'We were here first,' Orang Asli rebut quarry and MB's trespass claims

Summary

• Orang Asli community in Kampung Chang Lama refutes claims of trespassing, asserting their ancestral land rights.

• The dispute involves a quarry company's land title and a lease extension on land that the Orang Asli claim is theirs.

A representative from the Orang Asli community in Kampung Chang Lama, Bidor, has rebutted a quarry company and Perak Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad’s claims that they were the trespassers on their ancestral land.

Village head Sabran Aalap decried these remarks as insulting and historically inaccurate, saying his people have inhabited the region since time immemorial - predating World War II, the emergence of Bidor and Malaysia itself.

"Who named the mountains, rivers and valleys now on official maps?

"Whose ancestral graves pepper the landscape? Were it the Malays, Chinese, and Indians?

"For centuries, where have we sought our food?" he questioned in a statement today.

The dispute arose when Siong Emas Sdn Bhd claimed that it was the Orang Asli who had "encroached" on the land, as the company holds the land title for a 2.832ha plot called Lot 16225 in Batang Padang.

The quarry firm was first granted a 30-year lease for the site on Feb 14, 2007, which expired on May 26, 2022, and has since been extended for another 44 years.

On April 18, environmental group Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) questioned how the company was granted a lease on the Orang Asli ancestral land.

Yesterday, Saarani urged the Orang Asli community not to be easily swayed by certain quarters pushing particular agendas.

When asked if he had any intentions to visit the Orang Asli residents in Kampung Chang Lama, the menteri besar pointed to his previous statement, asserting that state departments had denied any sort of encroachment by the private company.

“If it is true that (encroachment on Orang Asli land) did happen, I would have to go to the area, but since (the claims) are not true, why would I have to go down?" he questioned.

On April 19, Saarani said the Perak Land and Mines Office and the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) informed him that there is no truth behind the allegations.

‘Cannot live in peace’

The Orang Asli villagers expressed fear for their homes and rights, especially since sacrifices were already made in the past.

Sabran lamented decades of neglect by state and federal authorities, during which significant tracts of customary land were allocated to outsiders.

"We are weary because we cannot live in peace and tranquillity on our own homeland, within the territory of our ancestral lands.

"Our ancestors' sacrifice was to forsake the area now known as the Bidor town to the settlers of that time so that we might live undisturbed," he said.

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