WITH only a week’s supply of food left, the Ulu Geruntum Orang Asli in Gopeng, Perak have turned to the government for immediate aid.

The Semai tribe are spread over seven villages in Gopeng, with each village having about 100 families.

Most of them are daily wage earners who work in durian plantations, factories and as cleaners in the nearby resorts.

They, however, told The Malaysian Insight that almost all of them are out of jobs now due to movement-control order (MCO), which was enforced to stop the spread of Covid-19.

With the villagers and the nearby Gopeng town in partial lockdown, they have no place to sell their jungle produce.

“This means we don’t have money to buy provisions for ourselves, even if we make it to town,” villager Wah Sona told The Malaysian Insight.

She said their food supply will be depleted by the end of the week and hopes Prime Minister Muhiyiddin Yassin’s stimulus package to provide essentials for Orang Asli will reach them soon.

Muhiyiddin had announced last week an allocation of RM25 million for senior citizens and children in welfare homes, disabled persons, the homeless and Orang Asli communities.

He had said they will be assisted through the government’s collaboration with civil society groups and social entrepreneurs to channel food aid, personal hygiene items and shelter where needed.

Wah Sona said on Monday, about 20 senior citizens received aid from the Village Security and Development Committee.

“They must be fair. If they are giving aid they must give to all,” she said.

“But what they gave was not enough. 5kg of rice, 1kg of flour, a packet of bee hoon (noodles) and a small bottle of cooking oil, which can only last maybe a week.”

She hopes the government can at least provide about 10kg or 15 kg of rice and other items as some of the villagers have large families.

As for their health, Wah Sona said that none of the villagers have been infected with the deadly coronavirus.

“There is a clinic at Kg Melayu, about 2km from where we stay. If anyone is sick they can go there as it is open daily,” she said.

The MCO was enforced from March 18 to April 14 to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

As of yesterday, Covid-19 has claimed 50 lives with 3,116 Malaysians infected.

The Ulu Geruntum Orang Asli has been in the news recently as they fought off contractors encroaching on their ancestral land to build an hydroelectric dam.

The villagers are against a hydroelectric project mooted by the previous Barisan Nasional administration.

The project involves building 31 mini dams along three rivers, including Sg Kampar.

They had filed a suit against the Perak government for approving the dams, which they said would affect their land.

Wah Sona, however, said since the MCO was enforced on Mar 18, none of the contractors were seen in the area. – April 3, 2020.