The Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, has called on planners to take into account the views, aspirations and the culture of the Orang Asli before implementing any development programmes for the community.

judges conference 090408 raja nazrin He said that development programmes which were planned in a haphazard manner and based on general assumptions would not be able to achieve the desired results, causing wastage of fund.

"Their culture and ways of thinking should serve as a guidance. Their views should be sought and the avenues for them to voice out should be opened and facilitated.

"Their interests should be regarded as an important component right from the planning stage," he said when opening the Perak Orang Asli Excellence Centre in Kampung Kerawat, Simpang Pulai, near here today.

He said the Orang Asli population of 140,000 people was not huge and that their development needs could be tackled through wise and structured deployment of programmes.

Zero poverty by 2020

Raja Dr Nazrin also said that the country could be considered as having failed to develop the Orang Asli if 25 years from now there were still members of the community who were lagging behind.

orang asli protest in putrajaya 170310 "Let's make it a common resolve, a ‘fardu kifayah’ which we must set out to achieve, to take the 140,000 Orang Asli together in the country's march towards progress," he said.

He also said that the government's target of taking 3,410 of 13,642 Orang Asli households out of poverty by 2015 and to achieve a zero-poverty rate among the community by 2020 was a realistic target.

Present were the Raja Puan Besar of Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim, and Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir.

- Bernama