The Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 (Act 134) will be amended to provide absolute power for the Orang Asli community to appoint and sack their Tok Batin (headmen), Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P Waythamoorthy said.

This was among the resolutions made at the 2019 National Orang Asli Convention that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad opened yesterday, he said.

Waythamoorthy said the Orang Asli community no longer sees the power bestowed on ministers in the appointment and removal of their headmen, as provided under Section 16 (1) and Section 16 (2) of the Aboriginal Peoples Act, as appropriate now.

"They see that if the headman commits an offence that requires him to be removed from the post, it is for them (Orang Asli community) to decide.

"I welcome the suggestion and will propose for an amendment to the law to empower the Orang Asli community after the setting up of the Customary Council,” Waythamoorthy told reporters yesterday, at a session to summarise the outcome of the convention in Putrajaya.

- Bernama