WRONG TO SAY ORANG ASLI ARE MARGINALIZED

I refer to the letter, 'A leg-up for Orang Asli", (nst Feb 13) by Datuk S Ambiga.
It is regrettable that the learned President of the Bar Council, for whatever reasons,took the opportunity during the ongoing political crises in Perak to commend and highlighted what the Nizar Administration did in the last 10 months for the Orang Asli in Perak.
What irked me is that, why is it that the Bar Council, all these years never even mentioned, let alone commended or highlighted the Federal Government's effort to improve the socio economic standard of the
Orang Asli community in Malaysia for the last six decades?
I am sure to day the Orang Asli are much better off than their ancestors of 70 years ago when they used to live in deep jungles, far away from civilization
without proper housing. electricity, water, proper food,medical and health care, education and economic activities .
In 1939 ,the British established the Department of Aborigine Affairs,which is now known as Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli,headed by a Director General to oversees to the affairs of the Orang Asli in Malaysia. In 1961 the Federal Government established an Administrative Policy with and objective to integrate the 141,000 Orang Asli community with mainstream Malaysian society, so that they will be at par with all the other communities..
Unfortunately it is not an easy task for the Department to integrate the minority prebumi people, as they still prefer to be among their own community and practice their own culture, customs ,and religious beliefs . About 39% of them still lives in the jungles, 60% in jungle fringes and 1% in kampongs and towns
However the government's effort at improving and uplifting their socio economic standard is ongoing and they are slowly moving out of their cocoons
and leaving the jungles for better life, In 2008 ,RM 58 million was allocated to implement development projects, like better houses with modern amenities , schools ,clinics,community halls roads ,bridges etc.
So it is certainly wrong to say that the Orang Asli are a marginalized group. I do not wish to delve further on the subject, and I leave it to The Director General of JHEOA to give a better picture on whether the Orang Asli are being marginalized or not .


NOR SHAHID MOHD NOR
PETALING JAYA

norshahidmohdnor@gmail.com No. 55 SS 3/41 Kelana Jaya 47300 Petaling Jaya
Tel.03 78730320 , 019 2213647
13 February 2009