Commentary by Mustafa K. Anuar

THE enforcement of the movement-control order (MCO), which is meant to curb the spread of Covid-19 virus, also applies to the Orang Asli.

To protect themselves, some members of the indigenous tribes in certain parts of the country were reported to have taken it upon themselves the responsibility of erecting blockades at entrances of roads leading to their kampung and settlements.

This is to prevent outsiders from entering and spreading the virus in their respective communities.  

The collective and self-reliant effort is illustrative of minority communities that at times have to fend for themselves, especially when confronted with external threats, such as outsiders who encroach into their customary native lands in pursuit of fortune.

These encroaching cohorts often leave a trail of environmental degradation, polluted rivers and water resources, and destroyed food resources, which, in turn, bring about destruction of the Orang Asli’s livelihood and culture, and malnutrition.

External assistance from government agencies, such as healthcare, are sometimes hard to come by partly because the deep jungle or jungle fringe, where some of the indigenous tribes live, is inaccessible by land. Hence, the need of the communities to be vigilant about health issues during the pandemic.

A recent visit by The Malaysian Insight to the Muadzam Shah district in Pahang revealed that the indigenous tribes have been adhering strictly to the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the MCO that was implemented since last March.

This adherence to the SOP is commendable as it suggests that members of the communities are conscious of their collective responsibility as well as vulnerability that would make viral infection easier if they adopt a lax attitude.

Their vulnerability is derived from malnutrition and they also do not have the financial means to pay for fines if they breach the SOP out of sheer carelessness.  

Nor do the Orang Asli have the wherewithal to plead for leniency in terms of less fine and jail sentence, let alone seek atonement of sorts, if caught breaking the law.

As it is, their socio-economic status leaves much to be desired partly because of general neglect by the authorities concerned over the years. Poverty is abundant within the communities.

The fact that, for example, only after 60 years, and just before the forthcoming Slim by-election, that the Orang Asli in Kg Sg Teras have been provided with electricity supply is a living testimony to such neglect.

Providing basic public amenities, particularly electricity, at the eleventh hour of an electoral campaign is nothing less than vulgar political expediency.

The pandemic also revealed that the indigenous communities have had difficulties in getting enough food as well as jobs to survive during the MCO period.

As shown by a few individuals who did grow their own food for survival since the MCO, these communities are in need of sizable plots of land where they could grow their own vegetables and other foods to sustain themselves, as well as a means of generating income.

These sad conditions despite many purported promises of national development, shared prosperity and caring society over the years made by previous governments that would have taken care of the Orang Asli’s welfare more effectively.

Such unsatisfactory treatment of the communities is not befitting of their indigenous status, which supposedly has been accorded special privileges in the federal constitution towards the improvement of their socio-economic standing.

A more committed effort on the part of the powers-that-be to uplift the Orang Asli’s socio-economic status following the pandemic would help to put substance to the theme of this year’s Merdeka celebration, Malaysia Cares. – August 25, 2020.