ISKANDAR PUTERI - Over 200 Orang Asli from Johor gathered to protest the proposal to convert Orang Asli reserve land in the state into "Sultanate Land."
The peaceful protest was held at 10am in front of the Johor Menteri Besar office in Kota Iskandar under strict police control.
The Johor Network of Orang Asli Villages (JPOAJ) Chairperson Dolah Tekoi said that a protest memorandum was submitted to Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, it was received by his private secretary 2 Mohamad Iskandar Omar.
He said they were worried that the community would be deemed as temporarily residing in the land and can be evicted any time.
"This protest is not for personal gain but to defend our rights. We are more comfortable with the old system of placing the land under the normal reserve system, which is under Act 134 and the National Land Code.
Dolah said the protest memorandum that was submitted to Onn Hafiz included not only their objections to the proposal but also proposals and concept papers for customary land management. The memorandum also had signatures from the Orang Asli community in 40 different villages across the state.
"If the claims about some Orang Asli working with outsiders to exploit the land is true, then punish them instead of punishing us all with this.
"We will bring this issue to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim within two weeks. This is an important issue that needs immediate action from the government.
"If Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar orders a meeting then we are ready to meet him," he said.
The Kampung Tereh committee chairman Ramli Yusof said the Orang Asli community cultivates rubber, palm oil, bananas and sugarcane to earn a living.
On March 16, Sultan Johor Sultan Ibrahim suggested that the Orang Asli reserve land in the state to be categorised as Sultanate land to ensure the land is well protected under available enactment.