PUTRAJAYA: Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) should allocate a certain quota for Orang Asli students' intake in elevating education opportunities for the group.
Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker and Cameron Highlands member of parliament Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor suggested a five per cent quota, as well as providing more opportunities in science schools and Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
"At the same time, the Orang Asli people must pick up (and take the opportunities in education)," he told reporters after his presentation at the Bumiputera Economic Congress (KEB 2024) today.
Ramli, who is the first Orang Asli MP, said the group needed to change their mindset and become more progressive to secure a better future for themselves.
Earlier, he said 37.7 per cent of Orang Asli were identified as hardcore poor, although the real figure could be as high as 80 per cent.
He said education was key in getting out of poverty, urging the community to ensure that the children attended school.
He urged the Madani government to push forward the amendments to the Federal Constitution on matters pertaining to the Orang Asli, specifically provisions under Schedule 9.
"This would involve inclusion of matters pertaining to Orang Asli under the Concurrent List.
"Currently, welfare of the aborigines is under List 1, Federal List, while land matters are under the jurisdiction of the state government in List 2."
Due to this, there had been reported "clashes" between the federal and state governments, especially when lands were being cleared to make way for development, he said.
From a legal perspective, land was under jurisdiction of the state government as land owners, while safeguarding the welfare of the Orang Asli falls under the state authorities, he said.
"You (government) cannot continue to deny us. We have been denied for too long.
"Now is our chance to change the Constitution since we have two-thirds (majority).
"If we don't get it, I'll tell PMX (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) you failed to look after the Orang Asli," he said during his presentation titled "Orang Asli Community Empowerment".