Orang Asli leaders trek over 10 hours to get those living in forests to vote 

HULU TERENGGANU - Orang Asli community leaders in the Sungai Berua Orang Asli villages have been taking an arduous journeys of over 10 hours to encourage residents living deep within the forests to return and participate in the upcoming elections.

Ibrahim Awang, 57, an aide to village head said the effort is aimed at ensuring that no member of the community is excluded from exercising their voting rights on polling day.

Ibrahim and his team will persuade the community members to temporarily postpone their activities such as gathering forest produce, until after the voting process is completed.

Many of these residents venture into the forest for months at a time, seeking resources like rattan and damar, he said when met by reporters here. today.

Due to the lack of reliable phone signals in these remote regions, the leaders must rely on traditional methods of communication, trekking through the woods to connect with the forest-dwelling residents.

Ibrahim said among the furthest location was headed by around 30 Orang Asli from the Semaq Beri tribe and it was around the mountains in the Gua Bewah, Tasik Kenyir area taking over 10 hours for a round trip.

“The methods of contacting them by phone were difficult due to the lack of a signal, that’s why we must use the old-fashioned method of finding them by trekking in the woods.

“Many challenges must be faced throughout the trek. It’s not like the typical village roads. However, as our responsibility, we will brave through,” he said.

He said the Orang Asli community there would gather around the village grounds as early as 8am before leaving in their own vehicles to the polling centre.

It was understood that there were 550 Sungai Berua Orang Asli community individuals with a number of 133 families and 270 eligible voters.