An aerial view of the Pos Balar Orang Asli settlement in Gua Musang December 28, 2022. The report said it is estimated that there are more than 220,000 Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia, including the Negrito, Senoi and Melayu Proto, living in 853 Orang Asli settlements.
She did not name the NGOs involved but said this came to light after Jakoa's engagement session with the NGOs.“They were silent during the briefing but at the end of the session, the NGO activist came to me personally, maybe they were embarrassed to say this out loud openly,” she reportedly said. She said although she was shocked by the disclosure, she had remained open-minded as she did not want them to continue being exploited by outsiders.She voiced her disappointment that there is a “commission” that is perceived to intentionally let the Orang Asli remain backwards and neglected without modernisation.
“We are now in the 21st century but the commission wants to sideline the Orang Asli so that they remain nomadic and without basic amenities like during the pre-Merdeka era,” she said.