The Kelantan Orang Asli today lashed out at Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat and demanded an apology for labelling them as “people from other states” after they staged a protest outside the MB’s office last Sunday.

Nik Aziz had reportedly said that some 300 people who attended the protest to highlight their land plight were not locals and that they had been instigated by certain quarters to go against the state.

NONE At a press conference, Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Kelantan (JKOAK) president Azmi Badul ( left in photo ) dismissed the MB's claim by reading out his identity card numbers, which contain the digits 03, to prove that he is from Kelantan.

He also displayed a name list to show that all the protesters were from the 26 Pos (village) of Gua Musang, near south Kelantan.

“We had spent three days to go around collecting money so as to rent buses to go Kota Bahru.

“We don’t know who had instigated us. If the MB knows, please ask him to tell us,” he told the media in jest.

Orang Asli hesitant to back Pakatan

The Kelantan Orang Asli is upset with the PAS-led state government for issuing logging licences on their ancestral land, and encroachment by Ladang Rakyat, a state agriculture project.

Orang Asli protest Kelantan The members submitted a memorandum urging the state government to immediately withdraw from their land at Sunday’s protest and vowed to commence legal action if no response was forthcoming.

The movement’s representative Shafie Dris also told the media that orang asli and their supporters “will be hesitant to a cross the Pakatan ballot” as they have lost faith in PAS.

“We are worried if Pakatan takes over Putrajaya, orang asli in Malaysia will suffer the same fate like those in Kelantan,” he said.

He added that orang asli NGOs will try to seek a meeting with the Pakatan leadership but would not hold any further discussions with the state on the matter.

“There had been enough talks, we are getting frustrated. It’s easier to go to court.”

Shafie said orang asli, who were living in a dire state without basic infrastructures and utilities, do not care about politics but rather a resolution to their land plight.

The protest last week was the third civil disobedience action by the community since January, and they claim the state government has ignored their plight so far.

On Jan 4, orang asli set up blockades on the main roads leading to their villages to prevent loggers from trespassing, but abruptly dismantled them after being assured the state government will address their concerns within two weeks.

Failing to receive any response from the state administration, they attempted to put up the blockades again on Jan 28, resulting in 13 of them being arrested and the blockades burnt down by police.