GEORGE TOWN: There is an urgent need to address the root causes of health deterioration among the Orang Asli in the country, following deaths in the Batek community in Kampung Koh, Gua Musang, Kelantan recently.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) president Meenakshi Raman said it was indeed shocking that days had passed but the authorities had yet to ascertain the actual cause of death.
She added that while SAM welcomed the emergency meeting called by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to address the issue, it was not enough.
“A comprehensive response requires the federal and state authorities to recognise the plight of the indigenous communities when their land and surrounding environment are destroyed, and their natural resources such as water are polluted,” she said yesterday.
Meenakshi said the health woes of the indigenous communities were not unique to the Batek community.
“SAM has long documented incidences of poor health among indigenous people since the 1980s and in recent years.
“Through our groundwork, we have regularly encountered the valid suspicions raised by indigenous communities in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, that many of their illnesses are caused by environmental destruction and pollution.
“These can range from fever to stomach and digestive problems, diarrhoea, vomiting, skin and eye infections, to malaria.
“This we have seen, especially in the nomadic tribes, such as the Penan community in Baram, Sarawak,” she added.
In addition, Meenakshi said, the deprivation and non-recognition of their native rights to land and natural resources to make way for companies involved in logging, plantations, mining and other interests had led to poverty, malnourishment, poor health and psychological distress, rendering them highly vulnerable to diseases and death.
She added that these problems were indeed preventable, if only states recognised the native rights of indigenous people to their land and natural resources.
Meenakshi said the states had a fiduciary duty to protect the rights of indigenous communities, as affirmed by the Federal Constitution and several judicial decisions.
“In addition, there has been a failure on the part of our authorities in delivering basic services to our rural indigenous communities, such as clean water and electricity supply, good sanitation, transportation and education infrastructure and quality healthcare services.
“Throughout the years, countless letters and memoranda have been sent to federal and state authorities to repeat a litany of problems facing the indigenous communities in the country.
“Many of our concerns have been captured in the 136 resolutions produced by the National Orang Asli Convention in April this year.
“Further, the Report of the National Inquiry into the Land Rights of Indigenous People published by Suhakam in 2013 is a key national reference, describing the systemic nature of the violations of the indigenous customary land rights in Malaysia and their impacts,” she said, noting that the 18 recommendations had yet to be implemented.
SAM, Meenakshi said, urged the federal and state authorities to work together with indigenous, legal and civil society communities, to fully grasp the root cause of this tragedy, to establish the correct policy and legal reforms to protect the rights and welfare of the indigenous people.
“Similarly, Parliament must also establish a body to address the protection of the rights of these people.
“Unless the government recognises the systemic roots of the problems of our indigenous communities, the correct institutional solutions will continue to evade us.
“If this continues, then the tragedy befalling the Batek community may simply repeat itself.”