SEVERAL Orang Asli (OA) communities are in two minds over the Covid-19 vaccination programme with some reportedly fleeing their villages out of fear of being vaccinated, said leaders and activists.

A lack of information about the Covid-19 vaccination is behind the misunderstanding among the Orang Asli who are under the impression the government is using them as guinea pigs to test the vaccine.

Activists said a news article has gone viral among the OA when the founder of Koperasi Pembangunan Orang Asli, Ramesh Arumugam Chettiar, asked why the government did not prioritise the community for vaccination.

Global Peace Foundation CEO Teh Su Thye told The Malaysian Insight that by the time Ramesh’s message reached the OA, it had taken on a different spin.

“It went from asking the government to prioritise the OA groups to OA groups being made test subjects for the vaccination programme.”

Teh was told the OA were in a state of panic when the news spread that they would receive the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccines to gauge their effectiveness.

The inaccurate message then started spreading like wildfire in the community.

Teh’s field officer reported that several OA villagers fled to the forest the minute they heard the false news, with some in a state of fear that the authorities would come into their villages with the vaccines.

“I think the more educated OA were not affected but many are not that literate and it was bad that some misunderstood this.

“It also affects the trust of OA towards ‘outsiders’, when they think that ‘we’ are trying to use them for an experiment.”

Teh said it is crucial the government go into these villages and educate the Orang Asli on why it’s important to be vaccinated.

Indigenous People’s Network of Malaysia (JOAS) vice-president Yusri Ahon said people in his village asked if it is true that they are going to be used as guinea pigs.

Yusri, who lives in Pahang, said several questions crossed his mind when he heard the news, such as will the vaccine eliminate Covid-19, will newborns get injections, what is the government’s plan for those who cannot get vaccinated and whether the body can accommodate future vaccines.

Indigenous People’s Network of Kelantan (JKOAK) chairman Mustafa Along said the misconception regarding the vaccine is due to the failure of the authorities to convey accurate information.

“The public know the OA community is a marginalised group, so such issues become a very big deal for our community,” Mustafa said.

While there hasn’t been much resistance towards getting vaccinated among the villagers in Mustafa’s village in Gua Musang, Kelantan, he, however, said the Semang are worried mainly because they have never received any vaccination before.

It is important that Putrajaya and health authorities discuss the vaccination programme with the Orang Asli to get their consent, he said.

Direct engagement

Professor Juli Edo, director of the Department for Orang Asli affairs (Jakoa), told The Malaysian Insight that the department is providing information on the vaccines to Orang Asli through community leaders (tok batin), including officers from Jawatankuasa Penduduk Keselamatan Kampung Orang Asli (JPKKOA).

Juli, however, said, said some anti-vaxxers are misleading the community and influencing them not to get vaccinated.

“Jakoa has always had close cooperation with the Health Ministry in managing the welfare and health of the Orang Asli.

“Therefore, all plans regarding vaccination by the MoH will be fully supported and assisted by Jakoa,” he said.

It also plans to hold a dialogue on vaccine information in OA villages with the ministry.

“There will also be a broadcast programme via Asyikfm radio,” he said.

Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the authorities are committed to ensuring that the Orang Asli are aware of the importance of vaccination to combat the coronavirus.

The ministry will further engage with the community to enhance their understanding of the vaccine and their benefits as many seem to be misinformed on the matter.

He also clarified that the OA are not in the first phase of those to be vaccinated.

Last Sunday, Malaysia received 312,390 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which landed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and in Penang. The vaccine was subsequently distributed overland across the states.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Noor Hisham received the Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday.

They are the first in the country to receive the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as the government begins a three-phase national immunisation plan to inoculate at least 80% of the population. – February 27, 2021.