VIDEOS have emerged showing the Orang Asli offended by a Pakatan Harapan t-shirt bearing a caricature of an indigenous person, on the eve of the Cameron Highlands poll.

One video, purportedly recorded yesterday in Pos Telanok, depicts two Orang Asli men saying the t-shirt is an insult to their people.

One man is seen complaining to Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri about the Orang Asli caricature with a blowpipe under the PH logo.

“They are contesting but they use our symbols on their shirt,” said the Orang Asli, who is surrounded by Barisan Nasional campaign workers.

“They are insulting us,” he added.

He said the tok batin (village heads) should meet to discuss the issue.

Another man said PH should not have used the Orang Asli as a symbol as the people are not a political party.

“I’m unhappy about this,” he said, while holding up the t-shirt.

A second clip shows one of the men in the first video responding to what sound like leading questions from a man off-camera.

The voice asks if the Orang Asli have been threatened during the by-election campaign which began two weeks ago.

The Orang Asli man replies that they were “threatened” if they did not show up for PH events.

“So that means threats were made during the by-election campaign?” the person off-camera is heard asking.

“Yes,” the Orang Asli replies.

The local Orang Asli Semai tribe accounts for 6,000 votes, or 20% of the electorate in Cameron highlands, making their support crucial if the candidate hopes to win.

BN is fielding a candidate from the Semai tribe, Ramli Mohd Nor, who is the first Orang Asli candidate for the seat.

PH is represented by M. Manogaran, who succeeded in getting the election court to annul BN’s win in GE14, on grounds the candidate, C. Sivarraajh  bribed the Orang Asli for their votes. – January 25, 2019.