YOURSAY | When it suits you, it is law. When it does not suit you, it is ‘haram’.

Orang Asli land belongs to K'tan gov't, says PAS MP

Anonymous 1802761448130592: PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, don't you think that the Temiars must be truly aggrieved to resort to building logging barriers and having to travel all the way to Putrajaya to seek PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad's help?

Don't you think they must have suffered enough and reached a stage where they had to take desperate measures? Be it 'kawasan rayau' or customary land, don't you think they have a right to live their lives peacefully, unobstructed and without threats of loss of livelihood?

While claiming to be “pious” and living according to Islamic values, and as the state government, shouldn’t PAS do whatever it can to ease the pain and suffering of the Orang Asal (Temiars) instead of just coming out with a statement to say that the lands which the Temiar have been living on is just 'kawasan rayau'!

For the sake of humanity, please do something constructive to help the Temiars instead of allowing the loggers and plantation operators reign supreme.

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely: Under PAS, the non-Muslims are dhimmi or second-class citizens who have no rights other that what is allowed by the PAS government.

So, the Orang Asli are now reduced to begging the federal government for their land, while the PAS immigrants from Indonesia determine what they (the Orang Asli) can or cannot do on land they have inhabited for centuries.

Clever Voter: A convenient answer but one that reflects the greed and moral standing of PAS. The Orang Asli were around long before anyone stepped foot on the land but they haven't the resources to protect their lands nor the means to influence.

The number of the logging licences issued spells bad news for not just the forest inhabitants but also the ecology. In the final analysis, no one wins.

Lovemalaysia2: So there it is, out in the open. The Orang Asli in Kelantan have no right to the land they have lived on literally for thousands of years. The Kelantan state leaders are acting just like the ex-colonial masters a century ago!

Actually, the land belongs to the people of Kelantan, not the state government. You are only representing the people and own nothing.

Redmann: The land and soil belong to the proper custodians: the Orang Asli who, like their tribal brothers and sisters in the US, Canada, Mexico, Paraguay, Colombia, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere, do not endorse or pursue the concept of private property.

The Malaysian Aboriginal Peoples Act of 1954 is very clear about land rights of the Orang Asli as is Article 8(5)(c) of the supreme law of Malaysia - the Federal Constitution.

I can't imagine where PAS, and for that matter, Kelantan, got the idea that they own the land. All they own right now is their right to engage counsel to defend themselves for daylight robbery and the issuance of fraudulent land titles.

Anonymous_5a309591: When it suits you, it is law. When it does not suit you, it is ‘haram’. Doesn’t Islam teach compassion and fairness? These Orang Asli are all poor people. Help them to improve their lives.

Orang Asli seek Dr M's intervention in Kelantan land battle

1234567854: The Orang Asli have been there before the state government formed after independence. Please respect what is duly owned by the natives of this land –the Orang Asli.

Just a reminder: All the rest of us, including those ruling the states, came from foreign lands.

Zorro Masked: Indeed, everybody besides the Orang Asal are children of immigrants including all the leaders who form the PAS government of Kelantan. If any of them claim to be Orang Asal, I'd like to know which of his or her parents come from the jungle.

Boeyks: These are the Orang Asli who had been living off the land long before these men of Allah came into the picture and claimed the land as their own.

Of course, the Orang Asli were never involved or told of the land division. These people were simply cheated of their land. What the punishment for stealing?

Spirit of Malaya: First and foremost, the "Orang Asli SeMalaysia" must get together to pressure the Harapan government to stop addressing them as "Orang Asli" and instead classify them as "Bumiputera Asli".

Then their ancestral land should be known as "Rezab Bumiputera Asli" with special rights attached to it. Only then, the community shall be respected, otherwise they are doomed as the PAS government classified their land as "foraging land" – a term better suited for animals.

I suggest the Harapan government start the ball rolling at their respective states first.

Charlie Chan Son no.13: Make the Orang Asli land a federal territory for the sake of preserving the natural rights of the Orang Asli against the perverted PAS politicians

Retnam: No provisions for ancestral land have been gazetted. That means by law, the land belongs to the state government. The case is similar to the water contract with Singapore.

The contract was signed and sealed many years ago and is legally binding. Singapore rightly disagrees with Mahathir's demand for a review.

Similarly, this land in Kelantan legally belongs to Kelantan state government and is non-negotiable. PAS wants to give the land to Chinese towkays out of love for the towkays and that is PAS' right.

Hplooi: What is the Timber Board's stand on this? Remember two things, Bentong MP Wong Tack:

No. 1, the land is under the jurisdiction of state under the Federal Constitution.

But we will have to go back to the national and/or state structure plan to find out whether its status was changed somewhere along the way and whether such change (as alluded to by PAS) is constitutional or morally right.

No. 2, sustainable timber certification includes recognition of native land rights: A major impediment in the timber industry in Malaysia.

The Temiar tribe has just met the prime minister. Can Wong Tack be proactive and find out, or better yet, meet with the prime minister to formulate a strong, practical and just response from the Harapan government?

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