakatan government spend approximately RM10,000 in provisions for the settlements during the trip, which could have backfired on them since - Pakatan being so new to the ‘game' - many villagers thought the expedition organisers were from the BN.

Orang Asli think BN still in power

Their first stop was Kampung Orang Asli Serendah, located about 20-minutes' drive from Serendah town, where 200 people live in ramshackle wooden houses, some without electricity.

The villagers are either rubber tappers, grass cutters or factory workers, and the children, seen running barefoot to greet the expedition, attend primary school in a government pre-school in the village or one in the neighbouring residential area.

There also exists a community clinic, courtesy of the International Medical University.

But one resident and long-time BN voter said he has never seen a BN representative enter the settlement in the decades that he has lived there.

"Until now, that is," he said, mistakenly identifying the gaggle of student volunteers in matching T-shirts and with glittery star-shaped stickers on their cheeks as BN representatives.

When told that this was a different government, the middle-aged man, who requested anonymity, was taken aback.

At Kampung Orang Asli Tun Abdul Razak, located at the fringes of Kuala Kubu Bahru, an articulate single mother in her 40s was equally as surprised that BN is no longer in power in Selangor.

The woman had until recently been employed as a cleaner in town, and ventured out of the settlement often.

"I usually don't know who to vote for, unless someone tells me. If they tell me I should vote for the crescent moon, then the crescent moon it is," she said.

This is not news for Wong ( right) , who blames this on JHEOA's not taking down photos of former MB Khir Toyo from their offices.

When asked if this will ruin their chances in the by-election on Apr 25, she was quick to point out that Pakatan's efforts goes beyond that, and that her visit has nothing to do with it.

Selangor-based Orang Asli activist Sokyen Man, for one, is convinced.

"The Orang Asli have been treated better by the Pakatan government. We feel like our views are taken into account," he said, citing a recent dialogue that was held to discuss the contentious land issue.

Land ownership, he said, has long been the Orang Asli problem, as most do not hold any grants on the land that they live or work on.

While the federal government appears to be steamrolling land policies, ostensibly for the Orang Asli, at least the Pakatan government is willing to discuss the issues, he said.

Consequently, there is strong Orang Asli support for PKR in Pahang, which Sokyen believes may help PKR's case in Hulu Selangor.

Many of the 16 settlements in Hulu Selangor are located either at the border of Pahang or Perak border, where there is also a strong grassroots and activist movement.

At the end of the day, Sokyen said, the Orang Asli community is growing weary of outsiders and will most likely only trust their own people.

This is partly caused by allegations that a government agency has been facilitating the misappropriation of Orang Asli land by private properties for commercial purposes such as logging.

PKR has been quick to use this to their advantage.

According to PKR Pahang Orang Asal Affairs chairperson Suhaimi Said, 60 Orang Asli members of PKR Pahang will arrive in Hulu Selangor on Apr 17 to ‘spread the word' to the local community.

Others are also expected to arrive from Perak and Negri Sembilan for the same purpose.

Likewise, a dialogue session with the community last Saturday was spearheaded by Orang Asli members of the Selangor government's Taskforce for Land and Orang Asli Issues.

"Orang Asli are tired of being lied to (and) their support for the BN government has begun to waver," Sokyen said.

It is these uncertain voters that PKR is trying to win over in this fight where every vote matters.

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