Orang asli: Department should work with Orang Asal

NST Online » Letters

2008/10/03

Orang asli: Department should work with Orang Asal

By : SUE THOMAS, Kuala Lumpur

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Malaysia’s indigenous people have been active in international forums under the United Nations.

THANK you, Colin Nicholas. Your letter "Respect rights of Orang Asli" (NST, Sept 24) was indeed an eye-opener.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there is active participation by our indigenous people in national and international forums such as the UN Convention of Biological Diversity and the Framework Convention on Climate Change as well as in several regional initiatives on issues involving indigenous people. Sabahans must be proud to have Jannie Lasimbang, an Orang Asal from Sabah, as one of the five experts sitting on the Geneva-based Expert Mechanism on Indigenous Peoples Rights established under the UN Human Rights Council. Adrian Lasimbang, the president of Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS), in his letter, "Orang Asli had a lot to do with that march" (NST, Sept 25), states that their "continuing poverty is continued through bad policy and bad interpretation of our customary laws and international rights". If the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (which is supposed to be responsible for the "protection, well-being and advancement" of the Orang Asli) is really serious about improving the lot of our indigenous people, they should accept the invitation of the president of JOAS to engage with them for discussions and "learn about ways to justly ensure good governance" so that the Orang Asal will become a fully developed and secure community in Malaysia.