DECEMBER 12 — The only time fake news has some value is when it’s satire: using irony to teach. And recent events cannot be better summed up than Fake Malaysia News’ latest story.
The headline refers to the prime minister joining a solidarity protest for the Rohingyas in Myanmar rather than the Temiars in Kelantan.
The Orang Asli, specifically the Temiar people, had long fought against developers and loggers in Kelantan tearing down its forests. It is an important source of medicine, a place of worship, a place they call home. This would have been tolerable, had relocation efforts been satisfactory.
But this was not the case. The death of five children who ran away from a government school, fearing the further abuse of teachers, along with the suggestion that some goodie bags and a Karaoke competition will help the villagers overcome their grief, reflect the apathy of the state government.
Why move away from home only to face a worse reality? The only serious response was the one from the Kelantan Forestry Department and police force: a threat to jail or fine the Temiar for blocking the loggers.
On the other hand, the Rohingya people are a Muslim minority in Myanmar. They are victims of a national hate campaign spearheaded by Rakhine Buddhists who view them as illegal immigrants. Formally unrecognised by the state, the Rohingya have no right to work, travel, study, or practise their religion.
Former president Thein Sein’s policies have been consistently anti-Rohingya, and current leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been reluctant to even address the issue. As of now, the only major response has come from the Malaysian Prime Minister.
This appears even more awkward when we recall that a motion was submitted in Parliament in 2012 to address the Rohingya crisis. Pakatan Harapan’s Nurul Izzah submitted this motion, but it was rejected. Take note: Barisan National holds the majority of seats in Parliament.
One must now ask after four years, what has changed the minds of the coalition government? It’s unimaginable how much the Rohingya have suffered to be noticed. For the Temiar, how much must they lose until the federal government notices and says enough is enough?
But the thing about rights is that they’re constant throughout time. All anyone hopes is that their right to live remains guaranteed by the state through mutual recognition, and not to be excluded on the basis of religion or race. And definitely not only when they’re almost eroded, such as those of the Rohingya when genocide is already at its final stage.
This is when Malaysians decide if they should do something if the state is unwilling. If so, then Siti Kasim and the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns are good starting points.
If not, it is only a matter of time until more and more trees give way to unsustainable logging. The disgraceful environmental destruction of East Malaysia should have kept us on our feet. But the Orang Asli in Kelantan still suffer, along with those who don’t receive the news coverage and public attention they need.
Sooner or later, we would realise that all of us rely on Nature for our livelihood. Rising temperatures and frequent floods are the cost of our ignorance. And when more people in the forests lose their homes, we must realise that the Temiar’s homes are our own homes too.
By then, all satire can do is come up with a headline, when the people who enjoy reading it could have done much more.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
