KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — Cameron Highlands MP Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor today urged the government to ensure that school bus operators ferrying Orang Asli children to school are paid on time every month so that the services they provide can run smoothly.
The nation’s first Orang Asli parliamentarian said the issue ought to be given attention by the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“The possible impact from the bus services ceasing would be the failure of Orang Asli children attending school, one of the many factors as to why they are left behind each year,” Ramli said in a statement.
He pointed out that this did not occur under the former BN government and reminded the PMO to fulfill its promise to uplift the Orang Asli community.
“The contractors elected by Jakoa to provide this service, are Orang Asli entrepreneurs themselves who have not been paid for up to five months.
“As such, they are facing difficulties in carrying out their job due to a lack of funds to maintain the vehicles needed to send the children to school,” Ramli said.
He urged Jakoa’s director-general to start focusing on his duties as an administrator, instead of politicking about issues concerning Orang Asli’s beliefs and the lifestyle he thinks they should lead.
“The Jakoa director-general should focus his efforts on implementing policies to develop the Orang Asli community in the Peninsular, as it is not just mere rhetoric.
“I view this issue very seriously, and question the government as to how such a thing could occur. They should explain thusly, and seek to resolve the matter as soon as possible,” Ramli said.
He added that he would continue to fight for the cause of the Orang Asli community in Malaysia, in the interest of justice.
