ANY discussion on the status and suggested gazettement of Orang Asli settlements as sultanate land should be done through roundtable sessions and not openly, an executive councillor said.

State Agriculture, Agro-Industry and Rural Development Committee chairman Zahari Sarip said he voiced the matter during a meeting with the Orang Asli community at several of their villages recently.

“There were some who asked about the matter. I asked them to hold a roundtable discussion, and not to do it openly as I am concerned there are parties who may take advantage.

“I myself was taken to look at an area in Kampung Sayong Pinang, Kota Tinggi, where oil palm and rubber are being cultivated by the Orang Asli, so actually there’s no issue.

“The state government, however, is still in discussion with the Orang Asli community, and we hope to resolve this matter,” he told reporters when asked about discussions between the state government and the Orang Asli community regarding the sultanate land issue today.

On March 16, Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said he was disappointed that some Orang Asli had been trespassing on government forest reserves for the purported large-scale cultivation of rubber and oil palm.

The sultan expressed his belief that there were some outside parties behind the acts, taking advantage of Orang Asli rights. He urged the government to regazette the Orang Asli settlements and reserves as sultanate land.

On May 8, more than 200 Orang Asli gathered outside Dato Jaafar Muhammad Building in Kota Iskandar, Iskandar Puteri to hand in a memorandum protesting the suggestion. – Bernama, June 23, 2023.