Mah Meri won't make way yet for the Selangor govt project

 

The Mah Meri people of Kampung Orang Asli Bagan Lalang have decided to ignore their eviction notices and will remain where they are for now.

Twenty families were supposed to leave the area, located in Sepang, yesterday (May 20) to make way for a Selangor government tourism project.

According to The Malaysian Insight, the villagers decided to stay put after attending a three-hour engagement session held by Bar Council’s Orang Asli Rights Committee chairperson Siti Kasim.

Khairul Asmar, one of the villagers, said they were previously unaware of the rights.

“When we were served the eviction notice we agreed to leave because we did not know any better.

“We didn’t know about our land rights or that we can have a claim to this land because we have foraged here for hundreds of years,” he was quoted as saying.

Khairul added that many from his village, which is located near the sea, fished for a living.

“We are aware that some parties may not be happy if we claim this land as our ancestral land.

“The Mah Meri are generally non-confrontational in nature. We are still considering all our options before making a decision,” Khairul told the news portal.

'Ancestral land'

According to Siti, the Mah Meri had a right to the area despite not having any titles. They claim to have lived there for the past 20 years.

The land is owned by Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd (PNSB) and the Sepang Municipal Council.

“Their right to the land doesn’t start when the first house was built there 20 years ago, but they have a right to this land from their continued usage and control of the land,” the lawyer was quoted as saying.

“According to the villagers, they have foraged on this part of the land for more than 500 years. This is their ancestral land.

“It is the same with the tribe in the jungle, and how they can claim parts of it. It is because they use it and they forage there,” Siti added.

Siti remarked that the Selangor government ought to have fully informed the Orang Asli about the eviction and proposed development beforehand.

“Malaysia is a signatory of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007 (UNDRIP), and by virtue of that, they are entitled to free, fair and informed consent before the government decides to evict them for development.

“They asked us for advice and that’s why we are here. Ultimately, it is their decision whether or not to pursue the matter further,” she said.

On May 14, PNSB noted that the villagers previously did not object to the eviction but said it was “open” to discussing their plea for more time to prepare for the move.

News portal The Vibes previously reported that Sungai Pelek assemblyperson Ronnie Liu, whose jurisdiction includes the village, urged PNSB to temporarily halt the eviction exercise.

Both PNSB and Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari have stressed that the area is not the tribe’s original village but a “temporary post”.

PNSB said it had engaged with the community twice before the eviction notices were issued on April 20.

The Selangor government has courted strong backlash for asking the Orang Asli to make way for it to build a holiday destination, with some comparing the tribe to displaced Palestinians in Gaza.

An online petition defending the Mah Meri has gained more than 13,000 signatures. - Mkini

✍ Credit given to the original owner of this post : ☕ Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH

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