BAU: Over 100 representatives from various native communities took part in the ‘Perayaan Hari Asal Sedunia’ or ‘World Indigenous People’s Day at Redeem Centre here on Thursday.
This included a closed-door discussion with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (National Unity and Social Wellbeing) Senator Waytha Moorthy Ponnusamy, whereby they poured out their troubles and what they wanted from the new government.
“They told me their problems, which is important to us, as well as what they want and expect from the new Malaysia. “As we all know, they are fighting for their rights and they feel marginalised because they don’t have a platform to bring forward their complaints for the development of their respective communities. “However, they are hopeful that the new government will do something to bring changes to their lives,” he said during a press conference.
He said that among one of the main issues being faced by them is the invasion onto their native lands by developers who say that they were given authorisation from the state government to carry out their projects. “Issues pertaining to their land are one we take seriously as they have their own ways of identifying their lands.
“There are many more issues such as citizenship and their traditional marriages not recognised by the state government so they cannot access important documents such as birth certificates.
“This should be looked into by the new government and will bring it up for discussion in the Cabinet. “We will also look into having more dialogue sessions so that the new government can understand their issues more thoroughly,” he said.
