AFTER years of being robbed of their ancestral land surrounding the once-idyllic Tasik Chini in Pahang, the Orang Asli are fighting back.

Their beef is with the state’s Barisan Nasional administration, which they say has been “stealing” their land and giving it to outsiders to cultivate oil palm and rubber.

Tasik Chini is the pulse for some 800 indigenous folk from five villages, namely Kg Gumum, Kg Ulu Gumum, Kg Tanjung Puput, Kg Light and Kg Melai, surrounding the lake.

The village chiefs are unanimous about taking the fight for their land to the state government. They have met lawyers and are confident that their efforts will bear fruit.

Kg Gumum chief Nobi Sia told The Malaysian Insight that the Jakun tribe has not only lost its ancestral land, but also its source of income.

“There is nothing left for us here. Our ancestral land has been taken away.

“This is why we are thinking of suing the government, to claim back what is rightfully ours.

“We have met lawyers and all of us have agreed to take on the state government.”

Tasik Chini is the second-largest natural lake in the country after Tasik Bera and recognised by Unesco as a biosphere reserve area. It is surrounded by rainforests and is home to the Jakun and Semelai tribes.

The Orang Asli consider the lake, famous for its Naga Tasik Chini myth, their sanctuary.

Tasik Chini comprises 12 lakes with a total area of 5,084ha, and the Orang Asli there refer to it as a “sea”. The area is also a natural buffer zone for rainwater catchment.

The lake’s water, once crystal blue, is now muddied from logging and mineral mining.

Last year, former Tasik Chini Research Centre head Mushrifah Idris warned that the area was at risk of losing its biosphere reserve status if exploration continues.

Unesco conducts an audit once every decade. The last exercise at Tasik Chini took place between May and September last year.

Pahang last year said 118ha, or 2.3%, of the 5,084ha forest area had been explored, while mining affected 4.68ha in reserve and off-reserve areas.

It had also said it would enact the Pahang Biodiversity Act as a step towards revitalising Tasik Chini.

Flood barriers hurt livelihood

Nobi, however, said the state government’s move to enact the act will not fix the situation.

Besides logging and mining, he said, the construction of flood barriers in the 1990s at Kuala Sg Chini also affected the Orang Asli.

He said the government had set up the barriers to control and manage the water level for boat trips, adding that boats were the only means of transportation at the time.

“Tasik Chini is connected to Sg Pahang, and so many people commute from Chini to Pahang or Pahang to Chini using this route.

“It used to be a busy place.”

The project, however, turned out to be a failure because it could not control the lake’s water level and also impacted on the Orang Asli’s livelihood.

“When the flood barriers were constructed, fish and prawns from Sg Pahang could not enter Kuala Sg Chini,” said Nobi, 66.

“When the dam was built, we had to find food from the forest. People do not want to come here any more. It is hot, not chilly like before.

“It is all over for us.”

He expressed hope that the state government will compensate the Orang Asli who have lost their livelihood.

‘Najib lied to us’

Nobi said the Orang Asli have been defending their land for decades.

Among the actions taken was sending a memorandum to then prime minister Najib Razak in 2012. Najib is still Pekan MP.

“Najib lied to us. We should have met him to submit a memorandum in November 2012,” said Nobi.

“We were promised that Najib would meet us at 10am in his office but when we arrived, only his representative was waiting.

“This is why we dislike Najib.”

He said Najib has never been to the Orang Asli villages near Tasik Chini despite being an MP.

The Orang Asli had also gathered at the menteri besar’s office to make known their objections.

“Similarly, then menteri besar Adnan Yaakob said the state government does not recognise our customary land,” said Nobi.

“We have done a lot of things, but the government refuses to hear us.”

Nobi’s son, Jamal, said the Orang Asli now have to leave their villages in search of jungle produce.

“We have to go in and out of the forest for about 40km just to find tongkat Ali, rotan and tree roots because the jungle near Tasik Chini is gone.

“How can anyone go there? There is a mine (Bukit Ketaya) here, and there is an oil palm plantation near Tasik Chini.”

He said villagers continue to fish in the lake despite it being polluted.

“There’s not much fish left in the lake. Some species are gone, like the kelisa.

“Most of the time, we have to buy fish even though we can’t afford it. It also does not taste like how it used to.”

Tasik Chini was also a source of drinking water for the Orang Asli, he added.

“But now, no one dares to even bathe in the lake. The water is dark and muddy.”

Jamal said in the past, they could make money selling handicrafts.

“By selling handicrafts alone, we could earn at least RM300 to RM400 a day.”

However, not many foreign tourists come to the area nowadays, as pollution has marred Tasik Chini’s beauty.

Nee Tankiat, who runs a homestay in Kg Gumum, concurred on the lack of visitors.

“There were so many foreign tourists who came here, but now, they are gone. They were shocked to see the lake’s condition.

“If there are people coming, it is the locals,” said the 73-year-old, who has been in the business for more than 30 years.

Following her husband’s death, Nee runs the chalet with her son.

Once in a while, she said, a stench emanates from the lake, believed to be from mining and logging.

Gone for future generations

For Jamal, the most worrying thing is that future generations of Orang Asli will only hear stories about how beautiful Tasik Chini once was.

“We are worried that if not protected, Tasik Chini will be gone, and our grandchildren will never be able to admire its beauty.

“If I live, I can still tell them stories because I grew up here. Possibly, I will die here, too.”

Witnessing the destruction of Tasik Chini, which he has known all his life, leaves him feeling shattered.

Jamal said his quest for justice has left him with many unpleasant memories.

“People say it is hard to stomach. It is hard for me because I grew up here, and I have gone through a lot.

“But what can we do? My father and I have been to Kuala Lumpur and Kuantan, but no one listens to us.

“We are frustrated. From the menteri besar to the prime minister, nobody cares. We have a lot of sad stories.” – February 12, 2020.