Mother and daughter inch their way on foot from Pahang to bring plight of Orang Asli to PM's doorstep

While celebrity politician and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is embarking on a 170km run from Putrajaya to his constituency with support from several commercial brands, an Orang Asli woman and her seven-year-old daughter have begun a quiet journey on foot over a similar distance.

But Juliana, 34, and her daughter Yasmina have no proper gear or security convoy to escort them, nor do they hope to raise hundreds of thousands for charity.

Wearing their ordinary slippers and carrying a cloth sling bag and Orang Asli headgear that barely shields them from the scorching sun, they left the ruins of their village in Pahang for Kajang yesterday morning with one objective: to bring the plight of her people to the attention of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The pair began their arduous journey from Maran, Pahang, and at press time she had travelled more than 150km to reach Cheras.

Juliana is scheduled to arrive at Anwar's residence in Sungai Long, Kajang at around 3pm today, where she hopes to persuade the prime minister to intervene over the systemic loss of her community’s customary land (tanah adat).

Yesterday, her husband was among many villagers who were arrested as they attempted to stop the demolition of their village, where masked policemen had blocked the entrances.

Juliana said many Orang Asli houses were demolished “as revenge for us speaking out”.

“As a mother, I cannot sit by and watch my child’s future be erased. If the government will not come to the people, the people must walk to the government,” she said.

Her efforts have been embraced by vocal environmental group Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka), which last month organised one of the biggest Orang Asli protests in recent years in Putrajaya, following the demolition of houses belonging to the Jakun Orang Asli community in Pekan, Pahang, to make way for a private firm's business activities.

Juliana said she was left with no choice but to bypass bureaucracy by going to the prime minister's house, adding that she would not be able to meet him through normal administrative channels.

“I come as a desperate mother and as a representative of the Orang Asli voice of my village. I am not here to cause any commotion. I just hope the prime minister will take a few minutes to listen to what is happening to us,” she said.

Juliana said the Orang Asli's customary land is not only the community's place to live, but also a symbol of their identity and culture passed down from generation to generation.

“If we lose our customary land, we will not only lose our place to live. We will lose our history, our culture and our children's future.”

Follow Juliana's journey on TikTok.