THE Orang Asli Affairs Department (Jakoa) has requested approval from the Finance Ministry for  back payments to school bus operators serving Orang Asli children in Cameron Highlands.

Jakoa director-general Prof Dr Juli Edo said the department was committed to resolving the issue highlighted by Cameron Highlands MP Ramli Mohd Nor.
 
“Jakoa has taken action by raising requests for payments for April, May and June 2019 to the Finance Ministry for consideration and approval.

“Jakoa has enough allocation to make the payments and needs the Finance Ministry’s approval, in line with current regulations before the payments can be issued,” Juli said in a statement.

The Malaysian Insight reported today that a few bus operators in the federal constituency in Pahang had stopped sending Orang Asli schoolchildren from their villages to schools, and more were planning to do so.

This, according to Ramli, was taking place as the bus operators had not been paid since March.

Ramli, a first time Barisan Nasional MP, said there were between 1,000 and 2,000 Orang Asli children in his seat.

Those who lived in villages in the interior, such as Sinderut, had to travel as far as 40km to the nearest school.

Ramli said he had checked with Jakoa and was told that the Prime Minister’s Department is responsible for paying the school bus allocation to Jakoa.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy is the minister who oversees Orang Asli affairs. – August 28, 2019.