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Poverty and politics: The Orang Asli vote in Galas

A map of polling districts in the Galas state seat, which is bigger than Malacca.
BN candidate Abdul Aziz Yusof greeting Chinese Malaysian voters. On his left is MCA Labis MP Chua Tee Yong.
PAS candidate Dr Zulkifle Mohamed at PAS's daily 10am press conference.

The old part of Gua Musang town.
Kampung Tiong, Gua Musang.
Kampung Pulai residents attending a DAP ceramah on 25 Oct 2010.

Mountainous areas in the constituency will pose a challenge to campaigners.
Some Orang Asli in Kampung Jekjok live by the roadside along the highway from Gua Musang to Cameron Highlands.
On the left is the community hall and in the center the stage for performances during festivals or celebrations.

The BN flag can be seen on almost every house in Kampung Jekjok. Most of them own a small kebun where they plant vegetables and fruit trees.
New houses built by JHEOA in Kampung Jekjok.
Temiar children in Kampung Jekjok.

Most of them go to school in SK Pos Brooke.
Child in the middle: “Ouch, don't tie it so tightly. It's hurting me.”
Playing with flowers and leaves under their house.

Climbing up a fruit tree.
“I'm not afraid of heights,” this Orang Asli child says.
Sunset along the highway from Gua Musang to Cameron Highlands.


ORANG Asli votes are seen together with the Chinese Malaysian votes as capable of determining the Galas by-election results on 4 Nov 2010. But unlike the Chinese, the Orang Asli are likely to pose a tough challenge to the PAS campaign.

With close to 1,900 registered voters in the Galas constituency, they make up around 17% of the 11,553 voters. However, the Orang Asli in Galas, who are mostly Temiar, are traditionally staunch supporters of Barisan Nasional (BN).

With less resources than other communities, the Orang Asli, over time, have come to rely on the BN for their welfare. It could have been why PAS, before the campaign, had initially thought of fielding an Orang Asli candidate.

“The [PAS-led] state government has never taken care of us and has been taking away our lands. Our education, healthcare, houses, roads [and other infrastructure] are all provided by BN, of course we would support them,” an Orang Asli from Kampung Jekjok, Pos Brooke tells The Nut Graph.

On 27 Oct 2010, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the federal government has allocated RM10.8 million to take care of Orang Asli welfare in Gua Musang when he visited Pos Brooke with BN candidate for the Galas by-election Abdul Aziz Yusof.

In addition, it was announced that the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA) would build 300 houses at Orang Asli villages in Pos Brooke next year.

On the other hand, PAS national election director Datuk Abd Halim Abd Rahim said the Kelantan government has in fact passed a resolution to gazette Orang Asli land in March 2010.

However, the Pengkalan Chepa Member of Parliament (MP) claimed that the state government has not been able to make much progress on the issue due to JHEOA’s interference.

As part of his election manifesto, PAS candidate for the Galas by-election Dr Zulkefli Mohamed said he would ask the state government to set up an Orang Asli taskforce if he were elected into the state seat.

“If the state government promises to recognise the Orang Asli land rights, and provided that the Orang Asli believe their promises, we may see a swing in their votes,” Pastor Moses Soo, who is close to the Orang Asli community, tells The Nut Graph.

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