Faizal has stirred anger among the Orang Asli and activists for his past actions that appear to side with loggers and more recently, his remark that the laws of the constitution of Perak do not specify ancestral land for the Orang Asli.
Complaints against Faizal:
- Refuses to listen to woes of the people, does not want to consult them on issues, prefers confrontation
- Antics causing Orang Asli voters to lose faith in PH
- Branded “arrogant” and “disrespectful” towards both community and PH’s manifesto
- Wrong not to recognise customary land
An Orang Asli NGO has called for Perak Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu to be replaced following his controversial statements negating indigenous land rights.
In a statement today, Johor Orang Asli Network (JPOAJ) chairperson Dolah Tekoi labelled Faizal “anti-Orang Asli,” and urged Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to remove him.
“We urge the prime minister to change the Perak menteri besar to someone who is more positive in defending the rakyat, as compared to (Faizal) who is more anti-Orang Asli,” he said.
“He (Faizal) refuses to listen to the woes of the people and does not want to consult us on issues. He prefers confrontation.
“Rather than being constructive, he always issues statements that are confrontational, especially when it comes to the ancestral land of the Orang Asli.”
Faizal was previously reported as saying that the Perak constitution does not recognise the existence of customary land (tanah adat) for the Orang Asli or any other ethnic group.
In recent weeks, six Temiar Orang Asli from a village in Gerik were arrested for barring loggers from encroaching onto what they claim is their customary land.
Besides denying the claims about the Perak constitution, Dolah attributed Faizal’s negation of customary land rights to his attitude towards the Orang Asli.
Faizal also said it would be a problem if the state government recognised land for one group of people as other races would start making similar demands.
“We don’t believe there are weaknesses in the Perak constitution. This is more about his (Faizal’s) sombong (arrogant) attitude.
“His stance reflects on the entire state government as he is the menteri besar,” Dolah said.
The activist further cautioned that Faizal’s antics were causing Orang Asli voters to lose faith in the Pakatan Harapan government.
In a separate statement, Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli Network (JKOASM) chairperson Tijah Yok Chopil similarly branded Faizal “disrespectful” towards both the community and the Harapan election manifesto.
She demanded an apology from the menteri besar over his comments.
“The Harapan presidential council and Bersatu should not remain silent on this and allow the Perak menteri besar to make statements or decisions about the Orang Asli or any other race.
“I URGE THE PERAK MENTERI BESAR TO RETRACT HIS STATEMENT AND APOLOGISE TO ALL ORANG ASLI NATIONWIDE.
“Do not gamble Harapan’s future on your own arrogance,” she warned.
Harapan had promised in its manifesto to implement a thorough study to establish Orang Asli ancestral land.
Tijah highlighted that the Orang Asli were never consulted in the crafting of the Perak constitution or other laws pertaining to the community, thus causing them to have to fight for their customary land rights.
However, she pointed to former court judgements that had recognised the existence of these land rights.
Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) coordinator Colin Nicholas and DAP lawmaker Ramkarpal Singh contended yesterday that there is legal precedent for recognising Orang Asli land in Perak.
This was echoed by former Suhakam commissioner Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah, who urged Harapan to “educate” its state leaders on its own manifesto.
Ramkarpal said Faizal was wrong as the Orang Asli have rights to their ancestral land under common law and statutory proprietary rights in the Aborigines Peoples Act 1954.
“They are protected by the federal constitution which mandates for proper compensation to be made to those with such rights who are evicted from their land.
“Common law and established case law have recognised the customary title of the Orang Asli and that they may well have customary title of a permanent nature entitling them to adequate compensation in the event they are evicted from their land,” the Bukit Gelugor MP said in a statement.
Ramkarpal, who is also a lawyer, urged Faizal to seek advice from Perak state legal adviser before making further comments on the Orang Asli.
“He ought to have sought advice from his state legal adviser before coming up with such a statement which has earned the ire of many, and rightly so.
“It gives the impression that the Orang Asli in Perak have no proprietary rights and that the state government is not interested about protecting their welfare which is completely contrary to Pakatan’s manifesto before GE14.
“Not recognising customary land is certainly wrong and he ought to correct this misperception sooner rather than later.”
Faizal is a first-time menteri besar and Bersatu’s sole assemblyman. Dr Mahathir is Bersatu chairman.
