'Do you think we're brainless' - Orang Asli villager berates Perak MB

Summary

• An Orang Asli resident from Kampung Chang Lama in Bidor tells the Perak menteri besar not to insult the community’s intelligence.

• Man Badai tells Saarani Mohamad that they are fighting to keep their ancestral land, in response to the menteri besar telling the Orang Asli not to be easily swayed by certain quarters.

• Man also berates Pakatan Harapan leaders for keeping mum on the matter.

In a scathing rebuttal to Saarani Mohamad, an Orang Asli man told the Perak menteri besar not to insult their intelligence by accusing them of being easily swayed.

“Saarani’s accusation that we got swayed by other people’s influence is an insult to us, as if we have no brains to think what is good or bad for us.

“We’re not fighting for Bidor, Tapah, or Ipoh towns. We are voicing out for a land we have lived on for generations,” said Man Badai, a resident of Kampung Chang Lama, in a statement today.

On April 23, Saarani urged the Orang Asli community in the area not to be easily swayed by certain quarters pushing particular agendas.

The menteri besar said this when commenting on allegations that state authorities had failed to protect Orang Asli ancestral land in Kampung Chang Lama, Bidor, from quarry company Siong Emas Sdn Bhd.

Denying there was any land encroachment, Saarani also sidestepped questions about whether he would visit the place, arguing that the state departments have already denied the allegations.

Why disrupt our lives?

Unimpressed, Man reminded Saarani that the Orang Asli community had never disturbed the peace of city dwellers.

However, he accused civilised people from the cities of disrupting their peaceful lives, until they now have problems putting food on the table.

“You people harp on about your high education levels and boast about making a living in the cities without living off the land.

“If that is the case, why do you outsiders keep buying our ancestral land and doing projects on it?

“Use your education to build an empire of wealth in the cities - rear pigs, quarries, or other projects in the cities. Why mess with our land?” Man asked.

Silent Harapan leaders

Meanwhile, Man also criticised Pakatan Harapan leaders, alleging they have not fulfilled their promises to the Orang Asli since 2008.

Singling out Perak state executive councillor A Sivanesan, deputy minister and Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran, and former PKR MP Loh Gwo Burne, Man reminisced about how the trio promised to turn Kampung Chang Lama into an Orang Asli reserve land during a Perak Indigenous Community Day celebration.

“Since then, we have always campaigned for Harapan’s win, believing they will fulfil the promises made.

“But now they are in the state administration, with some even becoming ministers, why have they gone quiet?

“Are they afraid of losing their positions? What sort of assemblypersons and MPs do we have here?” Man lamented.

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