KUALA LUMPUR: Ramli Mohd Nor, the country’s first orang asli MP, has outlined various initiatives to help his community.
Firstly, he said, the organisational structure of the Department of Orang Asli Welfare (Jakoa) should be improved and funding for the community increased.
He said more should also be done to ensure that orang asli children attend school. Currently, more than 900 orang asli are studying at local public institutions of higher learning and another 87 are pursuing their studies overseas.
In his maiden speech in the Dewan Rakyat, the Cameron Highlands representative said Jakoa should get more staff to help uplift the welfare of oang asli community.
“Don’t turn Jakoa into a hub or cold storage department for under-performing civil servants,” he said.
Ramli, who donned a traditional orang asli headgear during the debate on the royal address, pointed out that it was the duty of the government to look after the welfare and well-being of the community.
He said the Pakatan Harapan government should achieve more than what the Barisan Nasional government had done. “Don’t break your promise to the community,” he warned.
