BARISAN Nasional’s first Orang Asli candidate, Ramli Mohd Nor, hopes to better his community through education and economic opportunities. 

“The main aspect to bring them up in society is through education. I’m one of the results. The reason I rose up is because of education,” said Ramli during a campaign stop at Kg Bertang in Jelai today. 

He said that he also hoped to increase economic opportunities for the Orang Asli. 

The former chief of the commercial crime divisions in Penang and Negri Sembilan, Ramli is the first Semai candidate fielded by BN. 

Besides being a retired police officer, Ramli is also a PhD candidate in business studies at the University Of Malaya-Wales. 

He said that land issues was another pressing concern for the Orang Asli here, although across Pahang, it was getting better. 

“Things are going well, bit by bit,” said Ramli. 

“I’m made to understand that the surveying has already been done. There was some allocation under the previous government but I’m not sure what is happening now.”

The Orang Asli make up 22% of the 32,008 voters in the Cameron Highlands parliamentary constituency. 

They will go to the polls on January 26 for a by-election that will see a four-cornered fight between Ramli, Pakatan Harapan’s M. Manogaran and independents Sallehudin Ab Talib and Wong Seng Yee. – January 14, 2019.