IN recent weeks, we have witnessed a series of incidents in which the rights of Orang Asli communities as legitimate citizens of this country have been violated – and in certain cases, with much impunity.

This occurred despite assurances from the Pakatan Harapan government that their welfare, concerns and needs will be well taken care of.

These violations of their fundamental rights have adversely affected their physical health, security and livelihood as well as robbed them of their collective identity in an undignified way.

In one case, women of the Temiar Orang Asli in Gerik, Perak said they were given birth control pills and injections by health authorities without permission.

Medical instruction must be explained in a language that is understood by the tribe members, especially when the affected pregnant women suffer serious side effects.

At least one woman said she gave birth to a child with defects as a result.

The fact that some of these women are not fully aware of their right to informed choices makes it all the more crucial for the healthcare personnel to counsel them adequately and with much care.

Let’s be clear here: no women of right mind would want to be administered with contraceptives by force – irrespective of whether they come from urban centres or the interiors.

And even if this compelled contraception is done with supposedly good intentions.

In this regard, medical facilities for the Orang Asli, such as government clinics, should be improved and increased over time so as to ensure effective and comprehensive treatment for the benefit of the community.

The same Temiar tribe also complained of being converted to Islam without their knowledge and consent.

Such alleged modus operandi – modifying their MyKads (to include “bin” or Islam as their religion) without their knowledge obviously goes against their human rights and teachings of Islam – and must stop.

This practice, which is diabolical, demands immediate investigation and the perpetrators should be brought to justice.

The Orang Asli kids were said to have been taught Islam in school even though they do not have the intention to embrace the religion.

As citizens, these Orang Asli individuals have the freedom to practice religions and culture of their choosing, and their preferences must be respected unconditionally.

To ensure well-deserved and official recognition of their religious practices and culture, school textbooks, for instance, must include this component, not as mere tokenism but for the knowledge and appreciation of school students of various backgrounds.

This is also one way of providing a sense of belonging to Orang Asli school-going kids.

Furthermore, development aid and institutional support for the Orang Asli must not have the precondition of embracing Islam because their general welfare should come first.

Any institutional attempt to deliberately convert the Orang Asli communities without acknowledging their freedom of religion, as is the case with the Kelantan Islamic and Malay Customs Council, must be opposed.

In another issue, the Orang Asli have the right to defend their native land from aggressive incursions of predatory developers or loggers by setting up blockades no matter how rudimentary the defensive structures can be.

In most cases, they are not the ones that should be arrested.

They often find themselves in conflict with developers as well as state authorities when swathes of native land have been carved out for development without consulting the affected tribes.

In this context, they are often depicted as anti-development.

We have seen how the environment has been degraded by rampant development, which resulted in, for instance, polluted rivers, destruction of catchment areas, deforestation, endangered animals and malnutrition among Orang Asli.

The Orang Asli should be appreciated for the role they play in not only preserving their native land, but also serving the function of protecting the environment. 

They do not deserve patronising attitude of fellow citizens of this country. – July 24, 2019.