We have received word from the Galas area that the Kelantan government has finally acknowledged the importance of the Orang Asli vote in the Galas by-election. Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz is said to be going to Kg Sinrod and Lojing, near Cameron Highlands, to give out land titles there.
The land issue has been the single biggest factor preventing the Orang Asli from supporting either side. Despite not being given security of tenure, the Temiars and other Orang Asli in Kelantan have seen much of their forest lands being carved out for Ladang Rakyat projects that invariably benefit non-Orang Asli settlers.
There is much more for the state to do to resolve the land problem in Kelantan, and this move by the PAS government is an important first step, albeit coming at a time only when the Orang Asli votes, at 16 per cent of the Galas elctorate, is an important bargaining point.