ORANG Asli activist Yusri Ahon was stopped by the authorities from getting much-needed food supplies to 30 families of his tribe because of the movement-control order (MCO).

Pahang police forbade Yusri from travelling to the town of Kerdau from his village in Sg Mai to pick up supplies from a civil society group delivering aid to his community.

As result, the 30 families from Kg Sungai Mai will be deprived of daily staples such as rice and cooking oil unless the authorities change their mind or new aid reaches them from the government.

“I asked the district police twice for permission to travel to pick up these supplies and twice they denied me permission,” Yusri, of the Peninsular Orang Asli network (JOAS), told The Malaysian Insight.

Yusri’s experience illustrates the double whammy that the Orang Asli are suffering as the MCO enters its third week.

First, because they were forcefully moved out of their jungles they are unable to rely on their traditional foraging and farming methods for food, said Yusri, JOAS’ vice-president.

“In the past, we could plant hill rice and tapioca. But because we can’t do any more, we now we have to depend on supplies from nearby stores.”

Second, because their settlements are in remote rural areas in the peninsula, aid is slow to reach them and it is estimated that only 20% of all villages have received supplies either from the government or civil society groups.

“There is aid from the Pahang government but it is also prioritised first for senior citizens and the disabled. So not everyone receives aid whereas with the MCO, every Orang Asli is now considered ‘vulnerable’ because he has no income.”

Restrictions on their movements by security personnel have also meant that food supplies from civil society organisations can’t reach them.

“The group could only travel to Kerdau to deliver dry food. So, I was supposed to go there and pick it up,” Yusri told The Malaysian Insight.

“But because of the MCO, I was forbidden from travelling despite the fact that I am going to get essential goods for these families.”

Kerdau in Pahang is about 29km from Yusri’s settlement in Kg Kuala Mai.

The MCO started on March 18 to stop the transmission of Covid-19, which has now claimed 57 lives and infected 3,483.

Beginning Thursday, travel for private citizens not involved in essential services and industries has been restricted to within a 10km radius from their residence.

Those going to supermarkets are only allowed to do so within the radius.

The National Security Council has also restricted civil society groups from delivering directly aid to vulnerable groups, such as the poor, Orang Asli, the disabled and refugees.

Another Orang Asli group, the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) said all of the tribes’ villages, which number about 860 nationwide, have closed off access to outsiders even before the MCO.

“They took their cue from the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) who ordered all villages to close to outsiders,” said COAC executive director Dr Colin Nicholas.

Tribes that live closer to jungles, such as the Batek and Temiar, have moved further inland to escape the virus.

COAC, together with Impian Malaysia and Raleigh International, is currently collecting funds to be distributed directly to Orang Asli villages.

“The money goes straight to a local coordinator from the settlement and the funds will be used to buy supplies from stores near the community,” said Nicholas.

“This way, we get help to the Orang Asli and work within the confines of the MCO.”

As of today, the COAC-Impian-Raleigh fund has distributed about RM20,700 out of the more than RM47,000 collected.

About 2,100 individuals have benefitted from the fund. – April 5, 2020.