Excerpts from a letter to the Prime Minister
by Batin Bida Chik
Aliran Monthly Vol 25 (2005): Issue 5

	Grant us the land our ancestors left us as their legacy and free us from the heavy-handed control of the JHEOA Batin Bida Chik (Photo, courtesy of Sam Hui, shows silting at the Selangor River after construction of the dam)

The beauty of the Pertak Forest Reserve, where our small village of 43 houses is located, has attracted many visitors from far and near. Now that the Selangor Dam is complete, even more people are coming here to fish from the artificial lake. We are glad that people appreciate the beauty of our ancestral homeground, birthplace of the Temuan tribe, indeed, our “pusat negri.”

When we were resettled by the dam project, the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA) assured us that each family would be issued an individual grant for our new houses, along with some dusun land. However, nothing was said about the 400 acres approved for gazetting in 1965 as Orang Asli Reserve Land. After 39 years, the status of this land remains uncertain. We would like this matter clarified in writing.

In February 2004, we were informed that our new houses stand on State land for which we have been granted a 99-year lease. We received a letter from the Land Office asking us to pay an assessment of RM540 by 11 May 2004 or our land and houses will be forfeited.

There are few families in Kg Pertak that can afford to pay this amount in three months, or even six. I cannot imagine what will happen to my sister-in-law, a widow who receives a monthly cash subsidy of RM70 from the Welfare Department. How will she pay the assessment?

Our ancestors have dwelt here from the dawn of time. Nobody knows how long the Temuan have been here, but it is safe to say we have been here for a thousand generations. Now we are told the land is on a 99-year lease, and we must pay an annual rent to live here. When my great-granddaughter’s children reach a ripe old age, the lease will expire, and the tribe’s future will be decided by the Land Office. If they choose not to extend the lease, our community will die out, for the life and identity of the Orang Asli are tied to our ancestral lands.

The Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli has existed for 50 years since the Emergency. Their duty is to look after Orang Asli interests, not to belittle us. To be honest, we Orang Asli do not have much trust in the JHEOA. They seem set on destroying our way of life and our beliefs. In the past they have joined forces with loggers to exploit our forests and pollute our streams. Now they have turned us into rent-paying tenants on land we have inhabited for thousands of years. We are not happy about this. The JHEOA have had 50 years in which to rob us of our dignity, pride, confidence, and self-reliance - not to mention the ground beneath our feet. For Orang Asli, the Emergency is not over yet.

We urge you to investigate the unresolved issue of the 400 acres approved for gazetting in 1965 as Orang Asli Reserve Land and to instruct the Land Office to issue a communal title deed. This is surely not too much to ask, as our ancestors originally roamed the whole of Pahang, Selangor, and Negri Sembilan. But without the sense of permanency granted by official recognition of our customary lands, our people will be in despair and lack direction. Grant us the land our ancestors left us as their legacy and free us from the heavy-handed control of the JHEOA. This is how we can regain our self-esteem, our spirit of independence, and our ability to prosper from the fruits of our own initiative.

Please support our work by buying a copy of our print publication, Aliran Monthly, from your nearest news-stand. Better still take out a subscription now. If you prefer to read our web-based edition, please support our work and make a donation.

Batin Bida Chik is the headman of a small Temuan Orang Asli village in Kampung Pertak, Ulu Selangor. This is a translation from the original in Malay.

Now tell us what you think in fewer than 250 words. Your comments may be published in the Letters section of our print magazine, Aliran Monthly.