A group comprising up to 500 members of the Orang Asli community in Pahang, who had gathered at Wisma Pahang in Kuantan today, was successfully able to hand over a memorandum concerning the gazetting of their land to Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob.

NONE Speaking for the Peninsula Malaysia Orang Asli Villages Network (JKOASM), Shafie Dris said their representative was also able to meet with Adnan ( right, in green ) and several state exco members to discuss the issue.

“We assembled at Wisma Sri Pahang for half an hour when the MB arrived. We surrendered the memorandum to him. He said we had reasonable demands. One, or two, were not (reasonable). However, he did now specify which ones they were.

“We were also given food by them. We have now gathered at the Kuantan Municipal Council 2 (MPK2) field to find out the outcome of the meeting with the menteri besar,” Shafie said when contacted by Malaysiakini .

According to Shafie, the group began to assemble at 10.30am at the MPK2 field, before marching to Wisma Pahang, which houses the MB’s office.

NONE During the march, he said the group carried banners with the words “ Iktiraf tanah adat Orang Ali (Declare Orang Asli customary land)”, “ Batalkan rizab yang bertindih dengan tanah Orang Asli (Revoke reserve lands which overlaps Orang Asli land)" and " Kami bukan pendatang (we are not immigrants)".

They also cried out slogans, “ Hidup Orang Asli (long live the Orang Asli)” and “ Hidup rakyat (long live the rakyat )”, before Adnan’s arrival half an hour later.

Eight-point memorandum

The eight-point memorandum, among others, outlines their demand that the state government recognise their customary land and revoke the license of the contractor carrying out work on the said land.

NONE The indigenous community is also seeking the government to put an end to all activities being carried out on their land, as well as revoke the license of the contractor conducting land surveying work there.

In acknowledging the land belongs to the native community, they want the government to reallocate reserve lands which they claim overlaped upon their ancestral land.

It also states the government must abolish two provisions in the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 concerning areas and reserves allocated for the community.

Section 6(3) and 7(3) of the Act 134 empowers the minister to cancel the declaration of any native land or reserve at any time, without any discussion or consultation.

The memorandum further demands the abolition of the aboriginal land alienation policy, which they deem “does not bring any benefit to the Orang Asli community”.