The video is a land acknowledgment, a response to the land I grew up on known as Selangor, Malaysia. It ties in the national anthem of Malaysia along with voice clips from a protest by members from Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve, and an interview with Temuan artist and activist Shaq Koyok.
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The Temuan and Mah Meri people are the first inhabitants of a region now known as Selangor, a state in Peninsula Malaysia. They belong to Malaysia’s Indigenous Peoples known as Orang Asal in Malay or Original People.
They have existed on these lands as early as 2500 BC, yet have no legal rights or protection over the lands. Violence was enacted upon the Orang Asal people in the 15th century, during the Malaccan Sultanate. Orang Asal people were captured and enslaved, resulting in the present-day use of “Sakai,” “Semang” and “Jakun” as derogatory terms to mean “savage” and “uncivil.” With the laws and regulations set in the 1990s, the government’s policy statement on the Orang Asal people had erased any mention of their land rights. Ever since then, Orang Asal lands have been taken by deforestation in the name of “civilization,” “assimilation,” and “development.”
Today, the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve, which has been a source of sustenance, rest, and healing for the Orang Asal people for centuries is being threatened with deforestation. Due to the loss of work throughout this pandemic, the forest has been the sole means of survival for them.
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The ongoing silencing of Orang Asal voices is depicted through the juxtaposition of Negaraku and declarations of bantah, which is to protest or object. As the sound clip progresses, their voices become louder and louder. They become heard.
As Temuan artist and activist Shaq Koyok explains in the voice clips, “Tiada suara-suara Orang Asli di luar sana dan tak ada peluang-peluang untuk kami membersuara mengenai pandangan kami sebab inilah tempat tinggal kami.” Our voices are not out there and there are no opportunities for us to express our views especially when this is our home.
He goes on to say, “hormatilah suara orang asli hormatilah orang asli itu sendiri sebab kami pun penduduk Malaysia. Kami ada hak untuk bersuara, kami ada hak untuk tanah dan kami ada hak untuk hidup dan kami ada hak duduk di Malaysia sebagai penduduk Malaysia yang pertama.” Respect our voices, respect us because we are also inhabitants of Malaysia. We have the right to speak up, the right to land, the right to life and the right to dwell in Malaysia as the First Peoples of Malaysia.
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