Jamali said the Orang Asli were not only burdened with the struggle to protect their land but were also lacking access to basic amenities such as clean water, electricity, housing, and roads.
These are just some of the problems about half of the Orang Asli in Kelantan have to endure, he said.
“The water here is murky. But this is the water the Orang Asli have to consume. We don’t even have piped water,” said Jamali in an interview with FMT.
JKOAK represents over 13,000 Orang Asli in Kelantan.
It has joined the solidarity movement with Orang Asli from Gua Musang, who recently put up a blockade to stop loggers from entering their ancestral land.
According to Jamali, the issue at hand was the unfulfilled promises made by certain quarters.
“The federal government provided us with a water treatment plant recently but the plant is not functioning. It’s just decoration for the Orang Asli.
“We don’t even have roads. There are only paths for loggers and when the logging project ends, the paths are not even upgraded.
“They can make roads for loggers but not for the Orang Asli,” he said.
Jamali also cautioned the government against lying to the Orang Asli as they were aware of its failings despite living in remote areas.
“We know all about national issues involving the country’s administration, such as the implementation of the goods and services tax.
“The prices of goods have gone up and the Orang Asli, despite working hard, can only make RM50 a week. That is not enough to buy their necessities.
“Some even have to borrow money to support their families as everything is so expensive now.”
Jamali said that while the government provided them with housing, the quality of the homes they lived in was deplorable.
“Even before moving in, there were already cracks in the structure. The homes are not comfortable places to live in but some of the Orang Asli have had no choice as they have nowhere else to go.
“Less than half of the Orang Asli have electricity. The electricity poles are there, but most of us still rely on ‘pelita ayam’ (gas lanterns).”
He laughed when asked about WiFi access.
“Forget about WiFi, we can’t even get a phone line. Sometimes we have to look for the ‘line’ on top of the hill.”