Orang Asli deaths – minister's transport idea 'laughable'

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The tragic deaths of Orang Asli children in Gua Musang, Kelantan, should be a call for serious reforms on how the government deals with the community and not just the pushing of piecemeal solutions.

Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang made this assertion today following Rural and Regional Development Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's announcement that the government will provide transportation services to Orang Asli pupils.

Lim said this was "laughable".

Ismail had said the service will be given every fortnight to 16,905 Orang Asli pupils living at 94 primary school hostels, to prevent them from venturing home on their own.

This followed the disappearance of seven students on Aug 23 from SK Pos Tohoi, situated in the dense jungle of Gua Musang.

"For a start, Sabri should announce in Parliament a major revamp of Orang Asli community services which would involve the appointment - within 30 days - of an Orang Asli to head the Orang Asli Affairs Department (Jakoa).

"It is a crying shame and a terrible indictment of the government's efforts to uplift Orang Asli community that after 58 years, the government is unable to appoint an Orang Asli to be head of Jakoa.

"What is urgently needed in also a revamp of the civil service, with the appointment and promotion of Orang Asli public servants to important posts in the civil service," Lim said in a statement.

He pointed out that since independence, not a single Orang Asli has been appointed as minister, deputy minister, or state exco member.

'Give them privacy'

Lim also demanded that Ismail responds to the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), which complained the government had ignored its recommendations in helping the Orang Asli community.

“The commission is of the view that the social and economic marginalisation of the Orang Asli is caused by the violation of their human rights, including that to land, territories, and resources.

“The commission regrets that its many recommendations have not been acted upon and as a result, the Orang Asli community continues to face immense challenges, including marginalisation,” Suhakam acting chairperson Khaw Lake Tee had said in a separate statement today.

Despite Jakoa's insistence that it did all it could to find the missing children, the two survivors and the remains of two other children were found only 500 metres away from the school after more than a month.

Three more children are still unaccounted for.

Meanwhile, Orang Asli activist Shafie Dris urged that the two survivors who are being treated at Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, be given privacy.

"We are worried that their emotions may be affected [...] allow them to properly recover," he said in a statement today.

He urged all quarters to respect hospital rules so that the survivors can recuperate without being disturbed.



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