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Contributed by Puspawati Bt Rosman and Abd Shukor Tokachil

ROMPIN, Feb. 20: Armed with contributions from members to the Fund, a group of 8 lawyers consisting of ourselves, Ambiga Sreenevasan (Vice-President of the Bar), Edmund Bon (National Young Lawyers Committee Chairperson), Richard Wee (Kuala Lumpur Young Lawyers Committee Representative), Amer Hamzah Arshad, Noreen Ahmad Ariff and Dara Waheda Bt Rufin travelled to Kampung Peta at the Endau-Rompin National Park to distribute necessities and help re-build its kindergarten and school library.

The Orang Asli community at Peta is made up of 66 families, and they were badly hit by the floods recently as they live by the side of a main river running through the Park.

The river gorged during the floods and “swallowed” the village not once - but twice. The first round of aid provided was washed away when the floods hit the second time. The village’s generators are no longer in working condition, and many of Peta’s wooden houses are now in disuse. 

Those of us who came from Kuala Lumpur began our journey at 3.00 am in the morning. All of us then gathered at Air Hitam at around 6.30 am. We then moved to Kluang to have our breakfast near the train station. We then continued our journey to Kahang where we bought bags of rice and cans of sardines. The rest of the necessities were brought from Kuala Lumpur and included school shoes and socks, mosquito nets, towels, educational materials and tools, books and stationery.

We had two 4WD vehicles which we rented for the day and departed to Peta at around 10.55am. The journey was adventurous and fun – better than riding a roller coaster! The roads were not tarred except for a few kilometers and it was bumpy all the way. We passed through palm oil estates and jungles. It was evident that the flood submerged substantial parts of the estates and jungles. Many palm oil trees looked “dead”. It took us almost 2 hours to get to Peta.

When we arrived Peta, we were warmly welcomed by Tok Batin, Sangka Bin Chuka and other village members. Despite our gentle protests, we were served with rice, “ikan salai”, chicken and vegetables for lunch. We then distributed the things we brought. There were more than 50 children, and many were happy to receive educational toys to be used in kindergarten and school.

We took a tour of the settlement, and traces of the wreck caused by the floods could be seen. Most of the Orang Asli work as farmers or employees of the Park. With the Park officially closed for renovations due to the floods as some guest chalets were washed away, many are now unemployed. Some of them at Peta also sell rotan and traditional games to the tourists.

They live a simple life, and they do not have electricity support in the village. Their generators have been damaged due to the floods. Further, the maintenance costs for the same are prohibitive with the recent petrol hike. It would cost them double because Peta is very secluded.

In terms of aid, they still do not receive enough attention from the Government, and the only public payphone in the village has been damaged. The Tok Batin explained that they wished to move to higher ground which was also more fertile, and have submitted their application to the authorities but this has been refused. They also wished to be able to harvest their land, and sell forest products such as logs but permission has been denied to them.

In the settlement itself, they have a kindergarten and primary school. The floods reached the roof of the school at its peak. We managed to peek into the kindergarten and saw a computer in the corner. Sadly, it has also been damaged due to the floods. The teachers in the kindergarten and primary school enter Peta on Monday to start teaching on Tuesday and leave on Friday. There will only be 3 days of structured education programmes, and this does not augur well for the children.

Peta does not have a secondary school and the children have to go to Nitar which is very far. We were told that although the “Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli” would fetch and send the children to school, they could not do the same every day due to transport constraints.

The floods struck the village badly. We were told that during the floods, the water was very high and many of them could only save themselves. They left all their belongings behind including their clothes. The Government sent some aid but unfortunately, the second wave washed away the goods sent after the first wave. This has been the worst occurrence of flooding in Peta.

After we viewed the village, and spent some time with Peta’s residents, we made our way back. It is hoped that our presence and assistance gave them some support. The Tok Batin expressed much thanks and appreciation to the Bar for assisting them.

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