Natives must never lose their lands, says Joas
Published on: Monday, August 14, 2023
The indigenous people in Malaysia need to show solidarity and continue their partnership.
Kota Kinabalu: The indigenous people in Malaysia need to ensure that their customary lands can be preserved and passed on to future generations, said Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia (Joas) President Paulus Gahin.
“Everything we have at the moment is only borrowed from the next generation,” he said at the Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration, at the Telupid Forestry Institute, in Telupid.
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“Therefore, it is the present generation’s responsibility to ensure that the wealth of natural resources and customary territories can be passed on to future generations.”
He added that the indigenous people in Malaysia need to show solidarity and continue their partnership.
“We must move together to ensure that the identity of the indigenous people is always preserved and contributes to more sustainable development, in line with current government policy.”
When officiating at the celebration, Upko Youth Chief Felix Joseph Saang commended the organisers for successfully organising the Indigenous Peoples’ Day and thanked them for choosing Telupid as the host.
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“Indigenous youth should immerse themselves in the rights of indigenous people as many rights still need to be explored,” he said.
He also hoped that youths can play a role in uniting races or nations.
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“As indigenous people, we should be wise to look for opportunities and be alert to the opportunities given by the government.”
In addition, he also hopes that youths can preserve their traditional practices, customs and culture so that they do not disappear.
“A programme like this is essential as an exposure to youths to gain knowledge about indigenous people.
“And I hope the programme’s objective could be met and the discussions could be realised,” he said.
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated globally on Aug 9, every year
This year, the celebration’s theme is “Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination”.
Some 296 indigenous leaders and communities attended the country-level celebration gathered at the venue from Aug 7-9.
Joas organised the event in collaboration with the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC), Pacos Trust, the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) and the Malaysian Orang Asli Women’s Association (PWOAM).
Some of the activities held during the celebration were youth camps, forums, cultural nights, traditional sports, exhibitions, and a display of traditional cuisines from the indigenous people in the country.
One of the topics discussed was the proposed Nature Conservation Agreement (NCA).
During one of the forums, Indigenous community leaders raised many questions about carbon trading and the NCA.
Aside from that, the forums also touched on solutions for good practices in resource care.
Customary experts also talked about the relationship between indigenous people and natural resources, where the conservation method inherited from their ancestors greatly emphasised respect for nature.
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