“Walao, it’s just land. What’s the big deal?”
Updated: Jun 29, 2021
Land encroachment is an act of violence. It’s more than just losing their livelihoods and resources for survival- The Orang Asli of Pos Lanai stand to lose the ancestral basis of their entire existence.
For those who don’t know: With almost 2,500 indigenous people living there at one point, Pos Lanai is the dear home of a community of Orang Asli families. Made up of 6 villages in Kuala Lipis, it has been home to Orang Asli of the Semai Tribe for several generations. The forest is their great provider- From its forest products, material to build homes, shelter, water supply, and fish from the rivers, Pos Lanai is an embodiment of their culture, heritage and history. This Orang Asli community, who have built their whole lives around their forest and native customary land, now risk losing their home, their livelihoods, have the environment of their ancestral land destroyed, and forcefully moved to the city- All because of land encroachment from a destructive mining project and logging activities approved by the irresponsible Pahang State Government.
But why care? Why does this matter? It’s just land, anyway.
“It must be understood that, for indigenous populations, land does not represent simply a possession or means of production . . . . It is also essential to understand the special and profoundly spiritual relationship of indigenous peoples with Mother Earth as basic to their existence and to all their beliefs, customs, traditions and culture.”
- Thomas Phillip
“in Malaysia the aborigines' common law rights include, inter alia, the right to live on their land as their forefathers had lived and this would mean that even the future generations of the aboriginal people would be entitled to this right of their forefathers.”
- Mokhtar Sidin JCA in Adong Bin Kuwau:
Did you know that….
Before clearing land for agriculture, the Pos Lanai Orang Asli’s “adat tanah” requires villagers to ask permission from the guardians of the sacred forest, a role usually occupied by the community elders?
That upon entering their forests, it is forbidden to laugh or deride any animals, people, or other life within it?
The Orang Asli hold a profound respect for their forests- Their strict traditions and beliefs protect their land. They hold on to the values that mankind is a part of nature, sharing it with other animals, and not as a dominating species over nature. Heavy with sentimental attachment, Pos Lanai is a safe space for them to preserve their traditional way of life, with their own culture of death rituals, marriage practices, and beliefs of birth. With a century-worth of heritage, the land and forests of Pos Lanai are more than just a place. It is a home that belongs to them, a gift and a right promised to them by their ancestors. Protecting their forests is the essence of their culture- It shows only an inkling of how much it means to the Orang Asli, and the lengths they would go to fight for it.
The Orang Asli’s deep connection to the land holds proof in their history:
Amey bin Dungal is one of the many that risk losing their ancestral land. Having worked and lived in Kg Pos Lanai for over 60 years, he is deeply connected to the land through his rich experiences. He wants to share- and continue sharing- these stories about his home:
“My father used to work for the British army in Fort Dixon in the 1950s. He used to tell us about how the army set up base in the forest to fight the communist. In the early days, there were lots of helicopters that flew over the area. The helipad built by the British is now a football field”
“It didn’t end there- After the British left in the 60s, the Askar Malaya then came in and took over the area. Fort Dixon was where they used to rest before moving into the jungle”
Ever heard of Fort Dixon?
A crucial location during the Malayan Emergency, it was a jungle outpost known as Jungle Forts, built by the British in 1955 - Right in Pos Lanai, with the help of the Orang Asli community.
Till today, some older members of the community still remember the Royal Air Force planes, carrying out their regular supply drops over the area.
Orang Asli tribesmen even served in the army, lending their insights and knowledge of the jungle terrain to the British forces.
Note by British Soldiers to Penghulu Orang Asli, Penghulu Busu:
“Penghulu Busu has invited us to a party tonight which is a gathering of all the Orang Asli from Fort Brook to Fort Dixon. Penghulu Busu has been most friendly and helpful to us in this area and extends his hospitality to all British soldiers.
This letter is to attest his good faith.”
“One day, TNB and the kerajaan came to our villages. They told us to leave our land and villages. The kerajaan said we will get a new house, free electricity, water, and a fixed monthly income, Astro etc. They told us to move to Pantos. They wanted our villages to build the Telom Dam.”
Forced relocation….. Harassing the villagers…..development projects that ignore the voices of the community….
Sound familiar?
The Telom Dam project was the previous land encroachment project that the Orang Asli of Pos Lanai protested against, for 5 long, painful years.
History repeats itself again.
Now the Orang Asli of Pos Lanai face the possibility of yet another encroachment of a lanthanide mining project, along with logging encroachments and river pollution. These projects violate their ancestral beliefs, territories and native customary rights.
This is not just land.
Pos Lanai is….
A safe space that gives them the right to live their lives with freedom and dignity.
A home with generations of stories and history.
Their birthright, bestowed upon them by ancestors.
Their livelihoods.
Their life.
A few paragraphs will never be enough to represent how much these lands mean to the Orang Asli. The proposal of land encroachment projects, which is to simply relocate the Orang Asli, is NOT a solution.
It is an act of violence that rips apart decades of heritage for the sake of “development”.
It is an act of oppression that silences the voices and wishes of the Orang Asli.
It is a statement that tells the Orang Asli that they do not matter.
By all means, by all costs,
We must not let this land encroachment happen.