Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has revealed that 137 Orang Asli villages in Malaysia are still without electricity. The Rural and Regional Development Minister stated that his ministry is aware of the issue and is currently conducting a study on how to resolve the lack of electricity in these villages. The Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) is developing a plan to provide electricity through the grid to all Orang Asli villages in Peninsular Malaysia. The implementation of this plan will depend on a feasibility study due to the extreme remoteness of some of these villages.
In response to a question about the state of renewable energy supply, particularly solar energy, in Orang Asli villages, Ahmad Zahid stated that most of the grids in these villages are not maintained and are no longer usable. However, he mentioned that 701 Orang Asli villages are already connected to the national electric grid and only 15 villages are receiving electricity from non-government funded solar power systems.
These 15 villages receive their solar-powered electricity from corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects by non-government organizations and corporate companies, which Jakoa recognizes as not well-maintained. Ahmad Zahid stated that Jakoa will collaborate with the Public Works Department (JKR) to develop solar hybrid power supply systems for these villages to address their sole dependence on solar power. Additionally, Jakoa is working on improving the conditions for future CSR projects to avoid similar issues in the future.
