THE Kelantan government will appeal the High Court’s decision to declare the 9,300ha piece of land in Pos Belatim, Gua Musang, as customary land of the Orang Asli from the Temiar tribe.
State Agriculture, Agro-based Industry and Biotechnology Committee chairman Datuk Che Abdullah Mat Nawi said the state government would bring the case to the Court of Appeal “as soon as possible”.
He hoped the High Court’s decision would be overturned to allow a Ladang Rakyat project to be carried out on the land.
“There is no such customary land in Kelantan, not even in the state’s constitution.
“The state government will appeal the case and correct the confusion among the community,
especially the Orang Asli, on the real meaning of customary land.”
Che Abdullah said the state government would resolve the issue soon.
“At the moment, I have no further information on the Ladang Rakyat project, but I’m confident that customary land has never existed in Kelantan. The state go-vernment will do its best to settle the problem.” In Gua Musang, the High Court’s decision on Saturday brought cheer to 800 Orang Asli from the Temiar tribe.
Ayel Ajib, 50, who lives in Kampung Cherok, here, expressed happiness and gratitude over the decision.
“The other Orang Asli and I were upset when the High Court rejected our application a few years ago. Our patience has finally paid off, now that we have won.”Angah Along, 60, who lives in Pos Belatim, said the local community’s longstanding problems had finally ended.
“The soil erosion caused by illegal logging here by certain individuals has made us suffer. Our pleas for help to the state government fell on deaf ears, but now we are relieved.
“Hopefully, the decision will put a stop to these problems not only in Pos Belatim, but at other Orang Asli settlements, too.”
Jaringan Orang Asli Kelantan secretary Mustafa Along said the victory would encourage more Orang Asli to bring more cases to court.
“This victory is a historic event for us. All 800 Orang Asli in Pos Belatim are happy because they can live peacefully and conduct activities normally.
“Jaringan will bring a similar case to court, this time involving several Orang Asli settlements that we suspect have been encroached by certain people.”
The Temiar tribe won the land dispute after judge Datuk Zainal Azman Ab Aziz ruled that the land be reserved as aboriginal land, and that the Orang Asli had the right to live there.
The state government had earlier given the plot of land to a company to be developed into an oil palm plantation.