By SIMON KHOO
BERA: A group of orang asli from Kampung Bukit Rok and Kampung Ibam near here are urging the state government not to leave them out as participants of a Felcra scheme in Padang Kepayang.
They claimed that the land in the area belonged to their forefathers and as such, should be included in the scheme.
Kampung Bukit Rok village headman Mohamad Nohing, 56, who spoke on behalf of 245 families, said the land area measuring 2,023ha had been gazetted as orang asli ancestral land for cultivation back in 1975.
“Our people have toiled and planted fruits and vegetables on the land even before the country achieved its independence.
“The move to allocate the scheme to outsiders is against the policy to protect the interest of orang asli.
“The state government should give priority to us as participants of the scheme,” he said here recently.
Kampung Ibam village headman Raman Mat, 37, said they had met with Bera MP Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who pledged to bring up the matter to Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob.
Raman said they had also collected names of those who were interested to participate in the integrated agricultural projects.
“However, the name list was cast aside as the area had already been given out to Felcra to be developed,” he said.