Orang Seletar or Orang Laut villagers in Johor are appealing to the Federal and Johor governments for assistance as they are currently facing hardship. The village chief, Tok Batin Kais Tee, stated that their livelihood has been greatly affected by the development taking place in Danga Bay, Johor Baru, near their village. He expressed hope that candidates running for the upcoming Pulai constituency by-election would visit them and listen to their problems. The 62-year-old chief highlighted that the villagers are struggling to make ends meet due to a decreasing catch from the sea. This issue has persisted for over a decade since the initiation of the waterfront development project, located approximately 13.1km away from the village.
Kais says the Orang Seletar’s livelihood is affected by development taking place in Danga Bay.
Kais reminisces about the past when they used to fish in front of their village, particularly in areas abundant with mangrove trees during the 1960s to the early 1990s. However, since the clearance of these mangrove trees, fish and other marine creatures no longer venture into the mangrove ecosystem for spawning and breeding purposes. Tanai Tom, a resident, also mentioned that the waters near the village were once filled with various fish species and other marine life. Consequently, the mangrove ecosystem, which used to provide mud crabs, snails, and prawns, has also disappeared. As a result, villagers now have to travel long distances, up to 35km away from their village and even to the maritime boundary between Johor and Singapore, in order to fish.
Another issue highlighted by Tanai is the lack of interest among Orang Seletar youths in becoming fishermen. Instead, they prefer working in factories and eateries, abandoning traditional fishing practices. Leit Akon, a resident from Kampung Sungai Temon, hopes that the Johor government would reconsider their decision to relocate the villagers to Ulu Tiram in Johor Baru. The villagers have been informed about the relocation plans for the past few years, as their current village is set to be acquired for the waterfront development project. Leit emphasized the difficulty of moving to a new place after living in their village for over a century. Moreover, her family’s seafood restaurant, which used to operate in the village, has been leased to businessmen from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore since November of last year.
Leit hopes Johor government will reconsider its decision to relocate villagers from Kampung Sungai Temon to Ulu Tiram.
Leit’s foster son, Malik Sulong, opposes the relocation plan due to its impact on the mussel farming project owned by 30 villagers. Moving to a new location means starting all over again without knowledge of the water conditions in Ulu Tiram, which may not be suitable for mussel breeding. Malik, a 44-year-old fisherman, suggests that the state government and relevant authorities explore the possibility of transforming Kampung Sungai Temon into an agrotourism village. He further mentions the popularity of the village’s four existing seafood restaurants among locals, Singaporeans, and tour groups. Orang Seletar are indigenous people of the Straits of Johor, residing between Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia.
In the previous General Election, the late Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub won the Pulai parliamentary constituency seat with a significant majority. However, following his passing in July, a by-election will be held for the Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state constituency seats. Nominations are scheduled for August 26, and the by-election will take place on September 9, with early voting on September 5.
Source: The Star
The shores of Kampung Bakar Batu Perling near a multi-billion-ringgit waterfront development project at Danga Bay in Johor Baru.
— THOMAS YONG/The Star
Credit: The Star : Metro Feed
