THE Mah Meri community in Bagan Lalang, Sepang, Selangor, who were given until yesterday to clear out to make way for a tourism project have decided to stay put while they consider other options.

The Orang Asli villagers arrived at this decision after meeting the Bar Council’s committee on Orang Asli rights yesterday morning to get a better understanding of their land rights.

“Before this, they were not aware of their rights to this land. They just listened to the authorities and agreed to vacate,” Siti Kasim, the committee’s chairman told The Malaysian Insight.

The land on which the village sits is owned by the Sepang land and district office and Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd.

On April 20, 36 villagers were served with an eviction notice and given until May 20 to vacate.

They had appealed to the land office and PNSB for an extension to the deadline, citing the pandemic as one of the reasons. However, no formal extension has been offered to them.

The Orang Asli were asked to vacate to make way for a development plan under the Sepang Gold Coast development project.

Although the villagers were not told what the plan for the land was, PNSB said the company is looking to develop it into a tourist destination.

According to its website, the Sepang Gold Coast development project has an estimated gross development value of RM1 billion.

“Their right to the land doesn’t start when the first house was built here 20 years ago, but they have a right to this land from their continued usage and control of the land,” said Siti, who was accompanied by lawyers Saha Deva and Bah Tony.

“According to the villagers, they have foraged on this part of the land for more than 500 years. This is their ancestral land.

“It is the same with the tribe in the jungle, and how they can claim parts of it. It is because they use it and they forage there.”

She added that the government should have consulted the Orang Asli before they decided to evict them.

“Malaysia is a signatory of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007 (UNDRIP), and, by virtue of that, they are entitled to free, fair and informed consent before the government decides to evict them for development.”

“They asked us for advice and that’s why we are here. Ultimately, it is their decision whether or not to pursue the matter further.”

Relieved there are options

One of those who received the eviction notice, Khairul Asmar, said he is relieved that the villagers have an option other than vacating the land.

“When we were served the eviction notice we agreed to leave because we did not know any better.

“We didn’t know about our land rights or that we can have a claim to this land because we have foraged here for hundreds of years,” he said after attending the three-hour meeting with the Bar Council representatives at the village yesterday. Some 20 other villagers also attended.

Khairul said the Mah Meri depend on the sea for a living as they are fishermen.

“Our livelihoods will be affected if we are forced to leave.”

Right now, the villagers are still undecided on their next step.

“We are aware that some parties may not be happy if we claim this land as our ancestral land.

“The Mah Meri are generally non-confrontational in nature. We are still considering all our options before making a decision.” – May 21, 2021.