On International Women Human Rights Defenders’ Day, NGOs Call Attention to the Role of Indigenous Women in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur - To mark the International Women Human Rights Defenders’ Day on the 29th
of November, women members of the national indigenous peoples’
organization, Jaringan Orang Asli SeMalaysia (JOAS), announced the
launch of their own indigenous women’s network, “Wanita-JOAS”.
“The birth of Wanita-JOAS comes at a critical time when indigenous
women across Malaysia are confronted with the need to defend their
livelihoods and protect their heritage in the face of threats to the
very survival of their communities from large-scale mining, rampant
logging, the expansion of palm oil plantations, and the building of
large-scale dams. They are not only joining alongside men in their
communities in this effort, but are taking important leadership roles.
It is more important than ever before that indigenous women have the
space to share information, strategies and perspectives and develop a
platform like Wanita-JOAS to help strengthen their collective resolve,”
said Mary Giun, Secretary of JOAS.
For Fatimah Bah Sin of Kampung Mengkapor, Pahang, this willingness to
take a leadership role has led to a precedent-setting victory
significant for her entire community of Semaq Beri people.[1]
As a plaintiff and an appellant in a native customary lands rights
case, she explains, “For decades, we have sought to assert Orang Asli
customary land rights. We want our children, their children and the
generations to come to be able to know the forests, the rivers and the
land of our ancestors. Although we had to take this case beyond the High
Court, finally, with a positive decision from the Court of Appeal, we
stand a higher chance to have our rights to our customary land
affirmed.”
Rimbu Ngang, headwoman (Tuai Rumah) of the Sungai Sawai Suai
Niah Longhouse and chairwoman of the Wanita-JOAS chapter in Sarawak, is
similarly keen to protect the land of her ancestors from being ravaged
by logging operations and destroyed for palm oil plantations. But in
doing so, she also asserts a call for respect. “We work in partnership
with the men in our communities. We also need them - along with the
Malaysian public - to respect us. We are taking a stand for our land
rights, our rights to cultural survival, and the right to a dignified
livelihood; we are speaking about the same concerns as men in our
community. But in this day-to-day work, inside and outside our homes, we
also demand dignity - violence against women in its many forms within
our own communities must end. Men and boys in our communities have a
role to play in helping to cultivate respectful attitudes, listening to
our perspectives, giving us space to speak out, and being willing to
share leadership.”
According to Caroline Nyurang, co-chair of the Save Sarawak’s Rivers
Youth Committee, “Although the media and the government have focused on a
few voices of people who are concerned about the Baram Dam, we want the
public to know that there are thousands of us - including women and
young people - who have not agreed to surrender our land rights and give
way for the building of the Baram Dam. We have never given our consent
to Sarawak Energy’s plans to flood our land and force up to 20,000 of us
to move to resettlement sites so that they can build a 1200 MW
hydroelectric project. In the resettlement sites set up for the Bakun
and Murum Dams in Sarawak, we have seen how women are struggling to feed
their families, to have clean and sufficient water for household needs,
and to lead dignified lives in the midst of despair. We are determined
here in Baram not to face the same fate.”
Diana Sipail, from Kampung Terian in Sabah, echoes the same sentiment
in her concerns about the proposed Kaiduan Dam. She has been active in
Kampung Terian Protection Action Committee, and asserts, “Our
communities have been consistently raising our concerns about the
proposed Kaiduan Dam, as we have never given consent for it to be built
on our customary lands. We, including the women of the affected
communities, are clear - there are better, less destructive ways for
sustained water storage in Sabah. There is no need to displace our
communities and to force us to live in resettlement sites where we will
be sure to face shortages of food, poor housing conditions, and
spiraling frustration, depression, hopelessness as well as violence
within our communities.”
Serene Lim, of the national human rights group, SUARAM, explains,
“Too often, women taking a stand in defense of rights guaranteed in our
constitution and committed to by the Malaysian Government are neglected,
ignored or marginalized.” She concludes, “We hope the marking of this
year's International Women Human Rights Defenders’ Day will bring a new
level of willingness to make way for their voices and concerns to be
heard.”
[1]
On 28 November 2014, the Court of Appeal, Putrajaya, reaffirmed that
customary land rights of Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia and that such
rights 'co-exist' with the Aboriginal People Act 1954. A retrial of the
original land rights case brought forward by 82 plaintiffs of the Semaq
Beri tribe to the High Court of Kuantan has been ordered.
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