Zahid: Amendments to Aboriginal Peoples Act by year's end

New Straits Times

23-05-2025

PUTRAJAYA: The amendments to the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 aimed at restoring the rights of the Orang Asli will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat by the end of this year.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this follows engagement sessions conducted by the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) with the relevant stakeholders.
"We want the struggles of Orang Asli activists not only to be acknowledged and addressed, but we want to recognise the aspirations of the new generation of Orang Asli.
"This is especially important for those who have pursued higher education up to the doctoral level, as they view the rights of the Orang Asli as something that must be restored and further strengthened," he said.
Zahid said this to reporters after the One-Year Retreat Session after the 2024 Bumiputera Economic Congress.
Last year, Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor had said an amendment to the Federal Constitution concerning the interests of the Orang Asli was expected to be tabled by 2027 at the latest.
Ramli, who is Cameron Highlands member of parliament, had said the constitutional amendments would address two key matters.
The proposed changes would clarify that the responsibility for the care of the Orang Asli falls under both federal and state governments, covering areas such as land rights, forestry and community welfare.
Ramli, who is the first Orang Asli MP from the peninsula in the country, had also expressed hope that the proposed amendments to the act would receive the required two-thirds majority support in the Dewan Rakyat.