Opposition exploiting Orang Asli, says Devamany

By Patrick Lee - Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department SK Devamany has warned the opposition not to use the Orang Asli as a platform to attack the government.

"The Orang Asli should avoid being used by the opposition. Like the mega-tower, for example. You see it being taken over by the opposition (for its own purposes)," Devamany told FMT when he was asked about the grouses of the Orang Asli.

FMT previously reported that several Orang Asli leaders had been barred from entering Parliament by the police despite getting permission to do so by PKR Teluk Kemang MP Kamarul Baharin Abbas.

On the same day, the Orang Asli Villages Network in Peninsular Malaysia (JKOASM) had condemned the recent Budget 2011 announcement.

JKOASM had alleged that tok batins (village headmen) did not regularly receive their RM450 monthly payments from the government. Instead, they claimed to have received only RM200 once every three months.

JKOASM also said that hundreds of villages were still without access to basic facilities, such as electricity, water and roads.

Although Devamany, the Cameron Highlands MP, said that more could have been done for the Orang Asli, he did not agree that the government had ignored their plight.

"We've been doing a lot for the Orang Asli communities. In Cameron Highlands, we have done a lot of development work for them," he said.

Nevertheless, he welcomed the comments by Orang Asli, saying that it was important for the government to life the indigenous people out of poverty.

"We want the Orang Asli to be part of the mainstreaming of development. I agree that we have to look very seriously into the matter, but whatever planning (in development) must be set properly," he said.

He also advised the Orang Asli not to look at the Budget 2011 criticially, especially where the RM100 million allocations were concerned.

Devamany added that various governmental outlets were open to the Orang Asli if they had a complaint to make. These included the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Prime Minister's Department and even the Prime Minister himself.

"All these areas are open to the Orang Asli,” he said.