Footballing for Orang Asli kampung

March 15 represents quite an important day for the Orang Asli folks of Kampung Genting Peras in Hulu Langat -- it was the opening of their football field; a proper field with goal posts on each end. But it's not a full football field as specified by FIFA, but bigger than a futsal court.

Officiating the field were Hulu Langat Member of Parliament, Che Rosli Che Mat, Dusun Tua Asssembly person Razaly Hassan, European Union Counsellor Marcel Roijen and members of NGO, UndiMalaysia who have been working with the Orang Asli folks in the area.

The project is the work of the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (MCCHR) under their 'Adopt-the-Street' programme and forms part of the larger UndiMalaysia's Empowering Orang Asli Youth initiative.

Also collaborating were the European Union and Razaly Hassan, the State Assemblyperson for Dusun Tua.

The future for community projects like this however, seems bleak as there are fewer financial assistance in the form of grants are available from the international commmunity.

The European Union which has helped this particular project under its indigenous rights initiative no longer has allocation for Malaysia. It believes that the country is sufficiently developed to undertake its own similar efforts.


The Hulu Langat's PAS MP and the State Assemblyperson for Dusun Tuan seems happy enough that this community project undertaken by UndiMalaysia is at least palpable in the form of this football field.