MP SPEAKS | Social protection to shift plight of Orang Asli

MP SPEAKS | It’s really not a ground-breaking piece of information. We know the Orang Asli have lived in structural poverty for decades.

But the last two crises - the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent floods - have further impoverished the community, which survives on daily wages from fishing.

Their homes were badly damaged, and they suffered other devastating losses, valued at RM4,000 per household at the minimum.

Let’s look at how easy - or tough - it would be for them to recoup their losses. During the fishing season (January, March, June and September), they can earn up to RM100 per day after deducting the operational expenses, which are mostly the petrol for the engine.

During the normal season, the average income is around RM50 per day. There is zero income when it rains.

The community does not have savings to resist economic shock, be it from the pandemic or environmental disaster.

A community leader told us...