Aboringines in Malaysia without rights to their land

IPOH: The orang asli (aborigines) of Perak want the state government to recognise their rights to their ancestral land and are calling for an amendment to existing laws governing their jurisdiction.
Yayasan Orang Asli Perak chairman Suki Mee said this was one of the six resolutions passed unanimously by over 500 orang asli participants at a conference to discuss their land woes in Tapah last weekend.
Suki said they want the state to gazette, as orang asli reserve, the areas covering their villages, their agricultural plots and orchards, and their foraging grounds -- with immediate effect.
Another resolution called for an amendment to the Orang Asli Act or the National Land Code that would allow such land to be gazetted, and for the Tok Batin (orang asli village chief) to have a voice in its development.
“Legally, only the Orang Asli Affairs Department (JHEOA) has the purview to decide what development projects take place in the reserve, but we want the Tok Batin to also have a say.
“Although the Tok Batin is usually appointed by the JHEOA director-general, the appointment is usually done with the recommendation of the village,” he said in an interview Monday.
Suki said a special committee to resolve the people’s longtime land issues would raise the matter when handing over the resolutions to the state in early August.
Perak executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, he said, had pledged to meet them and the JHEOA to discuss their concerns.
Another resolution was to allow the orang asli to apply for individual titles within or outside a proposed gazetted orang asli area while waiting for its gazetting.
“I am confident that the state and Federal government will look into the resolutions. We are not asking for new land, we are only asking for the rights to the areas we are on now,” he said.
Suki said that the state government had in the past made some effort to grant land titles to the orang asli people through its orang asli land alienation policy in 1993.
“But as far as I know, not a single application has been approved under JHEOA since 1993 except for one area in Kampung Bawong in Sungai Siput, Perak.
“Other orang asli might have also been given titles, but this was through their own individual effort,” he said.
The remaining resolutions passed concerned other land and development related problems.
He said that according to 1998 JHEOA statistics, only 17% of some 29,766ha of orang asli land have been gazetted as reserves.
An estimated 42,000 orang asli live in Perak.

The illegitimate MB of Perak would probably ignore their request. The NGOs have noted that the Pakatan government previously was working hard in the direction of giving land deeds to them. Alas, they were taken illegitimately taken out and replaced by a government that is not bend to help the poor. The initiative for these orang asli have stalled and even the land titles given to the Chinese village seemed to be on a knifeedge. 1Malaysia indeed.

Guess how much?

DOVER (England): A visibly upset Zahra Masoumah Abdul Halim burst into tears when she was forced to abandon her attempt to conquer the English Channel due to unfavourable tide and wind conditions.
The 17-year-old was pulled out of the water just over the half-way mark between Dover and Calais in France after swimming for 12 hours and 46 minutes.
Instead of swimming in a straight line, she was tossed sideways by tidal forces and forced towards the Netherlands, instead of France.
She had to struggle harder to stay on course, and was instructed by boat pilot Paul Foreman to get out of the water at 6:39pm on Wednesday (1:39am Thursday Malaysian time).
“When he told me it was all over, my tears flowed freely. I knew I could still continue although it might take at least another 12 to 15 hours,” said the girl.
Not discouraged, Zahra now plans to swim from Pulau Rupat, Indonesia to Port Dickson in Malaysia across the Straits of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
“It’s about 50km and there is a lot of jelly fish. They’ll probably put me in a cage,” said the girl, who said she will undertake the swim with her 12-year-old brother Salman Ali Shariati later this year.
Foreman described Zahra as being incredibly brave and mentally strong, and someone whom all Malaysians should be proud of.
“She’s only 17 and has swum for the first time in cold waters for nearly 13 hours,” said Foreman, who is from the English Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation.
Zahra’s father Abdul Halim Manaf, who had followed the swim in the boat, said she was not just fighting against the tide but also the strong winds that kept pushing her back.
Her mother Haniza Mohamed said Zahra had cried and hugged her upon her return but she had then comforted her daughter by pointing out it was “good enough” to have swum that far in such unfavourable conditions.
Coach Arof Omar concurred, saying Zahra was still steady and had stayed longer in the water than the two male Cuban swimmers who had also failed in their attempts earlier.
Seven Continents Club Extreme Exploration chairman Muhamad Muqharabbin Mokhtarudin, who organised the swim, said Zahra could hold her head high for her steely determination.
Zahra took off from Shakespeare Beach at 6:07am (1:07pm Malaysian time) on Wednesday in her attempt to become the first Malaysian girl to swim across the channel.

The taxpayer pays RM80,000 for her to not make it. Did that doctor who swim the english channel get this money for free? Nah, he went back to Oxford like nothing happens. 2 standard , 1 Malaysia

Appreciate your family

With the mellowing wind and glaring sun, am able to spend some time to collect my thought and share my appreciation that my parents are here. It has been something that I really wanted to do should i get this opportunity. In fact, this is one of the reason that I agree for this job, so that my parents would be able to come over and spend some time over. Yeah, it sounds very noble but it is not except when God intervenes I guess it is just a time where they can take some time for themselves and enjoy looking around.

I have been too busy many times with the many activities in KL and Port Dickson. Many times, I do feel that it is done for other people or activities. IN some way, I am enjoying the longest 'me-time" with tinges of guilt. IN the same way, my parents have always been putting other people first. I guess that is what we inherit from them, which can be both a blessing or curse. So in the midst of things, am glad that they are around to share in this experience.

So, today is Father's day and I would like to say that I am in love with both of them. THey have been great and patient with me all through my life. It is difficult to have a son like me who almost always put his interest in the first priority. They would very much adjust to my timings and all. Recall that I forced them for a 3 day trip to Scotland and back, Wales in a day and other adventorous things. A trip to Amsterdam where it rained and Paris where Engish is mea cuppa. So, in a way Port Dickson has been a good start and this short stint is even better.

Thanks Mom and Dad!!

Old is not useless.. .. and PAS

The old gaol in Oxford that is not a hotel.
Old Roman Bath in Bath... where the Romans used to be an empire.

Old water system that the romans Build.

Finally, the Stonehendge - 5000 yrs ago the medieval british used this place as an area of perhaps worship and surely a sign of the social class.

That brings me to the irk of the week...

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/28831-no2-says-tok-guru-is-not-pas

The winner of the proxy fight between UMNO and PAS. If you read the newspapers, you will find good words for Nasaruddin. He has got an extremely good press from an otherwise UMNO control media. And so, he won. In return, he sounded a bit more cocky.

Nasaruddin, I respect Tok Guru and I dun know about you . I did read about your clandestine meetings with AAB and your closeness to Hadi Awang, who lost Terengganu through his mismanagement. If you guys want to loose PAS through this mismanagement, the lost of trust among public would be so great that no amount of work could change it.
AND, if you said this before the election.. gerenti you will have lost. How disrespectful.

Old is not lousy & please show respect to your Tok Guru. Secondly, it is not about skin or religion. I hope PAS would know what is best for them.