A 50-year-old tok batin (Orang Asli village chief) from Kampung Labu told the Election Court in Kuala Lumpur today that he saw Jelai assemblyperson Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail hand over RM17,500 to tok batin from six villages.

The tok batin were then instructed to distribute the money to the Orang Asli in their respective villages.

Yahya Pengsan, the tok batin of Kampung Labu, said he and the village chiefs of Kampung Bukit Long, Kampung Tigol, Kampung Tidol, Kampung Saweh and Kampung Cherong had been invited to a room in Pos Sindrot, Cameron Highlands on May 6, three days before the general election.

"There, the two BN candidates, Wan Rosdy (for the Jelai state seat) and C Sivarraajh (for the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat) were present.

“There I saw Wan Rosdy give the RM17,500 for the BN machinery and the money was then to be given to the six tok batin including myself," he said.

After a short discussion the following day, Yahya said he received RM1,600 to be distributed to his villagers, with each receiving RM33.

The witness said including him and his wife, there were 48 Orang Asli voters in Kampung Labu and they each received RM33 after casting their votes on May 9.

He added there were an estimated 1,200 voters in Pos Sindrot.

The witness was responding to questions from lawyer K Shanmuga (above, left) who is acting for the DAP candidate for Cameron Highlands M Manogaran who wants to annul the general election results for the Cameron Highlands seat won by Sivarraajh.

Wan Rosdy was elected Pahang menteri besar after the election.

Fire victim

Yahya, who is the sixth witness, also agreed when questioned that the money was given to him and his villagers to ensure Wan Rosdy won in Jelai and to ensure BN won.

During cross-examination by Sivarraajh's lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun, he also agreed that Wan Rosdy, a fourth term assemblyperson, had assisted the Orang Asli community even during non-election periods.

However, said Yahya, between 2016 and this year he and his villagers did not ask for any additional allocation to be channelled to his village.

The witness also acknowledged that Wan Rosdy had given aid of RM5,000 in cash to the family of an Orang Asli whose house was burnt down in a fire.

Yahya also agreed that Manogaran had also given assistance in the form of clothes and food to the fire victim.

The seventh witness was the fire victim, Singgol Oleh, 44, who told the court that he received RM5,000 cash Wan Rosdy last year following a fire which destroyed his home in Cameron Highlands (file picture above).

The witness agreed that he himself had sought assistance from Wan Rosdy.

More development

Singgol said he also received RM200 from Wan Rosdy's BN election machinery during the May 9 election campaign period but denied the money was similar in purpose to the RM5,000 aid given to him last year.

He, however, agreed that the RM200 could be considered as "duit minyak" (petrol money) as it took him one hour to travel from his village in Kampung Tual to Sungai Koyan Umno building to meet Wan Rosdy then.

The witness said besides Wan Rosdy, Sivarraajh was also present together with other BN election machinery workers when the money was handed out.

Singgol, who is self-employed, said while he agreed that Wan Rosdy had brought a lot of development being the state representative there for 20 years, there was more that could be done.

The hearing before Justice Azizah Nawawi continues tomorrow.