PETALING JAYA: Lim Kit Siang had been trapped in a remote Orang Asli village since Saturday, where he was cut off from all access to the outside world, and was also where he spent New Year’s Eve.
The DAP adviser said he has managed to leave the Orang Asli settlements in Cameron Highlands in a statement issued at 1pm today.
“My visit, which was planned to end yesterday, could not go as planned as together with Pakatan Harapan MP for Bentong Wong Tack, PH Pahang State Assemblyman for Tanah Rata Chiong Yoke Kong, and former PH Candidate for Cameron Highlands M. Manogaram, and a convoy of 12 vehicles, I was trapped to spend 2019 New Year’s Eve at Kampong Orang Asli Semoi Lama, cut off from all access to the outside world,” he said.
“This was my first experience in 77 years at being trapped at a place, cut off from all access to the outside world, which is particularly poignant in an age of instant communications where information travels at the speed of light.
“Having to cross the river at Kampong Semoi Lama by driving through it despite its strong currents to reach Orang Asli kampongs in Pos Lenyang and Pos Titom is also an unforgettable experience.”
The MP for Iskandar Puteri said the unexpected adventure illustrated the failures of the Umno/Barisan Nasional (BN) government when it came to the upliftment of the Orang Asli people, the first inhabitants in the country, after six decades of federal responsibility.
“It is a symbol that after six decades, the majority of Orang Asli communities are still cut off from the outside world when they should have already been brought into the mainstream of national development,” Lim added.
